June 1-7, 2009 - Original Health Articles

If you have Crohn's disease, chances are you suffer from fatigue from time to time. Although it's common,  fatigue is disruptive and can negatively affect your quality of life. There are many causes of fatigue; however, there are steps you can take to manage it.

Remember not too long ago, when the Atkins and South Beach Diet were supposed to revolutionize weight-loss? The diets were not shams, but the way they were thought of sometimes made it seem so. People assumed that the new best way to lose weight was to simply eliminate carbohydrates from their diet, when the truth was that both of those diets helped restructure how we ate carbs.

Although researchers aren't entirely sure what causes depression, it's believed that environment plays a role along with genetics. And it stands to reason that if an environment is causing repeated stress, a susceptible person may eventually begin feeling depressed.

Aromatherapy, or the practice of using essential plant oils to improve physical and psychological well-being, is not new. Devotees claim that people have been using plants to heal for thousands of years, before traditional medicine was available. But while essential oils may smell good and feel even better when used on the body during a massage, for example, does aromatherapy as a treatment actually work? The answer depends on what you expect aromatherapy to do for you.

They may not be nature's most beautiful creation, but they're nutritional powerhouses and a great addition to a healthful diet. We're talking about mushrooms, which come in many varieties, are extremely versatile, and are popular in many different cuisines.

If you're one of the millions of people taking glucosamine to treat arthritis, you may be confused by a few recent findings. Two large-scale studies indicated that this popular supplement is no more useful than placebo in treating the condition characterized by joint pain, inflammation and stiffness.

Both rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis are chronic degenerative diseases that require long-term care. However, if you're not seeing the improvement you'd like to, here's some insight into what may hinder - and improve - your treatment. 1. Not following your prescribed treatment.

There are approximately 19 million new STD infections each year in the United States, reports the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Nearly 50 percent of sexually transmitted diseases occur among people between ages 15 and 24; however, women and minorities are also severely affected.

The bad news is that people who have Inflammatory Bowel Disease are at higher risk for developing colon cancer. The good news is that colon cancer is highly treatable when caught early. Colon Cancer Primer Colon cancer tumors form in the epithelial cells of the large intestine.

The biological barriers against curing type 1 diabetes are alarming. After the body's immune system kills off the insulin making islet cells in the pancreas, it remains a problem.  The human body mounts an immune response to any transplanted cells requiring the recipient to undergo a lifelong course of immunosuppressant drugs.

When you have gastroesophagal reflux disease (GERD), the symptom you're most likely to have is heartburn, which is the burning sensation behind the breastbone. Similarly to heartburn, the other potential symptoms of reflux, like indigestion and constipation, are concentrated in the gastrointestinal area.

The Truth about Asthma and Food When you consider asthma causes, you might be surprised to find out as few as about five percent of the 20 million or so asthmatics in the United States can actually trace their symptoms back to the things they eat and drink.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) affects between 15 to 30 million men in the United States, preventing them from being able to get or keep an erection. The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC) explains that ED is sometimes called "impotence," but this term includes other sexual problems such as lack of sexual desire or premature ejaculation.

While significant progress has been made in understanding swine flu, some questions surrounding this outbreak remain unclear. How Much Exposure Do You Need to Be Affected? According to Dr. Daniel Jernigan of the CDC, the reasons why someone becomes infected depend on many different factors.

Do you eat foods rich in vitamin B9? If so, you may be helping to prevent your allergies at the same time. Vitamin B9, which is also known as folic acid or folate, has long been recognized for its ability to help maintain healthy red blood cells and to prevent spinal birth defects.

  There are more than 50 types of heart disease, including infections, arrhythmias, and congenital heart defects, but there are three in particular that afflict a larger segment of the population. According to the American Heart Association's (AHA) Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2009 Update, of the estimated 80 million people who have heart disease, 73.

If you've been on an antidepressant and you think your clothes are getting tighter, you're not imagining it. Research has shown that many people add pounds when they're on antidepressants. And certain antidepressants, such as a class of medications known as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), are more likely to cause weight gain than the newer, more popular selective serotinin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

  Vitamin B6 Women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have lower levels of vitamin B6, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. The B6 levels weren't low due to dietary intake, but to metabolism changes in the women with RA.

As if the list of reasons to exercise weren't already long enough.  Now, there's another compelling reason to hit the track, the treadmill, or the trail. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports on an important study linking improved breast cancer statistics and exercise.

Colon cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer. The National Cancer Institute estimates that approximately 106,000 people will be diagnosed with colon cancer in 2009. The symptoms of colon cancer mirror those of other disorders, which may cause patients to delay seeking prompt medical attention.

It sneaks up on unsuspecting women with little warning and is the fourth leading cause of death in women in United States. Ovarian cancer kills more women than all gynecological cancers combined. Despite these grave facts, you can take steps and make lifestyle choices that lower your risk of becoming another statistic in the battle against ovarian cancer.

Empty calorie foods are just what their name describes: foods that provide calories but no nutrients. Soda is an example of an empty calorie beverage.  A typical soda provides about 150 calories per can and that's it.  The calories come from sugar and there are no other nutrients provided.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), caffeine is a substance that exists naturally in certain plants.  It is found in the leaves, seeds and fruits of more than 60 plants, including cocoa beans, coffee, tea leaves, and kola nuts.  It can also be produced synthetically and used as an additive in foods and beverages and is currently showing up almost everywhere in products ranging from gum to water to candy bars.

Creativity is the key to enjoying good food while still managing your diabetes. It's all a matter of substituting small portions of sweets for other carb-containing foods in your meals and snacks.  Carbs are found in a variety of foods including bread, cereal, corn, crackers, fruit, juice, milk, pasta, potatoes, rice, and yogurt.