When taken orally, castor oil may cause violent diarrhea and vomiting. These undesirable side effects disappear when castor oil is applied directly to the skin. To make a pack, simply soak a piece of flannel in castor oil. Place a heating pad over...
Endometriosis affects more than five million American women, according to the National Women's Health Information Center (NWHIC). This reproductive disorder occurs when tissue that normally grows in the uterus (the endometrium) grows in other...
Peritonitis--an inflammation and infection of the membrane that contains the organs in your abdomen--can be caused by other gastrointestinal and bowel diseases, making it necessary to treat these conditions as quickly and effectively as possible....
Abdominal inflammation can occur at any time --- even during your daily exercise routine. It can become so extreme that it interferes with your workout, forcing you to stop early. Because of this, it is important to understand what can cause...
Abdominal pain with fever is one of the most common children's complaints. There are several causes of these symptoms. In order to identify the cause, it is important to take into consideration the child's age and other symptoms like vomiting or...
When you carry most of your weight around your middle and there is little difference between the size of your belly and the size of your hips, you're considered an apple body type. Apple body types are more prone to certain diseases, like heart...
Cramps are unpleasant and often painful. When the muscle contracts or shortens itself it causes the sensation of a cramp. Stomach cramps are relatively common and often their cause is not serious, according to Medline Plus. They may result from...
Mumps is caused by a viral infection and is highly contagious. It can be contracted by breathing in saliva droplets that are disbursed through the air when an infected person sneezes or coughs. Since a mumps vaccine was introduced in 1967, the...
Inguinal hernias occur in the abdomen. Impact or inflammation pushes part of the intestine out through the inguinal canal above the groin. After inguinal hernia surgery, you may feel tender and a little weak. That means that high-impact exercise...
The iliopsoas muscle is located in the front of your hip and works to flex your thigh up toward your abdomen. Tendonitis is inflammation to the tendon of a muscle, in this case the iliopsoas muscle, causing pain and loss of range of motion....
The human organ called the appendix is attached to the initial portion of the large intestine or colon. A small three inch organ, the appendix has no known function that it supports inside of the body. When the organ becomes inflamed or abscessed...
Abdominal pain is one of the most common complaints of patients who call 911. EMTs and paramedics commonly see and treat abdominal pain from numerous causes and are well educated in the etiology and symptoms associated with pain in the abdominal...
The liver is an organ in the body that aids in digestion and is responsible for filtering waste from the blood. Liver cancer is a disease in which the cells in the liver grow in an abnormal and unregulated way. In 2009, the National Cancer...
Rapidly developing inflammation of the gallbladder is called acute cholecystitis. This condition most often develops when a gallstone lodges in the duct that permits outflow of bile from the gallbladder. Without a way to release bile, the...
The cervix is a small opening at the base of a woman's uterus. Benign or noncancerous tumors that grow along the cervix are called cervical fibroids. Cervical fibroid symptoms in women typically mimic those experienced by women with uterine...
Abdominal cramps related to an allergic reaction from eating chocolate may be caused by one or more allergic reactions. Chocolate is made from the cocoa bean, which is not considered a common food allergen. Chocolate products contain various...
Stomach cramps is a term used to describe pain in the abdomen. According to the "British Journal of Sports Medicine," developing a cramp while exercising may be a condition identified as exercise related transient abdominal pain. ETAP is...
For medical purposes, the abdomen is divided into four quadrants: right upper and lower, and left upper and lower. Pain in each of those quadrants usually refers to a problem related to organs that lie within that area. This, in combination with...
The gallbladder, an organ located under the liver, serves an important function within the digestive system. The liver produces bile, a substance that consists of fats, cholesterol, water, bile salts and bilirubin, needed by the digestive system...
Tightening in your stomach after eating is from cramping in the abdomen, commonly from inflammation and irritation of the lining of your digestive system. Stomach pain and tightening after eating may be a sign of a serious medical condition that...
Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines. It affects the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus and can cause ulcers and other health problems. The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, a...
When you have fat at any location of your stomach, your overall health is in jeopardy. According to research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, fat cells inside the abdomen secrete molecules that increase inflammation...
Runners often feel some sort of pain in their abdomens, often due to dehydration or to simple muscle spasms. However, there are numerous potential causes for abdominal pain after running. If you continue to feel pain in your abdomen after running,...
The abdomen contains the stomach, gallbladder, liver, intestine, kidneys, spleen and pancreas, therefore an abdominal operation can involve any combination of those organs. Surgeons operate on the abdomen for many reasons including infection,...
Appendicitis occurs when the appendix, the small tube-like structure attached to the large intestine, becomes inflamed and swollen. Approximately seven percent of the population will have appendicitis during their lifetime, according to the...
The gall bladder is an organ attached to the liver that collects the bile fluid from the liver prior to sending it to the intestine for excretion. Surgeons usually perform surgery on the gall bladder to relieve obstruction of the flow of bile....
A 51-year-old American woman can expect to live 38 percent of her life, or another 31 years, after completing the menopausal transformation, according to data from the 2006 Social Security Administration Actuarial Tables. After menopause, a woman...
A neuroblastoma is a form of cancer that affects the nerve cells within the body. This rare form of cancer is diagnosed in approximately 650 patients each year, of which, 90 percent are under the age of 5, according to health officials with the...
Many conditions can cause pain in the lower left side of the abdomen. According to The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library, the lower left side or quadrant of the abdomen is a common location for pain. Pain in this area can be mild, moderate or...
Gallstones are solid deposits of cholesterol or calcium salts that form in your gallbladder or nearby bile ducts. Complications from gallstones can be serious, and even fatal, if left untreated. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and...