Spinal stenosis is described as narrowing of the spine, often causing impingement on the spinal cord, which causes symptoms. These include pain in the anatomical area affected, motor difficulties and sensory abnormalities. It is classified based...
Yawning is often a mild characteristic of sleeplessness and fatigue. But when this semi-involuntary reflex becomes chronic because of a continual shortness of breath, it may be cause for concern. Excessive yawning may be a symptom of a number of...
Your body needs the sodium that it gets from food, but you can get too too much sodium from processed foods or added table salt. And when you eat too much salty food, the sodium concentration in your blood can cause health problems....
Humans have circulatory systems designed much like water delivery systems. A pump—the heart—circulates fluid through a series of pipes, or blood vessels. The purpose of this system is to maintain the cells. In a multicellular organism,...
Depending on your health condition and eating habits, the sodium in a little bit of salami can have a big impact on your blood pressure. Most types of commercial and homemade salami have salt contents of 2 to 3 percent. A dry-cured sausage such as...
Excess fat in your diet increases your caloric intake and introduces detrimental elements into your bloodstream that threaten your health and longevity. Eating too much solid fat, which provides no essential nutrition other than calories, can also...
Your sodium intake determines, in part, how high your blood pressure will go. The majority of sodium is consumed as sodium chloride, or table salt, in prepared foods. Although your body needs some sodium minerals, you might consume considerably...
Most nosebleeds are not life threatening, and although they may appear to be bleeding profusely they usually do not not result in a significant amount of blood loss. Patients will often present holding tissues or a cloth to the nose and appear...
The skin is the body's largest organ, but it is also its most easily damaged due to its role as the first line of protection for the body. Fortunately, the skin also has a high capacity to heal itself and so most aspects of wound care focus on...
A cerebrovascular accident is commonly referred to as a stroke or "brain attack." The brain requires nutrients carried by blood, specifically oxygen and glucose; without these nutrients, the brain cells (neurons) begin to die. The main causes of...
Treatment for open wounds depends on the severity or nature of the injury. A simple cut or scrape will often stop bleeding on its own, but a deep arterial bleed can cause the person to lose consciousness and die within minutes. The first step in...
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is defined as a blood pressure that is consistently higher than normal. Blood pressure is given as a ratio of two numbers. A normal blood pressure is 120/80, while a patient with high BP will consistently have...
According to the American Heart Association, "a stroke is the disruption of the blood supply to, or within, the brain. When the blood supply is cut off, the brain does not receive the oxygen and nutrients it needs. The result is injury to the...
The heart relies on coronary blood vessels to receive a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients to function. Coronary artery disease develops when coronary arteries get narrower and less blood can flow through them. In bypass surgery, the...
The ability to promptly control bleeding is a critical skill that may determine whether someone loses a limb or potentially his life. Applying direct pressure and elevating an injured site to a level above the heart will suffice for most injuries,...
The heart lies at the center of the circulatory system, functionally speaking, and is responsible for circulating blood throughout the body. Since cells depend on blood supply to receive nutrients and oxygen, heart disease that affects the...
Exercise can sometimes be accompanied by headaches and dizziness, which can cause you to see spots. Exercise headaches can come in various forms and are typically no cause for concern, but for some, reoccurring headaches can indicate a serious...
It's not uncommon to be confused about cholesterol, particularly when it comes to cholesterol in food versus cholesterol made by your body, and "good" cholesterol versus "bad" cholesterol. While prawns contain cholesterol, it's neither HDL nor LDL...
A diet high in sodium, solid fats or cholesterol creates a higher-than-normal risk for blood clotting. This serious condition can arise when a poor diet causes arterial damage and bleeding. A clot that blocks the blood supply to your heart or...
Coronary artery stents are placed inside one or more arteries in the heart when a person with heart disease experiences chest pain or a heart attack. The American Heart Association reports that over 70 percent of people who undergo angioplasty, a...
You might be frightened to see blood pouring from your child's nose, but nosebleeds are rarely dangerous enough to cause panic, according to KidsHealth, a part of the Nemours Foundation. Nosebleeds are actually common in children between ages 3...
Accidental injuries can occur during sports or during everyday activities. Injuries to the head, neck and throat can happen as a result of fighting or roughhousing, or during sports like football and soccer. Head injuries can lead to concussion,...
Your teenager should get between 30 and 60 minutes of exercise each day for good health. However, aches and pains related to exercise could discourage her from wanting to exercise. Headaches during and after exercise are not uncommon, but they can...
A high volume of solid fats in your diet can change your blood cholesterol and arterial structure to create plaque buildup. This dangerous condition, called atherosclerosis, or clogged arteries, can block blood flow to your organs. High blood...
Injuries to the head may cause damage to the skull itself, the brain and facial bones. Head injuries can be described as either blunt injuries or penetrating injuries. Blunt injuries are associated with acceleration or deceleration mechanisms....
A broken blood vessel in the brain is known as a hemorrhagic stroke. Arterial bleeds generally have worse outcomes than vascular bleeds, but either form can be life-threatening. With prompt treatment, it is possible to survive a hemorrhagic...
Neither smoking nor excessive beer drinking are healthy for anyone, but older males in particular are susceptible to some of the detrimental health effects of these two practices. This is because males in general, and older males in particular,...
Pulse strength is a direct indicator of how efficiently your heart is able to work. Pulse types are usually classified by their strength and pattern. A specific pattern of strong or weak pulses can aid in diagnosis of heart and arterial problems,...
