Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is a virus that can affect warm blooded animals. In minor cases it can cause symptoms such as a headache, fever, soar throat, muscle weakness, and sore joints. Many times it will go away in a few days. However, in some cases it can progress to upper respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, which can be fatal. In fact, what most people don't realize, is that every year thousands of people die from influenza. Even developed countries are not spared the ravages of the virus

Thinking about your bone health may be more important than you know.

Commissioned by the Know My Bones Council, a national survey conducted by Harris Interactive found that one out of five women with postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) are retiring later than anticipated and nearly half (48 percent) blame the current economy. Despite the need to work longer, half of the women with PMO are fearful that the disease will limit their ability to work. Read the rest of this entry »

Women may benefit from learning more about COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), now the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States.

It's more important than ever before because more women are now affected by the disease. A report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that COPD mortality rates are rising even faster among women than men, partly due to women's later surge in smoking, a leading risk factor for COPD, and partly due to an increase among those who have never smoked.

Researchers in the United States and Canada are trying to determine whether the investigational drug bapineuzumab (bapi) can help slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, an irreversible and fatal brain disease.

A virus, depending on the type, can make you ill for a few hours, or can cause death within a few days. Although most of us use the term very loosely, few of us know exactly what a virus is. As you read on, you might be amazed at its structure.

The heart is not the only organ that can fail. But, unlike other organs, the effects of heart failure are immediate and life threatening. The heart is the organ responsible for supplying all the body with blood and nutrients. If this organ fails the situation is critical.

Bacteria are living single-celled organisms that can be found everywhere on the planet. No matter what you do you can not escape them. The good thing is most of them are harmless, and some of them even necessary for good health. However, there are some that can cause illness.

A stroke is a medical emergency. The chance of survival, or the chance of recovery, greatly depends on how soon advance medical help is obtained. A stroke is a situation where not enough blood is reaching the brain. Without adequate blood supply (known as ischemia) the brain can not function properly and that part of the brain will begin to die. An alternate name for a stroke is cerebral vascular accident (CVA).

Angina is a specific type of heart disease. It specifically refers to narrow coronary arteries. These are the arteries that supply the myocardium (heart muscle) with precious blood. If these arteries are severely blocked the result is a heart attack.

When uncomfortable sensations prompt an irresistible urge to move one or both legs, the condition is known as restless leg syndrome. The feelings are centered usually in the calf, although the thighs and feet are sometimes affected as well. Symptoms occur when sitting or lying down, and are especially noticeable when trying to fall asleep. In fact, restless leg syndrome is medically classified as a neurological sleep disorder. A variation, myoclonic jerks, causes involuntary leg movements that disrupt sleep.

Diabetes is a disease in which the body can't properly store and use fuel for energy. The fuel that your body needs is called glucose, a form of sugar. Glucose comes from foods such as breads, cereals, pasta, rice, potatoes, fruits and some vegetables. To use glucose, your body needs insulin. Insulin is made by a gland in your body called the pancreas.

ALS, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a degenerative disease that affects the nervous system: brain, spinal cord, motor neurons. People affected by ALS will become paralyzed, and about 80% of them will die within 5 years of being diagnosed. Death occurs because the person can not breath or swallow because of the paralysis. Read the rest of this entry »

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease that affects the central nervous system. It is a chronic disease and there is no known cure for it. MS is sometimes called disseminated sclerosis, or encephalomyelitis disseminata. It affects the neurons, the brain cells, and the spinal cord, and affects the brain's ability to control the body. Read the rest of this entry »

Arthritis is a disease that involves the joints. More specifically, it is damage to the joints. Arthritis can progress to the point where it renders a person disabled, in constant pain, and sometimes deformed joints.

Arthritis can be caused by: Read the rest of this entry »

Almost all organs are constantly involved in catabolism (breakdown) and anabolism (building). This is the process where cells die and new ones are created. In the process of new cells being created is how cancer comes into play. Most times new cells are created by cells dividing and multiplying. This is a necessary and normal process, and most of the time, it takes place without complications. However, for reasons we don't fully understand, once in a while a cell will become damaged during this process. This new damaged cell will no longer be able to function as it was intended, however, it may have the ability to divide and reproduce. Most of the time the body's immune system will detect this 'invader' and will destroy it. Read the rest of this entry »

Anorexia is a disease that has to do with how the person perceives their weight. People affected by anorexia see themselves as fat even though they may be extremely thin. It primarily affects, but is not limited to, females. About 20% of the people who become affected by anorexia will eventually die from the disease. Individuals affected by this disease are usually very secretive about it, they engage in an enormous amount of calorie burning physical activity, and avoid food. Read the rest of this entry »

Respiratory diseases affect the person's breathing abilities. If severe enough they can cause death. Some respiratory diseases affect the bronchioles, others the actual lungs. The causes can be exposure to toxic chemicals, such as smoking or work related chemicals, or, infections caused by pathogens.

The term Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) is a lose term implying any disease that is transmitted, but not limited by, sexual contact. This contact can involve kissing, oral sex, vaginal intercourse, and anal intercourse. Basically, any time bodily fluids are passed from one person to another a disease can be transmitted. Some of these diseases have a cure, some do not. And despite a lot of education on prevention, STDs are extremely common in all parts of the world.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, popularly known as AIDS, is a virus that attacks the body's own immune system. Although there has been a lot of research for several years now, there is no cure. The best one can hope for is to prolong life, but, eventually the virus will win. The official name is Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

Besides the regular heart attack that most of us are aware of, there are other numerous problems that can go wrong with the heart.

Blood pressure refers to the force which blood exerts on the inside walls of blood vessels as it flows through them. When a person is healthy blood vessels dilate and constrict based on physiological needs so blood pressure remains fairly constant. However, as things become unhealthy blood vessels lose their elasticity, or they lose their ability to respond to neurological signals, and as a result do not dilate (expand) to compensate for the increased pressure. As a result, pressure increases. This can result in damaged blood vessels.

As I'm sure most of us would like to live a long healthy life I would like to take a minute to give you some advise for things to watch out for. This is not meant to scare anyone but only to make people aware.

The 3 biggest things that we all need to be aware of, as they cause the most deaths in the industrialized world, are heart disease/attack, stroke, and cancer. Read the rest of this entry »

The following is a list of the things you should insist that your doctor check for, when they should be checked, and how often. There may be other tests that may apply to your situation. Don't be afraid to talk to your doctor to see what tests you should have done. Read the rest of this entry »

The prostate is a ring shaped organ that wraps around the urethra. Only men have a prostate. It is a gland that secretes a fluid that partly makes up seminal fluid. Because it surrounds the urethra any changes in size will effect urination. See below for warning signs. Read the rest of this entry »