May 15-21, 2012 - Original Health Articles

Depression is a common mental health condition in the U.S. and Canada. It significantly affects more women than men. Depression causes mood-related symptoms, such as prolonged sadness, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, and trouble thinking, concentrating, and making decisions.

More than half of adults said they dieted in 2010. Despite this, obesity continues to be a personal problem and growing public health crisis. Adults and children consume too many calories and do not engage in nearly enough physical activity. Being overweight or obese leads to serious medical illnesses, such as cardiovascular heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Migraine headaches are unlike ordinary headaches. Characterized by a pulsing, throbbing pain and perhaps accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to sound and light, they're much more common than you'd think. Migraines affect more than 10 percent of people worldwide.

Epilepsy, a chronic neurological disorder, produces seizures that can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. Individuals with this medical condition can experience symptoms that range from convulsions to blank staring to jerking movements in the arms and legs.

Physical activity is one of the most important components of a healthy lifestyle. Being fit leads to better sleep, weight control, disease prevention, improved mood, more energy, and it even puts a spark in your sex life. Since obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes are becoming significant public health problems, increasing our collective physical fitness levels has become a national priority.

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that inflames and narrows the bronchial airways, causing recurring wheezing, chest tightening, shortness of breath, and coughing. It typically begins in childhood and persists into adulthood. Asthma is common, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in 2010 almost 19 million adults and seven million children had asthma.

The bad news is that lung cancer causes more deaths than any other type of cancer. The good news is that tobacco causes most lung cancers, making it also the most preventable type of cancer. In fact, 90 percent of lung cancers deaths in men and 80 percent in women are due to smoking.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer death. Mammography has long been the gold standard for early detection of breast cancer; however, the recommendations for who should be screened, at what age, and how often has become the topic of heated discussion among health professionals, breast cancer advocacy organizations, and survivors.

The incidence of cancer is growing worldwide. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) predicts more than 1.6 million new cases of cancer in the U.S. in 2012. In addition to cancer's physical and emotional toll, it causes a significant financial burden on patients and society.

Becoming pregnant is a life-changing event for women. However, much about the way women become pregnant, prevent pregnancy, and deliver babies has changed in recent years. So have the demographics of newborns. For example, according to the National Institutes of Health, the average length of labor has increased over the past 50 years, which is probably due to changes in delivery room practices.

The golden years aren't always as shiny and gilded as they're meant to be. And as Americans live longer, the sobering truth is that many will need long-term care at some point. Unfortunately, such care is very expensive, and it's usually not covered by public programs—at least until one's savings are basically exhausted.

What's your pefect body weight? 125 pounds? 150 pounds? Anything under 200? The truth is, a healthy body is defined by much more than what size jeans you wear, how you look in a bathing suit, or even what the scale says. For example, did you know that...

Ever get so mad at your mate you just couldn't make it right before turning out the light? Did "sleeping on it" somehow dilute the argument? Or, did you wrestle till dawn—tossing and turning over the details—trying to figure out a solution? And in the morning, did you wake up rested and ready for round two or did you feel the need to work it out and make peace? Well, researchers at the University of Massachusetts decided to investigate the theory.

What if someone told you that there was a pleasurable "treatment" that would relieve stress, give you more energy, boost your mood, act as a sleep aid, and keep you free of sexually transmitted diseases? You might wonder what wondrous pill you'd have to pop in order to get all these life-enhancing benefits.

When it comes to scheduling doctor visits, some men are notorious procrastinators. But this can be risky. Routine preventive care can find diseases in the early stages when there are more options for treatment and better chances of treating the issue.

Did you know that a certain set of exercises can help make childbirth easier, sex better, and your bladder muscles stronger? These exercises, called Kegels, strengthen your pelvic floor muscles to improve urethral and rectal sphincter function. Read on for tips on why you should do Kegel exercises.

Between 15 and 30 million men suffer from some form of impotence or erectile dysfunction. At first glance this range seems wide, but it's due to the fact that some health professionals use the term "impotence" to include a host of sexual problems in men—not just the total inability to have or maintain an erection.

As it turns out, narcissism may create health hazards. Narcissists are notoriously bad at relationships but now a new study has revealed health concerns on their list of unique challenges. Researchers at the Universities of Michigan and Virginia recently analyzed 106 undergraduate men and women and found that those with certain narcissistic personality traits (in particular, entitlement and exploitativeness) had elevated levels of cortisol—the primary stress hormone.

According to the National Cancer Institute, about 44,000 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic and 143, 460 Americans will be diagnosed with bowel cancers (colon and rectal cancers) this year. However, a simple test could save thousands of lives each year, according to British researchers.

Many different types of medications can be used to treat heartburn. But what works for one person may not work for another, so you may have to experiment until you find what's best for you. If you constantly take over-the-counter antacids but your heartburn symptoms persist or if your prescription heartburn medication doesn't provide much relief, your doctor may suggest a different type of medicine, or even a combination of drugs, that work in different ways to help control your symptoms.

The term "photoaging" refers to skin damage caused by too much exposure to the sun's UVA & UVB rays. Photoaging leads to wrinkles, rough patches and changes in skin pigment. The Science of Photoaging UV radiation contains UVA and UVB rays. UVB rays are the primary cause of sunburn, so most sunscreens focus on blocking these rays.

New research has revealed that smoking may pose yet another health risk, especially for women. Squamous cell carcinoma is a serious form of skin cancer that affects 700,000 people each year. A study conducted by the University of South Florida's H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute surveyed nearly 700 men and women who had been diagnosed with the non-melanoma skin cancers: Basil cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

Infuse Moisture. Illness dehydrates your skin leaving it pale, dry, and flaky, especially under the nose you're constantly blowing. Hydrate your skin with an emollient-rich moisturizer, reapplying over any patches that are severely dry. A deep moisturizer designed for hands or feet will be very affective.