August 22-31, 2012 - Original Health Articles

Are you one of the 1 in 5 Americans who's addicted to cigarettes and can't seem to quit despite the fact that smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths? If so, learn more about a new type of nicotine vaccine that's now in the testing stage. Creating a Gene Therapy Vaccine This vaccine is being developed by scientists at New York City's Weill Cornell Medical College and incorporates cutting edge gene therapy techniques that have been effective in preventing other health conditions.

If you've had a muscle cramp or spasm, you know how painful they can be. While they're generally harmless, a severe cramp can temporarily incapacitate the affected muscle leaving you in pain and unable to move freely. So, why do they occur? The Mayo Clinic states that a muscle cramp is "a sudden and involuntary contraction of one or more of your muscles.

While there's no specific "asthma diet," some studies have found that people who eat nutritious meals have a lower asthma risk. In addition, people who already suffer from asthma may find that eating certain foods can help to repair the damage that's been done to their respiratory systems.

If you work behind a desk all day, you're at an increased risk for lower back problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, and various strains to your muscles, joints, and tendons. Try these tips to protect your body and keep your head focused on your work instead of nagging aches and pains.

There are lots of reasons to eat an abundance of fruits and vegetables—they're colorful, usually inexpensive, and excellent for your health. You can even grow them yourself. Now researchers have discovered one more reason to embrace a diet high in fresh produce—a greater likelihood that, if you're a smoker, you'll give up cigarettes.

Here are eight ways to get your grill on: The Best Beverage: Water If you have acid reflux, the best thing you can drink is bottled water—alkaline water if possible. "Many reflux suffers steer clear from soda because of the acidity, but what many don't realize is bottled iced tea and enhanced waters, are profoundly acidic," says Jamie Koufman, MD, co-author of Dropping Acid: The Reflux Diet Cookbook & Cure (www.

Here are five common household items that seem harmless, but could be very dangerous if ingested by a dog or a cat: 1. Yard Treatments: While cocoa mulch can be good for your lawn, this sweet smelling item, made from cocoa bean shells, can be toxic to animals.

Peyronie's disease is an erectile disorder characterized by a curvature of the penis and erection deformity. It's caused by the scarring of the tunical albuginea (a thick membrane that protects the erectile tissues), and results in pain during erection and intercourse.

Troubling numbers recently revealed at the Prevent Blindness America "Focus on Eye Health Summit" held in Washington, D.C., in June (2012) suggest that vision problems and blindness are plaguing the population. Consider these statistics: 2,069,403 people age 50 and older have late age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a 25 percent increase.

Why should kids in summer camp have all the fun? If you're looking for a refreshing change in your routine, one that may give you better rest and a happier outlook, you should consider spending a night or two out under the stars communing with nature.

Reaching menopause has a lot of benefits, but gaining weight may not be seen as one of them. The extra pounds are likely a result of your body's natural aging process, which causes muscle loss. Another cause of extra pounds? Hormonal changes. Estrogen is naturally stored in fat cells but during perimenopause and menopause, estrogen supplies dwindle.

Making your own pet food can be especially good for pets with allergies and special health needs, and this option is a good way to avoid any risk of contamination in commercial blends. Yet homemade pet food can also be time intensive and the process comes with its own set of complications.

Stress can impact your life in a variety of ways. You know about good stress—the type that's necessary to make a really killer presentation or perform your best in a competition. But stress has an evil side, too. Bad stress can have emotional, physiological, and behavioral consequences.

When medication, exercise, and therapy offer little to no relief from joint pain, it may be time to consider a knee or hip replacement. Nearly two million of these surgeries are performed annually in the United States, and the number continues to rise, due to its effectiveness in helping to relieve chronic pain.

Though more typically thought of as a female issue, men can also acquire yeast infections. Both oral yeast infections (called thrush) that contaminate the mouth and genital yeast infections are caused by an overgrowth of Candida albicans—the most common form of yeast that grows normally in the body.

Sometimes it seems that once you turn 65, the world wants to place you neatly in the "senior citizen" peg hole where you eat dinner at 4:00, take up a sudden interest in golf, and become vigilant about not letting your blood pressure get too high. But none of these stereotypes necessarily needs to be true, even the one about blood pressure.

If you're recovering from a major illness or surgery, you need as much rest as you can get. Those lucky enough to recuperate at home will probably find the quiet conducive to healing. But those stuck in the hospital are not so fortunate. A recent small study conducted by experts at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston found that hospital noise can be a significant disrupter of crucial rest.

Foods, nutrients, and lifestyle habits are important factors that keep you and your digestive system healthy. Here's a list of foods and nutrients and their role in the digestive system: Getting Your Fill of Fiber First and foremost, you need to consume 20 to 35 grams of fiber per day, says Lisa Schnepp, RD, Major Health Partners in Shelbyville, Indiana, affiliated with Indianapolis Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

You may not have heard of dendritic spines, which are very tiny bumps on the surface of the nerve cells. But new research shows that changes in their structure may be contributing to diabetic neuropathy, a painful, chronic condition affecting nearly 50 percent of individuals with diabetes, according to research reported in Science Daily.

A recent study conducted by researchers from the National Institutes of Health—published in the New England Journal of Medicine—suggests that coffee may lower your risk of dying from chronic diseases. The study tracked coffee drinking habits of more than 400,000 Americans between the ages of 50 and 71 from 1995 to 2008, Health.

There is a strong link between diet and bladder control. Specific foods and drinks, portion sizes, and the time of day a person eats and drinks can all have an impact on symptoms like uncontrollable urges or bladder leakage. If you have any symptoms of incontinence, it’s highly recommended you see a doctor and discuss treatment options, but there are several changes you can make to everyday habits that may help you manage symptoms.

Being criticized is a part of life that everyone needs and no one likes. Criticism is essential to intellectual growth and self-improvement. If teachers refrained from commenting on your essays and tests, it would stunt improvement in the classroom. Without parents applauding their children's good behavior and condemning misbehavior, many would have difficulty learning right from wrong.

Here are four philosophies/tips to quit smoking that can be helpful to remember. They can help you stay strong in your efforts to stop smoking once and for all. 1. One size doesn't fit all. Each person has different needs when it comes to smoking cessation efforts.

Certain colors could evoke certain moods in people and could also affect the appetite. Want to trim down? Go with blue walls and accents, say color therapists. The reason is that blue is not a food found naturally, other than in the case of blueberries and a few varieties of bluish potatoes, and so it fails to excite the taste buds.

Ever noticed that breakouts intensify during times of stress? Millions of people suffer from chronic skin ailments that don't respond to traditional treatments. If you have a hard-to-heal skin problem, the emerging field of psychodermatology may be able to help you find relief.

Your idea of a perfect summer day may include lounging on the beach, going for a swim, and soaking up the sun. But if you suffer from sun allergies, your symptoms could inhibit you from heading outside to partake in these and other activities. 4 Types of Sun Allergy Rashes You don't have to hibernate indoors or risk getting a sun allergy rash.

1. Chatty Cathy. She talks on her cell phone, to her friends, during yoga class and while sitting on the weight machine everyone is waiting for. Being able to carry on a conversation when you're exercising is how you know you're not pushing too hard, but non-stop conversations (or more than a moment on your cell) are just bad gym etiquette.

You go to great lengths to make sure your child gets enough sleep, eats a balanced diet, and avoids second-hand smoke. Yet even your best attempts at healthy living may not be enough to prevent him from developing asthma. This could be because your efforts are coming a little too late.

One day aspirin is good for you; the next day's report says it's linked to some sort of rare disease. If you follow medical news closely, it's not that surprising to find contradictory or conflicting information during the same week's news. Trying to stay on top of medical information—and use it to improve your health—can be quite challenging.

There are drawbacks from getting vitamin D from foods and from the sun. So which one is has lesser consequences? Scientists agree that sufficient vitamin D is needed for you to maintain good health, and the primary source of vitamin D occurs when your skin is exposed to the sun's UV rays.