For patients and caregivers, understanding clinical progression, diagnostic imaging results, and pharmacological treatment options is vital for managing acute and chronic health conditions.
The lymph nodes are small glands distributed throughout the body that play an important role in immunity. They frequently swell in response to an infection, but may also swell for other reasons. Often a baby develops swollen lymph nodes in her neck.
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Lumbar spinal stenosis is a painful condition in which the spinal canal in the lower back narrows, pinching the spinal cord and its surrounding nerves. This can cause difficulty walking or standing up straight, numbness or tingling in the areas below the pinch, and, in extreme cases, weakness in the legs.
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If you're new to running, have bumped up your mileage or running intensity, changed surfaces or train in shoes that have lost their cushioning, various leg aches and pains are almost inevitable. But soreness and injury aren't the only things that can hold your running back.
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Hominy is another name for dried maize kernels, and this common food is often made into grits. Because maize can be grown in a wide range of climates, hominy is popular in many cultures. Hominy is also popular because it can be quite nutritious.
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Mucus is a slippery substance secreted by -- and covering -- the mucus membranes that line your respiratory tract. Glands in your nose, sinuses and throat generate mucus, which is helpful in cleansing and moisturizing your nasal passages. According to MayoClinic.
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Eighty out of every 100 women have non-cancerous fibroid tumors, also called myomas, by the time they reach the age of 50, according to the University of Michigan Health System.
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An enzyme is a protein that speeds up the rate at which a chemical reaction occurs. Enzymes are substrate specific, meaning that each type of enzyme has a specific type of molecule that it affects. The human body needs enzymes to influence the rates at which biological processes occur.
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Sunlight helps your body produce vitamin D and it regulates your circadian rhythm, or body clock. Certain health conditions, however, can leave you with unpleasant reactions after you go out in the sun.
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Exercise and physical activity in general is good for your health. Over time, a regimen of cardiovascular workouts helps you maintain healthy blood pressure levels.
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Long-sightedness, or farsightedness, is an eye condition where you can see objects clearly at a long distance and they are blurry at a short distance.
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Androgen excess is an endocrine disorder that is sometimes found in women during their reproductive years. While everyone has a combination of male and female hormones, women have more estrogen, and men have more androgen. However, certain conditions may cause women to produce excess androgen.
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Tamiflu, also known by its generic name, oseltamivir, is an antiviral drug used for the treatment of influenza. It works by slowing down the rate at which viruses infect cells. However, in common with other antivirals, Tamiflu does not eliminate the flu virus from the body, rather it slows its progress.
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Standard colonoscopy involves the visual inspection of the rectum and large intestine by insertion of a flexible video camera through the anus. Approximately 5 to 10 percent of people report abdominal pain or discomfort after a colonoscopy, according to an October 2011 "Gastrointestinal Endoscopy"
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According to the National Institute of Health, a yeast infection, also known as candida albicans, stems from a natural fungus found inside the body. When the body is out of balance from fatigue or stress, the yeast can grow abnormally. An excess amount of glucose in the body can also cause a yeast infection.
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Being exposed to certain bacteria when a cut or wound occurs can cause a disease called tetanus, or lockjaw. This disease leads to all over muscle pain and tightness, locking of the jaw that inhibits the ability to open the mouth and swallow and, in some cases, death. Tetanus shots can help to prevent this disease.
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The main ingredient in Metamucil, owned by Procter & Gamble, is psyllium husks. Psyllium fiber comes from the seed of the husk of plantago ovata, also called plantago isphagula, and is mainly present in bulk laxatives but now is also used as a non-systemic cholesterol-lowering agent.
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Cocaine is a highly addictive drug that is illegal in the United States. According to Drugs.com, the powder form of cocaine can be snorted up the nose or rubbed on areas of the skin like the gums or genitals. The powder can also be mixed with water and injected directly into the veins.
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Brain swelling, known in medical terminology as cerebral edema, is a manifestation of various brain injuries such as cancer or trauma, and is dangerous because it raises the pressure inside the skull. The skull is a thick chamber that is not compliant, which means it does not stretch.
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Head lice is common in schools and other environments with large numbers of people. Lice can spread by head-to-head contact, but you can also catch it through indirect contact, like using someone else's brush, borrowing someone's hat or even cuddling with an infected person's stuffed animals.
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Allergy to shellfish, including crab, is self-reported by 2.5 percent of American adults and 0.5 percent of American children, according to a December 2010 report published in βThe Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
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