Loss of appetite, especially if an individual is ill, can be serious and lead to problems. Not eating leads to a possible lack of nutrients, which can impact the immune system, interfere with healing and weaken the body. To counteract the loss of...
Weight loss is not always a good thing. It can be a serious problem when you lose too much weight or cannot gain weight, especially when it is due to complications of illness. If you are significantly underweight, your doctor may want you to gain...
People with cancer and other diseases often lose excessive amounts of weight due to lack of appetite. If you have one of these conditions, you can't afford to lose weight because you need protein and nutrients to recover from or to stabilize your...
As a parent or caretaker, you may notice a decrease in your child's appetite. This may not be cause for alarm as many children experience changes in appetite. Some children eat more during the winter months and less when the weather is warm as...
A healthy appetite can serve as a positive sign of wellness. Numerous factors can contribute to loss of appetite, such as emotional disturbances, mild illness or serious health problems. Appetite can also be reduced as a side effect of certain...
Obesity is a major health concern and approximately 72 million adults in the United States are obese, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and...
Although unexpected weight loss is a pleasant surprise for some, it may actually signify a serious medical disorder. Unintended loss of 10 or more lbs., or 5 percent of your total body weight, within six to 12 months is something to take...
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a common problem most often diagnosed in childhood, continues on throughout adolescence and adulthood, the National Institute of Mental Health reports. Symptoms of this disorder include an inability to sit...
Alli, a weight-loss medication, is widely available in drugstores and supermarkets and does not require a prescription. While many groups can safely use this medication as an aid to lose weight, it is not safe for breastfeeding women. If you are...
While the stimulant Focalin decreases appetite, the medication is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a diet drug. Focalin and similar stimulants, designed for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or narcolepsy, may cause...
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurophysiological condition linked to the level of neurotransmitters in the brain. Although the specific cause of ADHD is not yet understood, it involves a mixture of hereditary and...
The body requires a certain amount of calories from food to survive and function properly. A decreased or complete loss of appetite can lead to insufficient calorie intake and can have detrimental effects on health. Cancer therapy, AIDS,...
Lung cancer is abnormal growth of tissue in the lungs. The presence of cancer in the lungs can be due to abnormal cells of the lungs or abnormal cells from outside the lungs. Lung cancer is a life-threatening condition because it affects the...
As a parent, placing your child on medication for long-term use can be a heart breaking decision. And while the medications available for the treatment of ADD may have a positive effect on the symptoms of the disorder, they don't help cure the...
Lack of appetite can be caused by a variety of things -- illness, cancer treatment and nausea, to name a few. If this is prolonged, you are not getting the nutrition you need, which can be serious if your body is already weakened. There are...
Physicians prescribe the generically named medication methylphenidate, sold in the United States with a variety of brand names including Metadate, to help in the treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Metadate acts as a stimulant...
A plant native to the Mediterranean, milk thistle has a long history as a folk remedy for indigestion and stimulating bile production. Modern clinical studies focus on milk thistle's potential use as an anti-toxin and a tonic for people with liver...
Without HIV treatment, full-blown AIDS usually takes about a decade to develop. During this last phase of the disease, the virus severely damages the immune system to a point where the body can no longer fight a number of viral, fungal, bacterial...
There could be a number of reasons people might lose their appetite, ranging from a simple stomach virus to experiencing chemotherapy. In many instances, various herbal, homeopathic and other naturopathic remedies may stimulate the appetite and...
Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are commonly prescribed stimulant medications to manage their ADHD symptoms. A suppressed appetite is a common side effect of many stimulant medications, often leading to weight loss....
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder can cause many problems for the person suffering from it as well as those people around him. The disorder may cause disruptions of family life as well as problems in school if the sufferer is a child. The...
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is a disorder diagnosed in childhood; these children demonstrate difficulties sustaining attention and controlling hyperactive and impulsive behaviors. Treatments for ADHD include medication and...
Sometimes people want to increase their appetite because they're underweight, or because they're dealing with an illness or treatment that depletes the appetite. Even recovering from surgery sometimes involves a restricted diet that can leave you...
Cachexia is a form of malnutrition commonly found in patients with advanced cancer. The National Cancer Institute reports that cachexia is the direct cause of death in 20 to 40 percent of cancer deaths. Cachexia is characterized by unintentional...
Unexpected weight loss may come as a pleasant surprise if you have tried to lose weight in the past. However, losing weight unexpectedly may signify an underlying health condition or medication side effect. Much of the time, unexpected weight loss...
Dandelion root is derived from the dandelion plant, a common spring bloom that is considered a pesky weed in lawns. In herbal medicine, dandelions have a number of uses, in part because of their high levels of vitamins A, B, C and D, iron,...
A reduced appetite, also known as anorexia, may be a sign of an underlying health condition. Numerous conditions or illnesses can negatively affect your appetite. However, your appetite should return once your underlying condition is treated....
If you've been diagnosed with lung cancer, you may already be working to maintain your body weight and muscle mass. Weight loss can be both a symptom of the disease and a side effect of cancer treatments. The effects of lung cancer can deplete...
While most people may think of dandelions as little more than weeds that make an unwanted appearance in the yard, health professionals have taken a more favorable opinion of dandelion. It is used by the alternative medicine crowd for a number of...