March 22-31, 2009 - Original Health Articles

If you’re pre-diabetic or on the borderline of developing type 2 diabetes, it’s important to remember that simple changes in diet and exercise habits can play a significant role in warding off the disease. Reducing body weight is the key to cutting your risk, and this involves healthy diet and exercise habits.

If you suffer from asthma, you know all too well that the disease is with you to stay. But there are some simple, yet important, steps you can take to keep this condition well controlled in order to stop the symptoms from kicking in and taking you out of the game.

Do you find yourself dreading each season change, fearing that it will cause your asthma symptoms to kick in? Changes to the weather, as well as to the environment, which occur throughout the year, can indeed be asthma triggers. But there are things you can do to take control of your situation so you won’t have to be afraid of what lies ahead.

This condition can be diagnosed in people of all ages, including senior citizens. In fact, experts estimate that as many as 10 percent of older people suffer from asthma symptoms. The challenge, though, is that this disease can often be difficult to detect in older folks and treatment can be complicated if the patient also suffers from other health problems.

If you find yourself coughing, wheezing or having difficulty breathing in or out, these are some of the typical symptoms that should warrant a trip to see your doctor. He or she will ask you some basic questions to get a handle on what you are experiencing and may also run some simple tests to determine if indeed you could have this chronic, and also common, condition.

Since Americans spend so much of their lives working, it makes sense that depression affects people on the job well as outside of work. In fact, clinical depression is a very costly illness for businesses. According to the organization Mental Health America, more than 200 million days of work are missed each year due to employee depression, mostly by women, not to mention lost productivity at work and the measurable costs of treatment.

Q: My husband has always been a snorer, but over the past few years it seems to have gotten worse. It's to the point where I'm often forced to get up in the middle of the night to sleep in the guest room. We're both in our fifties and extremely health conscious.

Although no doctor is perfect, there's a certain level of professionalism and care every pediatrician should provide. Here, six signs that you and your child aren't getting the care you deserve. He makes you or your child feel uncomfortable or stupid when you ask questions.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a degenerative autoimmune disorder characterized by inflammation and stiffness of the joint, and in extreme cases disfiguration and joint destruction. One of the main symptoms is chronic pain. Chronic pain is a key risk factor for depression, which affects more than 19 million Americans.

Far from being a “female” condition, depression is something that affects men as well—to the tune of about 6 million a year, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health. But men often experience depression very differently than women do.

Every year the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) selects three strains of the influenza virus in advance to include in that year’s vaccine. If the strains don’t match the ones that eventually circulate, the vaccine is less effective at protecting people.

If the itchy eyes and nose, scratchy throat and sneezing that comes with seasonal or year-round allergies is getting you down, you may want to seek relief from one or more of the over-the-counter and prescription drugs available today that can make you feel better.

Mostly laden with fat and calories, snacks are often the cause of heart disease, not the cure. But if think outside the potato chip bag, you can find treats that are not only delicious but also good for your heart. Here are five tasty and healthy ideas: Edamame.

A common lament among women is that they have no time to take care of themselves. And it’s true that working full-time, raising a family, taking care of a household, and possibly caring for older relatives all can take their toll. Never mind exercise...

According to the most recent estimates, about one in three Americans has high blood pressure (or hypertension), which can lead to heart attack, stroke, and other forms of heart disease. If you’re among this group, you’ll need to make some lifestyle adjustments to avoid the worst-case scenarios, but fret not—as serious as a diagnosis of high blood pressure can be, you can still make room in your life for a little fun.

It is the nurse that takes your temperature and blood pressure. It is the nurse that cares for you daily during your stay at the hospital. In a lot of ways, nurses are responsible for much of your medical experiences. Recently, however, America has been experiencing a nursing shortage, which is expected to up in intensity in the upcoming years.

Did you know that you can ease your depression simply by using your mind? Meditation can help you chase away sadness, hopelessness, and negative thoughts. Originally used to help people better understand the mystical and sacred, in today’s world meditation is often used to reduce stress and restore calm and peace in our lives.

You’ve probably discovered that shedding extra flab becomes harder to do once you roll past 40. In fact, just keeping your weight steady is now a challenge. Gone are the days when you could inhale four slices of pizza and a large soda and still slide into your skinny jeans the next morning.

Are you always on a diet? More to the point, does your constant food restriction lead to long-term weight loss? There’s a good chance it doesn’t. According to dietitian Frances M. Berg, diets are actually counterproductive. People who watch every morsel they eat and count every calorie become obsessed with food, which can lead to binge eating or other eating disorders.

Arthritis affects one in three Americans, many of whom are parents faced with one of the most challenging roles in life. Add a chronic disease like arthritis into the mix and those challenges multiply tenfold. It can be very difficult to cope with the tough demands of parenting when you’re suffering severe pain or fatigue, or unable to perform simple daily tasks.

Your probably thankful to your parents for passing on their good looks, intelligence and perseverance. Yet when it comes to allergies, you may not be quite as pleased to find out they could be to blame for giving you their symptoms. But the fact is that allergies are often hereditary, which means they can be passed down from generation to generation within families.

What is a Skin Allergy? When most people think of allergies, they likely think of sneezing, congestion and asthma symptoms. But the fact is that many people also suffer from allergies that affect their skin, causing rashes, hives and patches of irritation and extreme dryness throughout their bodies.

You're probably thankful to your parents for passing on their good looks, intelligence and perseverance. Yet when it comes to allergies, you may not be quite as pleased to find out they could be to blame for giving you their symptoms. But the fact is that allergies are often hereditary, which means they can be passed down from generation to generation within families.

If you have asthma, your very best bet is to steer clear of the ski slopes, since breathing in dry, cold air can be a strong trigger for symptoms. But if you can’t resist the thrill downhill or cross-country skiing provides, don’t despair.

This portable breathing machine turns your medication into a liquid mist that you can inhale right into your lungs for the fastest results. But while it makes treating your symptoms easier, some medical experts caution that you shouldn’t rely on your nebulizer as a replacement for receiving essential medical care in a true emergency situation.

Remember when you were young and crazy in love, and the world revolved around your mate? Now think about your marriage or partnership today--notice any difference in your sex life? For many women, sex takes more of a back seat as time goes on. This can be due to family pressures, work stress, and physiological changes.

Studies show that 60 million Americans experience heartburn at least once a month, and that 25 million experience it on a daily basis. Heartburn, a burning pain behind the breastbone that radiates upward, is the most common symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

We often think of heartburn as a food-induced pain resulting from eating too much too quickly, or as something we experience when we’re stressed. Typically this is the case. But the truth is that heartburn can be caused by an unlikely source: medication.

Obesity is a major epidemic in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), two thirds of adults in the United States are obese. If you’re among these two thirds, your risk factor for type 2 diabetes is great—and in fact, you may have diabetes and be unaware.

In a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry a group of individuals suffering from depression was treated with either medication, cognitive therapy or a placebo. Cognitive therapy, as defined by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is an empirically supported treatment that focuses on negative patterns of thinking in an attempt to reprogram the inner message into a more positive one that doesn't deride the patient and drive them into depression.