Home remedies can be just as effective as prescribed or over-the-counter medications when it comes to treating a baby's sniffles and stuffiness, Louis Vernacchio, assistant professor of epidemiology at the School of Public Health and of pediatrics at the School of Medicine at Boston University, tells "BU Today."

A mucus extractor, also called a bulb syringe, clears the nose of a child who has trouble blowing into a tissue. Use one to clear your child's nasal passages, allowing him to breathe easier when sick and preventing mucus from running out his nose.

If you always seem to tell your teen to “straighten up,” your advice to help your teen improve her posture can have far-reaching benefits. Poor posture in the teenage years causes muscle strain or abnormal bone growth. Poor posture also can make your teen appear less confident.

In a medical emergency, rescue workers can help a patient breathe using a squeezable bag with a face mask called the Ambu bag. Before its invention, rescue breathing attempts were often futile. Those efforts, including mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, caused more problems than they solved.

Diabetes is a condition that affects a growing number of individuals. It is a condition characterized by the inability of the body to process blood glucose (sugar), which leads to numerous complications in almost every organ system. Diabetes has effects on blood pressure, pulse and pupil size.

Whether you’re a runner, cyclist or avid hiker, the risk of heat exhaustion increases dramatically during hot summer months.

Digestion is one of your body’s most important functions, and one that should occur without conscious awareness of its routine functioning. When digestion is not working properly, however, there is cause for concern.

Birth control pills are contraceptives that use female hormones to alter a woman's normal menstrual cycle. The pill prevents pregnancy by blocking ovulation, so your ovaries do not release an ovum that can be fertilized and lead to pregnancy.

Scary though they may be, palpitations are rarely threatening on their own. However, in some cases they are indicators of underlying problems. If you don't get enough exercise, heart palpitations might be your body trying to send you an important message.

There are minor dangers and majors dangers associated with the Master Cleanse Diet. There also is no reason for anyone to try the Master Cleanse Diet, since it is based on theories about detox and cleanse diets--both refer to diets that aim to "cleanse" your system of toxins -- that have no basis in fact.

Several medicinal herbs have been used historically to "purify" the bloodstream and to flush pollutants from the body. In modern naturopathy, integrative practitioners widely recommend these detox herbal teas, but there is little notable scientific evidence supporting their use.

Not all carbohydrates are equal -- especially when it comes to their effect on cholesterol. Some carbohydrates raise cholesterol, while others lower it. You find carbohydrates in breads, cereals, grains, milk, yogurt, fruits, vegetables, and foods that contain added sugars.