Bone growth begins early in fetal development -- at a gestational age of approximately 6 to 7 weeks, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center -- and continues throughout the rest of your life.
Read more →
Each breast contains a series of milk ducts, which make up a part of breast glandular tissue. These tubes run from the milk-producing breast lobules to the nipple, allowing for lactation and breastfeeding.
Read more →
Vitamins play a key role in your health. Their functions range from supporting cell growth and promoting tissue strength to producing energy. They're an essential part of your diet because your body can't make adequate amounts of vitamins on its own.
Read more →
Many cases of breast cancer are estrogen-responsive, which means the tumor grows in response to estrogen. Tamoxifen is a therapeutic agent designed to block the effects of estrogen.
Read more →
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.
Read more →
The breasts contain large amounts of glandular tissue, organized into milk-producing lobules and milk-transporting ducts. The lobules and ducts form a complex tree-like structure that connects to the nipple.
Read more →
Shared nerves carry pain sensations from the lower abdomen and scrotum, which contains the testicles and other male reproductive structures. For this reason, pain originating in either location is often felt in both areas.
Read more →
Infection of the breast, a condition called mastitis, can occur when microbes enter cracks in the skin and colonize within a milk duct, usually but not always at a time in life when the mother is nursing. Mastitis can be caused by bacteria, viruses, and fungal microbes, and can affect one or both of the breasts.
Read more →
Your brain relies on small molecules, called neurotransmitters, to facilitate signaling between brain cells, as well as transmission of signals to nerves throughout the body. One neurotransmitter important for signaling in the brain is dopamine.
Read more →
A breast injury can prove extremely painful. During the injury, damage to breast tissues breaks open blood vessels and damages the structure of the breast, leading to a inflammation, swelling and pain.
Read more →
Learn about the stages of a tooth abscess, from tooth decay to infection and spread. Understand how to prevent and treat this serious dental condition.
Read more →
The digestive system is made up of a series of tissues that mechanically and chemically digest food and absorb nutrients into the body to sustain life. The length of the digestive system is lined with membranes that contain specialized digestive cells, connective tissue and a rich supply of blood vessels.
Read more →
Your body contains hundreds of hormones circulating within your blood or stored within various tissues of your body. Maintaining a proper level of each hormone proves important; too much or too little of a single hormone can lead to a hormonal imbalance.
Read more →
The thickness of your blood depends on specialized blood cells, called platelets. After tissue damage, your platelets activate, clump together and begin to synthesize protein fibers that hold the cells together in a blood clot to prevents bleeding from the injury site.
Read more →
The liver is an essential organ responsible for detoxifying the body. Liver cancer is a form of cancer that develops from cells of the liver and the bile duct. According to the National Cancer Institute, 22,620 new cases of liver cancer were diagnosed in the United States in 2009, and liver cancer caused 18,160 deaths.
Read more →
Your immune system forms a barrier against infectious disease. Lymphocytes, a class of white blood cells, play a key role in recognizing and fighting harmful pathogens.
Read more →
Hair loss can occur for a number of reasons: genetically determined alopecia, severely damaging hair treatments or extensions, a hormonal imbalance, or lifestyle factors such as dietary habits.
Read more →
A fibroid breast tumor, or fibroadenoma, is a benign breast growth that can occur in one or both breast. A fibroadenoma feels like a firm and rubbery lump that is usually painless to the touch and can be moved within the breast.
Read more →
If you’re the type who struggles to meet your daily vegetable intake, here’s an end to your plight. There’s a tasty — and healthy — way to prepare your vegetables: sliced like fries and then crisped in the oven.
Read more →
When you're trying to gain weight -- whether it's to avoid the health risks of being underweight or for aesthetic reasons -- your eating habits can make or break your results.
Read more →