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Imagine this — you’re going about your day, working, exercising or spending time with your family, when all of a sudden you feel a sharp, stabbing pain in your abdomen. You’ve been a little nauseous all day, and you haven’t felt hungry, so you chalk it up to eating too much at your last meal. Right? Wrong. These are all signs that you have appendicitis, the inflammation of the appendix — a small tube attached to the large intestine. Appendicitis may occur when there is a blockage in the appendix caused ...
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Clicking, cracking, grinding, popping, snapping — these are all common and generally harmless sounds our joints can make. These varied sounds can be caused by a number of different reasons. The fluids in our joints contain a mixture of gases — carbon dioxide, nitrogen and oxygen. When you pop or crack a joint — such as stiff knuckles — you’re releasing these pent-up gases, which makes a popping or cracking noise. If you have an arthritic joint, its cartilage has worn away, causing your bones to grind or...
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Whether you’re an athlete or an amateur, one wrong move can lead to an injury that can put your fitness regimen in timeout. Learn to identify common types of injuries and get tips on how to protect your skeletal framework. According to Harvard University, there are three common types of injuries. Sprains, or ligament injuries, can be as minor as a stretched ligament and as serious as tears in the ligament fibers. Strains are injuries to the muscle and tendonitis is inflammation of the connective tissue ...
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You took breastfeeding and prenatal classes, read every book you could get your hands on, and soaked up all the advice you could get from friends and family. However, all of that pales in comparison to the reality of caring for a newborn. How can you handle this new world of mothering? Go practical with paper. During the chaos after bringing baby home, doing dishes can get put by the wayside for weeks. Look for biodegradable, compostable paper products to save your sanity. Sleep when your baby sleeps. W...
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More than an occasional overindulgence, binge eating signals an unhealthy obsession with food. Thankfully, out-of- control eating can be beaten. Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder in the United States, affecting approximately one in 35 American adults. Approximately 60 percent of BED patients are female. In women, BED tends to start in early adulthood, while in men the disorder most often first appears in midlife. Most of us overeat from time to time, but people with BED feel...
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When you think of a typical heart attack patient, there’s a good chance the person who comes to mind looks something like this: an older man in his 50s or 60s, clutching his chest in sudden pain. That doesn’t always align with reality, however. Which of these people do you think is most at risk for a heart attack? SCENARIO #1: A 65-year-old woman with a family history of heart disease is overweight, but gets a moderate amount of exercise and tries to follow a healthy diet. She is aware that her weight a...
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Breasts not only vary in size and shape — they can also differ in the proportion of various types of breast tissue. Compared with non-dense breasts, dense breasts contain more milk-producing glands and fibrous connective tissue and less fatty tissue. According to the American College of Radiology, as many as 50 percent of American women have dense breasts. Why Does Breast Density Matter? Dense breast tissue can make it harder for a screening mammogram to capture a clear image of the breast, which makes ...
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In a sea of information, recommendations and the occasional uninformed guess, knowing the facts about breast health can help keep you afloat. Don’t let misinformation make waves. Use the truth about breast health to design a breast wellness plan that stays true to your needs. For example, though breast cancer is less common in men, it is more likely to be fatal. Men should perform breast self-exams regularly and report any changes to their doctors. Myth: If you find a lump, it’s cancer. Fact: Not all lu...
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The metaphor of a broken heart to describe intense emotional pain has been a favorite among poets and jilted lovers since the beginning of time. In 1990, Japanese scientists discovered that the hurt felt after a messy breakup or the loss of a loved one actually does affect the heart, though it doesn’t exactly break it. Sudden emotional turmoil temporarily enlarges a part of your heart and prevents it from pumping efficiently while the rest of your heart maintains normal function. Also known as stress-in...
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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for men and women worldwide. In honor of American Heart Month, now is the perfect time to reflect on what can be done to prevent CVD from affecting your family. Every year, the United States spends more than $300 billion on CVD, including health services, medications and lost productivity. According to the World Health Organization, CVD kills an estimated 17.3 million people every year, and it is projected to remain the leading cause of death un...
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