- How
To Monitor Your Own Blood Pressure
- Your blood pressure (BP) may be too high and you might
not even know it. It's estimated that one-third of the 50 million Americans who have high
blood pressure (hypertension) don't even know it.
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- Influenza
- Infection with the real influenza virus is a much worse and even
potentially serious infection that ranks as the top predator in the food chain of
respiratory illnesses. Many “colds” can beat us up a bit, but influenza is more
like going a few rounds with a heavyweight boxer.
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- The Influenza
Vaccine (Flu Shot)
- Every spring, some of the greatest minds in medicine match wits with
one of the craftiest viruses on earth - influenza. By examining statistics and patterns of
disease from the previous year, scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), and the World Health Organization (WHO) and experts around the world try
to predict which strains of influenza will be prominent when flu season officially begins
the following December.
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- The 1999-2000
Flu Vaccine Recommendations
- The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)
strongly recommends vaccination for people who are at a higher risk of complications from
a bout with the flu.
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- GERD
(Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease)
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (also called GERD) is the
medical term for chronic heartburn. GERD occurs when a small valve (the lower esophageal
sphincter) between the stomach and esophagus leaks, causing digestive fluids, bile and
stomach acid to ‘back up" from the stomach into the esophagus.
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- GERD Lifestyle
Modifications and Treatment
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- Lyme
Disease Update
- Some of you who spend time in the great outdoors of Northeast Florida
may wonder about your risk of exposure to Lyme disease and the need for vaccination.
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- Horse Chestnut Seed
Extract For Chronic Venous Insufficiency
- Chronic
venous insufficiency (CVI) describes persistent incompetence
of the deep and perforating veins in the lower extremities. Swelling, darkening of the
skin, and ulcerations can accompany leg pain, tiredness, and itching.
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- Feverfew
for Migraine Prevention (updated)
- A common garden
flower (Tanacetum parthenium) sometimes called a
“summer daisy,” feverfew has been used to treat headaches, menstrual
irregularity, and fever...
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- Gallup Survey Shows
Americans On High-Protein, Low-Carbohydrate Fad Diets Are Cutting Out Healthy Foods
- Fad diets and bad nutritional advice are spurring Americans to cut
healthy foods such as rice, pasta, bread and cereals from their daily consumption,
according to a new Gallup Organization survey.
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- Herbal Remedy, Ma Huang
(Ephedrine), is Not Heart Healthy
As more Americans seek relief from a variety of medical ailments
with herbal and alternative remedies, researchers have found that one of these treatments
may cause serious health problems.
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- Anxiety
Disorders
- Most people experience feelings of anxiety before an important event
such as a big exam, business presentation or first date. Anxiety disorders, however, are
illnesses that cause people to feel frightened, distressed and uneasy for no apparent
reason. Left untreated, these disorders can dramatically reduce productivity and
significantly diminish an individual's quality of life.
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- Obsessive-Compulsive
Disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by anxious thoughts or
rituals you feel you can't control. If you have OCD, as it's called, you may be plagued by
persistent, unwelcome thoughts or images, or by the urgent need to engage in certain
rituals.
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- Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- PTSD is a debilitating condition that follows a terrifying event.
Often, people with PTSD have persistent frightening thoughts and memories of their ordeal
and feel emotionally numb, especially with people they were once close to.
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- Phobia
- Phobias occur in several forms. A specific phobia is a fear of a
particular object or situation. Social phobia is a fear of being painfully embarrassed in
a social setting. And agoraphobia, which often accompanies panic disorder, is a fear of
being in any situation that might provoke a panic attack, or from which escape might be
difficult if one occurred.
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- Generalized
Anxiety Disorder
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is much more than the normal
anxiety people experience day to day. It's chronic and exaggerated worry and tension, even
though nothing seems to provoke it. Having this disorder means always anticipating
disaster, often worrying excessively about health, money, family, or work. Sometimes,
though, the source of the worry is hard to pinpoint. Simply the thought of getting through
the day provokes anxiety
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- Prescription:
Exercise.
- So you’re ready to exercise…
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- Why Should I
Exercise?
- But I’m happy the way I am. I feel pretty good
already. I have good genes. I don’t know where to start. I don’t have time. I
don’t like to sweat. OK, I admit, I’m lazy.
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- Glucosamine
for Osteoarthritis
- Many people inquire about the use of glucosamine for
the treatment of arthritis. A recently published book ("The Arthritis Cure"),
several television news shows, and articles in the New York Times have suggested that it
may be effective for the treatment of osteoarthritis
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- Seasonal
Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Seasonal affective disorder (also called SAD) is a
type of depression that follows the seasons. The most common type of SAD is called winter
depression. It usually begins in late fall or early winter and goes away by summer
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- Panic Disorder
and Agoraphobia
- All humans have a built-in "alarm system"
that goes off when they feel threatened. This alarm starts chemical, physical and
emotional changes that prepare us to either flee or fight the danger that triggered the
alarm ("Flight or Fight Response).
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- Triglycerides
- The triglyceride is the main type of fat transported
by your body. The fat gets its name from its chemical structure. Triglycerides are a
normal component in your bloodstream. After you eat, your body digests the fats in your
food and releases ...
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- Wound Care Basics
- Although most minor injuries can be handled at
home...you should seek prompt medical care if...
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- Poison Ivy Dermatitis:
- Everything you need to know about recognizing and
treating this highly itchy "Allergic Contact Dermatitis"
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- Water, water
everywhere. But do we drink enough?
- Water is the second most important nutrient for life,
after oxygen. More than two-thirds of the body is made up of water
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- Unmasking
Depression
- When you think of depression you may think of
"feeling blue" or "being down in the dumps." These feelings certainly
are a part of depression for most people. But for others, depression may be hidden beneath
other symptoms that seem to have nothing to do with "the blues."
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- The Wakefield
Questionnaire for Depression
- The questionnaire contains groups of statements.
Carefully read each group of statements; then circle the number in front of the statement
that best describes how you are feeling. Make sure you pick the statement that describes
how you are feeling now, not how you were feeling in the past or how you hope to feel in
the future.
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- Standards of Care
for People with Diabetes
- When you have diabetes, it is important that you get
good medical care. It's now crystal clear that high glucose levels play a role in many
complications...
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- Understanding Asthma
- Between 12 and 15 million people, including
close to five million children, in the United States have asthma. Asthma is a chronic
disease.
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- Outpatient Treatment
of Asthma
- Asthma is a lung disease that is characterized by
three airway problems: obstruction, inflammation and hyper responsiveness.
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- Peak Flow Meter- A
THERMOMETER FOR ASTHMA
- A peak flow meter for a patient with asthma is like a
thermometer for a patient with a fever. Peak flow meters help to determine ...
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- Body Mass
Index
- The body mass index is a method used to measure a
person’s percentage of body fat.
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- Body Composition
Tests
- Body composition is one part of a person’s
overall physical fitness.
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- The Medical
Treatment of Hair Loss
- Baldness will develop in susceptible individuals
because of the actions of a hormone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), on the hair follicle,
which causes it to become inactive.
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- Vitamins
and Health
- A vitamin is defined as "any of a group of
organic substances essential in small quantities to normal metabolism and health, found in
natural foodstuffs and also produced synthetically."
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- Anti-Oxidants
- Many researchers today are convinced that the aging
process and disease occurs when certain substances, known as "free radicals",
are generated by normal oxygen-requiring chemical reactions in our bodies.
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- Colon Cancer: Facts,
Prevention, and Screening
- Colon cancer is the second most common cancer in both
men and women who don't smoke, surpassed only by breast cancer in women and prostate
cancer in men.
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- DON'T STOP
USING SUNSCREEN
- Despite new questions about the ability of sunscreens
to prevent melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, people should use them on a
regular basis, according to The Skin Cancer Foundation.
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- SPF, UVB and UVA Protection
Explained
- Recent research shows that people who buy sunscreens
aren't sure exactly what protection they offer, and are cloudy about the technical terms
on their labels.
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- It's Settled:
Heliotherapy ("Sun Therapy") Is a Health Risk
- The recent settlement of a Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) case against a manufacturer of tanning products will help protect consumers. The
settlement specifies that certain health claims for tanning products are prohibited, and
that the product labels must include warnings about tanning.
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- Malignant
Melanoma
- Malignant Melanoma is a major health concern in
Florida and other places where sun exposure is common. It is a form of skin cancer that is
always lethal if left untreated. Melanoma is the most common form of cancer in women
between the ages of...
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- What is
Osteoporosis?
- It's a disease that weakens bones and increases the
risk of fracture, especially at the spine and hip. This means that bones are more likely
to break - in some cases, with only minimal stress, such as..
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- Osteoporosis
risk factors.
- You may have none of these risk factors and still be
at risk of developing osteoporosis. Some authorities believe that the presence of any of
these...
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- Cat-scratch disease is an infection caused by
bacteria (germs) carried in cat saliva. The bacteria can be passed from a cat to a
human...
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- The Common Cold
- The common cold is caused by a viral infection of the
upper respiratory tract. It causes irritation and drainage in any or all of the airways...
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If you are bothered by burning pain,
or a tingling 'pins and needles" numbness in one or both of your hands...
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