Conditions + Treatments

Spring should be a time to enjoy blooming flowers and sunny days, not battle relentless sneezes and itchy eyes. Allergies can take all the fun out of this beautiful season and leave us seeking refuge indoors. But don’t worry, relief can be possible with a little planning and a few proactive steps. Discover how to […]

Most people have brown spots–or clusters of cells colored by pigment–on their skin. Nevi, or moles, come in various shapes and sizes–and most are completely harmless. Still, for aesthetic reasons you may decide that it is time for a particular mole or moles to go. How, then, to make this happen? Better yet, is there a natural way to remove brown spots? The answer is yes; there are several ways, including the use of honey, apples and castor oil.

Using a humidifier can increase your comfort, but it’s important to operate it safely and clean it regularly to avoid the growth of bacteria and mold. When you follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for placement, cleaning and maintenance of your Vicks humidifier, you’ll be sure that your appliance is operating efficiently and adding only clean moisture to your air.

If you want to tone the skin on your face, plastic surgery is not the only option. Facial exercises can help tighten the skin on your upper eyelids. The difference between surgery and the exercises is that surgery gives immediate results, while exercises take time. If you have free time you can dedicate to eye exercises each week, you may achieve the tightest eyelids possible. If you’re unsure, do the exercises for a month or two and check for results.

Numbness and tingling can occur anywhere in the body, but it’s particularly annoying when it occurs in the feet. Relief may be had by doing numb feet exercise. The most common places to experience numbness and tingling are the hands, feet, arms and legs. This is also referred to as sensory loss or paresthesias.

After your body has sustained an injury, it is common for it to heal with visible and non-visible scarring. Several factors such as size and depth of the wound, as well as your age, will determine if the scar needs minimal or a large amount of treatment. You have a plethora of options when it comes to treating your scars, and each depends on whether you are treating minor or major scarring.

When a person smokes tobacco, nicotine enters the body, which, in turn, creates a byproduct called cotinine. Whether you are a heavy smoker, a light smoker or are exposed to cigarette smoke on a regular basis, the presence of cotinine can be detected in your blood, urine, saliva and hair. Tests may be carried out by employers and medical insurance companies because of the health risks associated with smoking tobacco.

Inflammation in your eye can be uncomfortable and unsightly, and may result from a bacterial infection, exposure to UV light, viral infections, or even as part of disease processes from ailments like tuberculosis or rheumatoid arthritis. Treatment for inflammation of the eye differs depending on the cause of the inflammation. A visit to your optometrist will be in order to diagnose your individual case. Most often, inflammation of the eye is easily treated.

Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. There isn’t much your doctor can do about it, but there are a couple of home remedies you can try.

Allergies can be a burden not only during the spring and fall seasons, but all year long, and they’re an annoyance to those who suffer from them. An itchy nose, watering eyes and sneezing can interfere with everyday life and relief can be hard to find. Luckily, advancements in medicine are making allergies easier to cope with for those who deal with them on a regular basis. Some natural remedies can even be used, sparing you from having to constantly rely on medication.

Contrary to what many people believe, an allergy to cats is not your allergy to their fur. Instead, what is causing your allergy symptoms is exposure to their saliva, dander, and possibly urine. Cat dander refers to the skin cells that cats shed from their bodies. Fortunately, there are home remedies that you can employ to help reduce the severity of your allergy to cats.

A cavity is a hole in the tooth that develops when the tooth begins to decay. Also called dental caries, cavities most commonly develop because of plaque that builds up on the teeth, which then erodes the enamel. A cavity can be quite painful, and it will need to be properly filled by a dentist. Until you can see the dentist, there are several things you can do at home to ease the pain of a toothache.

Like asthma, COPD is a disabling lung disease that can seriously restrict a person’s breathing. Regular exposure to cigarette smoke is by far the top cause of COPD. Some of the key warning signs include chest tightness, severe mucus buildup, and chronic wheezing. As the disease progresses, even normal everyday tasks may become a major source of discomfort.

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that impacts the central nervous system and is potentially disabling. In people who are diagnosed with MS, the symptoms, severity, and disease progress can be unpredictable. Since there is no cure for MS, the focus is on managing its symptoms.

Sweaty, smelly feet can be an embarrassing problem, especially if you ever have to remove your feet in public. Called hyperhidrosis, excessive sweating affects approximately 3 percent of the world’s population, according to the International Hyperhidrosis Society. Foot odor occurs when sweat interacts with bacteria on the skin. Because your feet are usually confined to shoes, sweat cannot evaporate, making it more likely that you’ll experience sweaty feet and wet socks. Several options are available to reduce or prevent excessive foot perspiration and eliminate the bacteria that cause smelly feet.

Holistic treatments for lung cancer involves the treatment of the whole person. This includes, but is not limited to, nutritional therapies, hydrotherapies, naturopathic treatments, homeopathic and in some cases traditional treatments in conjunction with holistic therapies. Treatment options vary according to the stages of lung cancer.

Using natural herbs can be a good way to help cleanse the body of the toxins accumulated from the food that we eat and the environment in which we live. None of us can avoid toxins altogether, so give your body a fighting chance to be healthier and more energetic by creating a way to detoxify at home. Here is how to get started.

The heady aromas of an Italian restaurant tempt us all. Everyone loves to eat buttery, toasted garlic bread, pastas and casseroles oozing with garlic flavor. The benefits of garlic may exceed just the delightful taste, though.

Birthmarks and other skin blemishes, especially when on the face, can make a person feel insecure. Butterfly-shaped marks are not uncommon and can be a result of scarring or skin pigmentation. Getting rid of a butterfly mark on the face requires some diligence but, while some methods are only temporary solutions, they can provide a boost in self esteem.

Moles can affect people of any age, race and sex. Moles, medically known as nevi, occur when skin cells such as melanocytes grow in large groups and distribute throughout the skin. Melanocytes are skin cells that produce the natural pigment of your skin color. Moles can occur on any part of the body, and in some rare cases can be cancerous. Causes of mole development include heredity and excessive sun exposure. Unfortunately, preventing the development of moles is impossible. However, if you follow a few simple tips you can drastically reduce the probability of developing moles on the face from sun exposure.

Blisters are uncomfortable and painful skin conditions that can occur from harsh rubbing, chafing and other irritations. Blisters can make every day activities difficult. Thus it’s best to avoid anything that could potentially cause blisters. Prevention really is the best medicine. Here’s how to prevent blisters.

There are three types of skin, according to Ayurvedic care: vata (dry, thin and delicate), pitta (fair, sensitive and acne or rosacea prone) and kapha (oily, enlarged pores with blackheads and pimples). Ayurvedic remedies for enlarged pores includes applying natural topical ingredients and maintaining a healthy diet.

Tobacco-caused disease is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, claiming more than 392,000 lives each year, according to the American Lung Association. Another 50,000 people die from exposure to secondhand smoke, which poses numerous health risks for non-smokers, especially children. Helping your spouse quit smoking offers many benefits for the entire family, but if your husband refuses to quit smoking, request that he take his habit outdoors where it’s less likely to pose health risks to the rest of the family.

Sudden weight loss is usually an indication of a serious medical condition. One of those conditions can be kidney disease. The kidneys are an integral part of the body. They dispose of toxic waste and fluids that are normally ingested along with the food we consume. Our internal organs rely on the kidneys to keep everything in proper working order. Kidney malfunction has a debilitating effect on the rest of the human body.

DexPak is a prescription corticosteroid drug sold under names like Decadron and Hexadrol. The drug helps alleviate swelling symptoms associated with arthritis, allergic reactions and disorders of the immune system. It can also be used to aid cancer patients struggling with vomiting and nausea associated with chemotherapy. The drug is easy to take, and has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

The feet work harder than most areas of our body because they hold up our weight and move us from place to place. Massages feel great because they help the muscles to relax. One type of massage is called reflexology, where it is believed that the entire human body is influenced by the feet. Massaging specific areas lessens problems in the body.

Rose hip oil has been used for centuries as an essential ingredient in a number of herbal remedies, as well as a source of important dietary nutrients. It is extracted from the bulbous fruit of the rose flower plant.

If you’re pregnant, discovering that you’re spotting or bleeding can be worrisome, especially during the earlier weeks, when you’re still new to the pregnancy and not sure about what to expect yet. There are a number of reasons why you may be spotting, and it may not necessarily be a sign of trouble.

The occlusion effect is a hearing condition that typically affects those who are fitted with hearing aids. The occlusion effect is when a sound or noise, usually the person’s own voice, sounds altered in some fashion to that person. It is often described as a hollow, echoing or booming sound. While not life-threatening, it can be a psychologically distressing condition when the altered sound is the person’s own voice.

A pressure sores is called a bed sore, or decubitus ulcer. It is an injury to the skin and tissues. A pressure sore can develop from sitting or lying in one position too long, and can appear on certain areas of the body. Healing pressure sores depends on nutrition, pressure relief and care of the sore. These sores take a very long time to heal properly.

Assistive devices can help people who have Parkinson’s disease manage their symptoms and remain ambulatory. Rolling walkers, specialized canes and wrist weights can all aid physical functioning.

A period calendar is simply a month-by-month record of your menstrual cycle. On a calendar, you record when your menstrual period occurs, how long it lasts, when you ovulate and other symptoms related to your period. After charting this information for a few months, you should be able to predict certain characteristics of your cycle with a fair amount of accuracy. Using a period calendar is beneficial for several reasons but is especially helpful for those who are either trying to become pregnant or trying to prevent pregnancy.

With the rise in values of commodities and minerals, many people are looking to cash in on gold that they’re not using, like old jewelry or gold fillings. Follow a few easy steps, and you’ll be able to get the most out of your surplus gold.

Using ginger tea as a way to detoxify the body from the effects of anesthesia may work, but other herbs could prove to be better choices. Ginger has a long history in herbal medicine, as has been proven to be useful against nausea, inflammation, to induce sweating, and as a blood thinner. Although, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, studies have never shown ginger to pose a danger as a blood thinner when used with aspirin or similar drugs, using caution post surgery may be worthwhile.

The number of cancer treatments is growing, but not all of them work as well as the next. People with lung cancer have several options.

Lung cancer is a very serious disease on which your chances of survival will greatly improve with the proper treatment. Though herbal supplements can assist you in preventing and recovery from lung cancer, they are not a substitute for traditional treatment. Discuss herbal supplements with your doctor before taking them.

Lung cancer is a very serious disease that can cause uncomfortable symptoms at its best and death at its worst. And though lung cancer is a devastating diagnosis, it doesn’t have to be a death sentence. There are many treatments available for this disease that can slow down tumor growth, reduce symptoms, extend life and in some cases, cure it. But before you seek out treatments, you need to know what options are available to you.

One in every 13 men and on in every 16 women is projected to develop lung cancer. Usually this occurs after the age of 45 according to the American Cancer Society. Most (80 to 90 percent) lung cancers belong to the non-small cell lung cancer category. The other category of lung cancer is small cell lung cancer.

There are several things that will lower a person’s self-confidence, such as getting divorced, losing a job, or gaining weight. According to the Mayo Clinic, there are several factors that effect a person’s feelings of self-worth, including the opinions of others, a disability, experiences at work and a person’s social standing. You can help a friend or family member build her self-esteem through offering a few kind words and a little encouragement.

For red wine lovers and those concerned about heart disease and cholesterol, drinking away your problems may be an option–in moderation, of course. For those who emjoy red wine, the good news is that a glass or two a day may keep the cardiologist away.

Jacuzzis are a luxury item that most people wish they could afford. They provide hours of relaxation and enjoyment after a long and tiring day of work. Although they appear to be everyone’s piece of paradise, there are major health concerns lurking in the water. Parasites, bacteria and disease can inevitably grow in public Jacuzzi’s, causing sickness and infections. Whenever using a public Jacuzzi keep some of these potential health risks in mind.

According to Medterms.com, an expectorant is a medicine that causes any trapped mucus to drain from the lungs, bronchi and trachea. It works by breaking up the mucus buildup and causing it to thin so that it might be excreted through coughing or the nasal passages. Expectorants are used in cold and cough medications to help eliminate the accumulation of mucus and phlegm. There are a number of expectorant types, usages and recommendations.

A hernia is a rupture commonly found in the abdomen or groin region. It is often first noticed as a lump that appears when part of the tissue lining the abdominal cavity breaks through a weak abdominal wall. This can be uncomfortable when the hernia becomes enlarged and can be life-threatening if a portion of the intestine gets trapped inside. The best hernia treatment is surgery. The type of surgery depends on the location of the hernia.

There are several drinks and other types of supplements you can take to help bring back your strength, but many of these products can actually hinder your strength and provide a false sense of well-being. Natural remedies are effective in curing weakness because they counteract a natural occurrence with natural vitamins and minerals.

Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria. When you inhale droplets exhaled by infected individuals, you can become infected. While TB primarily affects your lungs, the disease can spread to other parts of the body. Without proper treatments the disease can be fatal. TB can easily be cured with antibiotic treatments, but it is necessary to complete your entire antibiotic regimen to prevent reinfection from occurring. Preventative measures can also be taken in order to minimize your risks of developing the disease.

According to Psychology Associates of Westfield and Cranford, low self-esteem puts a person at risk for depression. Ironically, the depression itself can lower your self image even further until you are trapped in a negative cycle. A poor self image can make you feel guilty and unworthy of happiness, which reinforces the depression. Fortunately, you can break out of this cycle with strategies to improve your self esteem and depressive symptoms.

Feelings of depression, anxiety and low self-esteem can overlap, and sometimes it’s hard to tell if it’s a serious disorder or if someone has just had a bad day. A person may have low-self esteem, along with conditions of depression and anxiety disorder. To better understand these disorders, and how serious they are, you can learn more about each and then compare them to your feelings and symptoms.

Radio frequency ablation is a commonly preformed nonsurgical procedure for the treatment of electrical irregularities of the heart and cancerous tumors. The procedure is characterized by the use of high frequency alternating current, which is applied to the dysfunctional tissue to destroy or ablate it.

A viral email that contained pictures of children with burned skin was circulated in 2006 that claimed the burns were made with a Magic Eraser. This is untrue. While there were injuries associated with Magic Erasers, they were not actually chemical burns.

If you eat food, you are likely to consume a few parasites at some time or another. Before you go on a hunger strike in an effort to avoid these “creepy-crawlies,” take a deep breath and relax. Most parasites will simply pass through your body, and they will not affect your health. However, should any take hold, you can develop a serious problem. One simple solution is to periodically cleanse and detox your system to eliminate possible parasitic infections.