May 22-31, 2011 - Original Health Articles

As if you needed another reason not to smoke, scientists have come up with yet another one: It turns out that smokers who receive treatment for early rheumatoid arthritis respond less vigorously than people who have never picked up a cigarette. Even former smokers achieve a better response than current smokers.

Have you and your pet packed on a few pounds? If so, it's time to pull out the leash and get some exercise.  Here, eight great tips for exercising with your furry friend. 1) Take puppy steps. Depending on your dog's or cat's breed, fitness level, and age, you may need to start with short spurts of exercise.

Environmentalists say that when you shop for food that is locally grown or produced, you contribute to your own health and the health of the planet. You also contribute to the economic well-being of your local community. That's what it means to be a locavore.

Are anxious people born that way?  Studies suggest some people are "wired to worry" right from the start. What causes a predisposition toward anxiety, and what does it mean if you're wired that way? Everyone worries occasionally. Some people, however, feel afraid when they really don't need to or experience anxiety at a level that's unreasonable for the threat they face.

You may want to consider using a liberal hand with the vinegar bottle next time you make salad dressing. Consuming apple cider vinegar at bedtime may have a positive effect on the waking blood sugar for those with type 2 diabetes, according to a recent study from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.

In these busy times, grabbing a quick meal from the salad bar of your local deli or fast-food restaurant chain may not only shave precious minutes from your day; it may also provide all the ingredients you need for a healthy heart—if you choose well.

Chemotherapy is the use of powerful chemicals to kill cancer cells or render them unable to divide and grow. Patients experience side effects from chemotherapy that range from annoying to life threatening. One of these side effects is the potential to increase patients' risk for heart failure, particularly in those who already have heart disease.

Depression is one of the most common complications in people with chronic illness, occurring in up to one-third of chronically ill patients. Older adults are particularly at risk for both chronic illness and depression due to isolation and loss of functional ability.

Having children is an exciting, rewarding experience for most parents. For women suffering from depression, however, parenting is especially difficult and untreated depression can have long-lasting effects on their children. You've probably heard of post-partum blues, in which new mothers experience mood swings and feelings of sadness shortly after birth.

How can you help your ankles to keep you on your feet? By giving them the support they need, from the ground up. The ankle consists of three main bones: the tibia, fibula and talus bones. The foot has 38. The joints that allow all these bones to move in a coordinated way are held in place by strong ligaments, tendons, muscles and connective tissue.

Patients with chronic pain typically have many choices and decisions to make when it comes to pain management. One of these choices includes Fentanyl Transdermic Patches. Fentanyl patches provide a strong, effective, and continuous dose of pain medicine that helps prevent the pain peaks and valleys that come with other types of pain drugs.

If you don't have much interest in sex these days, you may worry that you'll never reclaim the passion and sexual desire you once had. You can't seem to recall just when you started feeling less than passionate, and wonder if you'll ever again enjoy a care and worry-free sex life.

You're newly single, maybe feeling lonely, and perhaps feeling disconnected from all your "couples" friends. This may be an excellent time to re-enter the dating game, but you're understandably hesitant because it seems so intimidating. Before you hop back into the game, it's essential for you to make certain considerations.

You'd think that water would be a safe bet for people with allergies, right? Yet for a very small group of people, this isn't the case. A rare allergy to water, called aquagenic urticaria, makes daily living extra challenging for them. Swimming. Showering.

When common treatment methods aren't enough to manage your persistent asthma symptoms, it may be time to consider a new surgical technique. Bronchial thermoplasty was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010 for use in people whose asthma doesn't respond to other less invasive measures.

Allergies to the nickel metal contained in coins and costume jewelry are a common problem that affects about 10 percent of Americans. The Solution There's an easy way to get around nickel allergies thanks to the efforts of researchers from Harvard University who published their findings in the April 2011 issue of the journal, Nature Nanotechnology.

If you're looking to transform your curly or frizzy hair into sleek, straight strands, you've likely looked for options beyond the traditional blow dry. Here's a rundown of the most popular hair straightening treatments, including the results you can expect from each method.

Sure, you want to protect your investment, and mattress and pillow covers do just that. They encase the bedding to protect against allergens, body fluids and bed bugs.Before you start shopping, here's what you need to know, depending on what you need.

As the family chef, you get to choose the menu and exercise a certain amount of control over what everyone else eats. But if your spouse or significant other gets diagnosed with diabetes, you may suddenly need to modify your menus and shopping choices.

Taking a daily aspirin could be good for your health... or it could be bad for your health. And since there's no clear-cut answer for everyone who has diabetes, it's best to ask your doctor before deciding to start taking aspirin on your own. As with many medications, it has both risks and benefits.

According to the Agency for Health Care Quality and Research (AHRQ), men are: 24% less likely than women to have visited a doctor in the past. 22% more likely to have neglected their cholesterol tests. 28% more likely than women to be hospitalized for congestive heart failure.

Dogs have long been called man's best friend due to their loyalty and companionship. Now, a new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine suggests they're worth their wagging tails as a weight-loss tool for inactive teens.   The study found that teenagers with dogs may log an additional 15 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week.

A new study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition reveals that taking a daily dose of safflower oil—about 1 2/3 teaspoons—might help keep heart disease at bay. The findings come from a study of obese, postmenopausal women who have type 2 diabetes and were given the safflower oil for 16 weeks.

If you occasionally suffer from mild heartburn, bloating, or constipation, you're not alone. Approximately 70 million Americans are plagued by digestive disorders. And it's easy to see why. Your digestive system is a highly sophisticated process that converts foods into smaller molecules of nutrients before they can be absorbed into the bloodstream and carried to cells throughout your body.

Did you know that basal cell carcinoma is the most common kind of cancer in America? Hundreds of thousands of people are diagnosed with it every year and while highly treatable, it can ravage your skin and even cause disfiguration if not treated properly.

You may jog or take exercise classes regularly to help look and feel your best. But if you're one of the few people who suffer from exercise-induced anaphylaxis, participating in strenuous activities can put your health at serious risk. While exercise-induced anaphylaxis is quite rare, researchers believe that some type of a food allergy is probably to blame.

Is neuromuscular activation the next great fitness fad or the latest fitness marketing technique? "Both and neither," says Mike Ceja, a sports therapist at Lloyd Athletic Club in Portland, Oregon. "Neuromuscular activation just makes good sense."  The term neuromuscular describes the integral connection between the brain and nervous systems (neural system) and the muscles (muscular system).

The topic of hoarding might make good fodder for TV program ratings and mindless entertainment for viewers. But for people who struggle with hoarding, it's a very serious subject. We all know people who collect or hang on to things, and may fondly refer to them as pack rats.

Do you let other people's moods affect you? Do you try hard to avoid making mistakes or forget things? Do you become unpleasant to be around when surrounded by a lot of activity or stimulation? If you answered "yes" to these questions, you may be a highly sensitive person—and you're in good company.

You spend as much time with him as possible, seeing him is the bright spot of your day, you share your fears and your secrets, and you simply feel good when you're with him. Nope, not your husband--but a dear friend upon whom you've come to rely. But is he really just a friend, or something more? If the following scenarios resonate with you, your relationship could be in jeopardy.

Depression is a highly treatable disorder. However, many sufferers experience a recurrence or relapse of symptoms over time. Relapse and Recurrence A relapse is an episode of major depression within six months after responding positively to treatment.

You spend as much time with him as possible, seeing him is the bright spot of your day, you share your fears and your secrets, and you simply feel good when you're with him. Nope, not your husband--but a dear friend upon whom you've come to rely. But is he really just a friend, or something more? If the following scenarios resonate with you, your relationship could be in jeopardy.

A lot of people think exercising is a headache, but for some people, it actually causes headaches. What causes exercise headaches and how can you stop them?  For most people, getting a mild headache during exercise is no big deal. It may be the body's way of signaling it's running low on food or water.

There's no question that advanced imaging techniques help us detect cancer and other serious diseases, allowing early-and potentially life-saving-intervention. However, is it possible to have too much of a good thing? When it comes to full-body scans, the answer may be yes.

Rifaximin (Xifaxan), a common antibiotic in the treatment of travelers' diarrhea, appears to have a benefit for those who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to two studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the studies, 1,200 IBS sufferers took rifaximin or a placebo (sugar pill) three times a day for two weeks.

It's no coincidence that the expression "a bitter pill to swallow" refers to something tough to accept. The act of swallowing a pill can range from uneventful at best to gag-inducing at worst. Children, notorious pill avoiders, often are given vitamins and other medication in chewable or liquid form.