Imagine a time when the health of your child was a complete mystery until the day of delivery. Amniocentesis was first developed in the late 1950s as a way of determining the sex of a child but was not used until the 1970s for the diagnosis of...
Scars and blemishes can cause you to feel bashful in public. Acne scars and blemishes are some of the most common anomalies that appear on your face and neck. However, punctures, cuts and burns, age spots and hyperpigmentation marks also account...
An EKG, the abbreviation for electrocardiogram, is a device that registers your heart function by picking up electrical impulses through your skin. The device measures the speed of your heart beat, or heart rate, and also reports anomalies in the...
The use of ultrasound to detect fetal anomalies has become standard in the U.S. Although the increase in diagnostic capability has benefited families in some ways, ultrasound and other diagnostic tools have their limitations. The pairing of...
Stretch marks can be brought on by many things that occur in daily life. Pregnancy and rapid weight loss or gain are the two main causes of stretch marks. Stretch marks are caused when the skin is stretched rapidly, damaging the skin. Stretch...
The urinary system includes the kidneys, the urerters, the bladder and the urethra. The kidneys filter the blood to make urine. The ureters transfer the urine to the bladder where the urine is stored, and the urethra expells urine from the body....
People consider having genetic testing done for several reasons. People who have a family history of a genetic disease, couples planning to get pregnant and pregnant women concerned about genetic anomalies in their baby may all consider genetic...
Lysine is an amino acid used in the formation of important structures in your body, including protein. Protein is not only used for large tissues such as muscle, but is also a crucial part of small structures like DNA and chromosomes. Deformities...
Acute lower back pain may be caused by exercise-related muscle strains and sprains. Lower back problems can cause pain and stiffness and, over time, difficulty moving, walking and standing. Rest, ice, compression and elevation, also known as...
Peripheral vertigo is a feeling of dizziness, or a sensation that the room is spinning, as a result of anomalies in the inner ear or in the vestibular nerve which controls balance. "Acute" refers to a condition with sudden onset, as...
Calcium channel blockers are prescribed to treat a variety of medical conditions, particularly high blood pressure, angina and migraine. They work by inhibiting the movement of calcium ions through the slow calcium channels in the cell membranes,...
A hemangioma is an unexplained buildup of blood vessels in human skin or internal organs. Also called birthmarks or port wine stains, hemangiomas are common benign tumors of the skin. They are often patchy, bright red and characterized by blood...
Teratogen is the medical term for any substance that causes abnormalities in a fetus. Teratogenic drugs can cause congenital heart disease, but in almost every situation where a pregnant woman would need to take a teratogenic drug, a safe,...
Parents often want reassurance that their child is normal before birth. Sometimes, they have specific concerns about genetic diseases that run in their families or that are related to advanced maternal age, such as Down syndrome. Fetal genetic...
Eye retraction syndrome, also called Duane syndrome or Duane retraction syndrome, a rare congenital disease, affects the muscle of the eyes. Around 90 percent of people with the disease have no family history of it, the American Academy of...
Infants and children can suffer from a range of common bladder disorders, such as day- or night-time bed wetting, rare forms of cancer or physical abnormalities. Diagnosis of these disorders requires special attention from pediatric urologists....
Multivitamins are dietary supplements that come in tablet, capsule or pill form and provide you with an array of essential vitamins and minerals. You can find them in most grocery stores, as well as health food stores. Taking a multivitamin every...
Radon is an element that occurs naturally and is all around you. Radon forms when radium and uranium--elements present in small amounts in most soils and rock--go through radioactive decay. Radon gas seeps from the ground and tends to collect in...
Harvard Medical School says the recommended daily allowance for vitamin consumption, generally, is identical for women and men. However, certain vitamins have a specific role in helping enhance men's health. Because medications or preexisting...
The testicles (or testes) are two egg-shaped glands inside the scrotum (the bag under the penis in men) that make male hormones and sperm. Cancer that forms in the testis (one of the two glands) is called testicular cancer and usually occurs in...
Nicotine, whether encountered through cigarette smoke, chewing tobacco or other "smokeless" tobacco products, can have adverse effects on the developing fetus when used by a pregnant woman. As with many drugs and medications, the effect on the...
Osteoarthritis is a very common joint complaint leading to pain, swelling and difficulty moving joints. The four findings of osteoarthritis on x-rays are subchondral sclerosis or thickening of the bone, joint space narrowing, cysts and...
You might associate soy products with health nuts, vegetarians or vegans, but soy can be a tasty and useful alternative to animal-based protein sources. You might feel hesitant to try soy-based foods, but they are not all tasteless, strange or...
If you are looking to include hoodia gordonii into your regular diet for the treatment of a minor health ailment or for hunger regulation, then you should also be aware of the possible side effects associated with the herb. Widely available in...
A separation of the right and the left sides of the rectus abdominis muscles is a condition known as diastasis recti. According to DeGowin’s Diagnostic Examination, physicians often uncover the condition when a patient raises his head and...
Congenital disorders of the stomach are disorders present at birth. They may be from genetic disorders, as part of a syndrome with multiple anomalies, or isolated problems. The stomach undergoes less transitions to its form during development than...
Skin abscesses are caused by bacteria that enter the skin, causing lesions and infection. The infection then forms pus pockets that worsen without treatment. Athletes are especially susceptible to skin abscesses because close contact with other...
The brain and spinal cord are surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF, and are enclosed within bony skull and the spinal canal. CSF is made by specialized cells in the lateral and fourth ventricles, or brain chambers, which communicate with the...
Many medical personnel suggest having an ultrasound around 20 weeks of pregnancy to check for possible physical problems with the baby, or the placenta or fluid inside the uterus. While you can refuse a scan around 20 weeks, most expectant parents...
