Spinal stenosis causes narrowing of the bones that make up the spinal canals, or the areas through which the spinal cord and spinal nerves pass. The Mayo Clinic reports that spinal stenosis causes symptoms only when the spinal nerves or spinal cord are compressed.
Read more →
Niacin, also known as vitamin B-3, provides numerous health benefits when obtained from dietary sources such as peanuts, salmon, eggs, chicken and beets. It improves the health of your skin, eyes and hair; helps you convert carbohydrates to glucose for energyl and helps you metabolize fats and proteins.
Read more →
Some women do not make enough progesterone, one of the dominant female hormones, to achieve and maintain a pregnancy. They may take progesterone supplements to increase progesterone levels before and during early pregnancy. Others take progesterone as part of hormone replacement therapy.
Read more →
Estrogen and progesterone play a critical role in the health of women. Levels of these sex steroids must remain in perfect balance to ensure reproductive fertility. The two hormones also affect bone health, cancer risk and emotional stability.
Read more →
Fruit is an essential component of your daily diet and has many nutritional advantages, especially when you replace junk food with servings of fresh fruit. However, it's not a good idea to try to live on fruit alone. So-called "fruitarian" diets or "fruit cleanses"
Read more →
Before you reach for another cream claiming to be made from wild yams and to be a “natural” progesterone, think again. Although yams are highly nutritious, you aren’t going to adjust your hormones, prevent pregnancy or soothe menopausal symptoms from eating them.
Read more →
Stinging nettle is a prolific perennial plant that has hairs called trichomes lining its leaves and stems. As a defense strategy, these hairs act like tiny needles to inject chemicals into invading pests and predators – or your legs as you walk by.
Read more →
Acids and bases are chemical substances that release ions when dissolved in water. Acids are compounds that release positive hydrogen ions in water. Bases release hydroxide ions, which are compounds made of an oxygen and a hydrogen.
Read more →
Stomach pain after eating pizza can be caused by various conditions, but is most likely related to a food allergy, lactose intolerance or celiac disease. It is important that you talk with your doctor about your symptoms before you attempt to treat them. Pizza contains milk products, wheat and soy.
Read more →
The gallbladder is a three to four inch sac underneath the liver. Gallbladder stores a substance called bile that is secreted by the liver. Bile is used in the absorption of fats. Some people suffer from gallstones that are clumps made mostly of cholesterol.
Read more →
Narcolepsy is a disorder characterized by uncontrollable urges to fall asleep. In normal sleep patterns, a person begins a period of sleep with an initial, lighter period that is followed by the onset of deep, REM sleep.
Read more →
If you suffer from diabetes, you need to be aware of which drugs may interact with your system in a way that causes your condition to get worse. Although side effects of certain medications such as alprazolam, sold as Xanax in the U.S.
Read more →
While ear candling has deep historical roots, evidence suggests that it is not a safe or effective practice for removing excessive ear wax. The practice involves placing a cone-shaped candle inside your ear, tilting your head to one side, and lighting the other end of the candle.
Read more →
Dealing with a cold can be frustrating, especially when you’re battling a whole myriad of symptoms. A congested throat makes it hard to breathe, talk and eat, and may wake you up during the night.
Read more →
Getting pregnant, a complicated hormonal event, requires an interplay of hormones released at exactly the right time to develop, mature and release an egg from the ovary, and then to implant it in the uterus.
Read more →
An enema, also known as a colonic, is a procedure designed to cleanse waste from the bowels. Some medical practitioners believe that enemas can help relieve constipation and other medical problems.
Read more →
If you're a new convert to the life-saving benefits of quitting smoking, you may not just want to stop future health problems, but also reverse some of the damage already done to you by smoking. Smoking takes its toll on your lungs, your heart and blood vessels, and even your skin.
Read more →
Spastic colon, now known as irritable bowel syndrome, affects 58 million Americans and represents one of the most common complaints encountered by doctors, according to the Washington University School of Medicine Section of Colon-Rectal Surgery. Pain is considered one of the cardinal symptoms of spastic colon.
Read more →
When fluid collects in the various air sacs in the lungs, it's called pulmonary edema. This can result from a number of different conditions, most notably heart diseases, but also pneumonia, exercising and exposure to various toxins, according to MayoClinic.com.
Read more →
The thymus gland is a small gland in your upper chest that has importance for your health far out of proportion to its size. It starts functioning during fetal life, manufacturing millions of immune cells called T cells.
Read more →