Teen depression is a serious and potentially life-threatening problem: 500,000 teens in America attempt suicide every year. Five thousand of them succeed. If a depressed teen seems to be at risk of hurting himself or others, caregivers should seek medical help immediately.

People who are bedridden need to exercise to prevent their muscles from atrophy and shortening. Muscle atrophy occurs when the muscles become thin and weak. The muscles shorten when they are not stretched or moved.

Red blotches on your stomach may form when your body releases histamines. Your body releases histamines when you are exposed to allergens. Histamines attach to your cells and cause them to swell and leak fluid. This can cause allergic reactions like red blotches on your stomach.

When urine becomes acidic, uric acid stones may form in the kidneys. Kidney stones cause symptoms such as pain in the back or side, burning during urination, blood in the urine and nausea. Lab tests on your urine can determine the acidity level and screen for risk factors that may cause the kidney stones.

Whether loud or soft, coughs make a distinctive, harsh sound as they force your lungs to release air and other substances. Both healthy children and healthy adults cough now and again for various reasons, sometimes on numerous occasions in one day.

Prescription drugs have their place in our medically advanced society. There are many diseases people would die from if not for prescription drugs, and some prescription drugs seem to make life easier when you have a small ailment such as the flu or a cough. But prescription drugs have a dark side as well.

Schizophrenia is characterized by paranoia, delusions, hallucinations, disordered thinking, social withdrawal and cognition problems, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. If you or someone you love suffers from schizophrenia, you know first-hand how this serious mental illness can affect life.

Spina bifida occulta is a physical deformity that occurs as a baby develops in the mother's womb. The bones around the spinal cord fail to develop normally, but the nerves don't generally have any damage.

Prednisone belongs to a family of drugs called corticosteroids that is often prescribed when a person's body does not produce enough natural steroid hormones.

Certain irritants or allergies can trigger an asthma attack, which causes the airways of the bronchial tubes to constrict, resulting in extreme difficulty in breathing due to the inflammation and increased mucous produced by the lungs, according to MedlinePlus.

Hydroquinone is an ingredient found in many skin-lightening products marketed to women for purposes of reducing age spots, melasma, freckles and other types of hyperpigmentation. In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a rule that hydroquinone be considered "

Kidney stones are gravel-like pieces that form in the kidneys from excess calcium deposits. They cause pain, tenderness in the back and blood in the urine as the stones make their way from the kidneys to the urethra for passage.