Family nurse practitioners (NPs) are an important link in the primary health care chain. The American Nurses Association estimates that NPs are qualified to provide up to 80 percent of a family's primary and preventative medical care. Many work in...
A painful, scratchy and dry throat is the hallmark of pharyngitis, an inflammation that's often caused by a systematic infection. If you have one of those sore throats caused by an infection, you need to take care of yourself. Soothing foods and...
More than 300 different biochemical processes in the body require magnesium. This essential mineral plays roles in maintaining cardiac function, muscle and nerve action, the immune system and bone health. Although only a small fraction of the...
Hormone replacement therapy is used by women seeking relief from some of the symptoms of perimenopause, which is the time leading up to the cessation of menstruation. Debate continues as to the veracity of pharmaceutical claims regarding the...
Hot peppers add heat and flavor to a variety of dishes, and they can also be part of a healthy diet. These spicy vegetables, including jalapenos, habaneros, cayennes and ghost peppers, contain several vitamins that offer a range of benefits....
Cholesterol is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Consuming a vegetarian diet may improve your health and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Consult your doctor to test your blood levels of cholesterol, determine your risk for...
Fennel, the bulbous white vegetable tasting of licorice, also called finocchio, pairs well with dill, a feathery herb with a tangy flavor. Together, these foods offer nutritional value that includes many vitamins and minerals, despite the low...
Contracting a cold can severely diminish your quality of life, and as such, it is important to incorporate the right nutrition into your diet to return to health as soon as possible. Juice can be a critical component to your diet when you have a...
Yoga benefits the endocrine system. People suffering from stress and tension because of medical conditions or the circumstances of life can find relief with regular practice. The many styles of yoga accommodate fitness enthusiasts of all levels....
Restless legs syndrome, or RLS, is characterized by an uncontrollable urge to move the legs to relieve discomfort. It is more prevalent during rest and nighttime. Not all people with night leg spasms have RLS. If cramping also occurs, the cause...
Monosodium glutamate is a non-essential amino acid. In its salt form, it is commonly used as a flavor-enhancing food additive. Before the proliferation of Chinese restaurants in the late 1960s, MSG was not widely used in the United States. Its use...
Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, enhances the flavor of food -- particularly in meat dishes. Chinese cuisine makes heavy use of MSG for taste and texture. However, since the 1960s, many anecdotal reports have linked sickness and fever with eating...
If you're concerned about magnesium deficiency and heart attacks, you have good reason. According to researchers reporting in the December 2009 issue of the "Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners," the Western diet does not...
Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is an additive used to give processed foods and restaurant fare a rich, savory taste. "Chinese restaurant syndrome" refers to a variety of symptoms purportedly related to MSG that first arose in the late 1960s through...
Vitamins are substances required by the body in minute amounts. A lack of any of the essential vitamins results in characteristic deficiency symptoms that disappear when vitamin intake returns to normal. Some vitamins can have different...
Glutamate refers to the salt of glutamic acid, which works in the body as a neurotransmitter. Unless you're a biomedical scientist odds are when you think of glutamate you're actually thinking of monosodium glutamate -- an additive used to enhance...
Feverfew is an herb used to treat various conditions, including inflammation, fever, psoriasis, rheumatism, and asthma. Feverfew has also been used for the symptoms of migraine headaches, including dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. The varied...
Your body requires nutrients, including vitamins, to function. Because the human body cannot create vitamins, they must be obtained through diet. There are two types of vitamins, water soluble and fat soluble, because they dissolve differently....
Although they have similar-sounding names, monosodium glutamate, or MSG, and gluten are different substances. Many people have sensitivities to MSG, and many others are sensitive to gluten. Some people are sensitive to both, and others have no...
Minerals are nutrients needed by your body to keep it functioning in a state of health. Minerals have different functions, like building bones and red blood cells, supporting nervous system function and protecting cells. You get adequate amounts...
Diarrhea is the passage of more than three loose, watery stools a day. Gastroenteritis is the most common cause of acute diarrhea in toddlers, which is caused by a bacterial, viral or parasitic invasion that causes inflammation of the...
All salt originates in the sea. Commercial table salt is mined from underground salt deposits left behind after an ocean has receded. In processing table salt for the mass market, trace minerals are removed and other substances are added. In...
Different cultures from around the world have used garlic, Allium sativum, for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. While a few clinical trials show a small anti-hypertensive benefit, a broad review of scientific studies came to the...
Antibiotics fight infections by killing bacteria and preventing them from multiplying. Using antibiotics in conjunction with probiotics may help reduce certain side effects associated with antibiotic use and may prevent increased healthcare costs....
Menopause marks the end of menstruation and fertility for women. The menopause process begins with changes to the menstrual cycle and ovulation and results in a complete end to menstruation. Reduced levels of hormones in your body may cause...
Celiac disease is an autoimmune response to gluten in which your immune system recognizes gluten as a toxin and produces antibodies that damage the small intestine's ability to absorb nutrients. Gluten is a protein complex found in wheat, barley...
The common cold affects millions of people annually, with the U.S. National Library of Medicine estimating that there are one billion colds each year in the United States. While the cold is often thought of as a winter occurrence, summer colds can...
Some sore throats are the result of dryness or bacteria, but most are the result of a viral infection and do not respond to antibiotics. Sore throats also tend to be the first symptom of a cold. Drinking fluids, such as orange juice, can provide...
Dementia is a progressive disease that starts with memory loss affecting a person's recent memory. Patients with dementia will often be able to remember things that happened years ago, but cannot recall recent events. Alzheimer's disease is the...
