More than two drinks per day causes toxicity to most organs, including the central nervous system, according to "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine." Some people who drink alcohol may experience stimulation initially. However, with...
According to Stanford University Hospital and Clinics, computerized axial tomography, or CAT, scan machines combine special sophisticated X-ray equipment with computer technology to produce multiple cross-sectional images. Unlike a single X-ray,...
A doctor might order a type of scan to help diagnose an internal problem. As described by the American College of Radiology and the Radiologic Society of North America, Computerized Axial Tomography, also known as a CAT or CT scan, combines X-rays...
Radiation treatment is commonly used to treat a variety of cancers, including prostate cancer. Radiation therapy works by bombarding cancerous tumors with high energy X-ray beams. These beams cause damage to cells that are rapidly dividing,...
The National Cancer Institute estimated that 22,020 brain tumor cases would occur in 2010 in the United States. Brain cancer falls into two categories: primary and secondary. With primary brain cancer, the malignant tumor starts in the brain....
Emphysema is commonly known as the "smoker's disease" because of its effects on the lungs. The disease robs your lungs of their ability to expel or exhale air by damaging the bronchioles. These miniscule air passages connect to the cluster of...
Cancer is the abnormal growth of cells that divide to form lumps or tumors, according to the American Cancer Society. Malignant tumors can interfere with the nervous, digestive and circulatory systems. Most people are familiar with breast cancer,...
CT scans also known as CAT scans or computer axial tomography have many medical and non-medical uses. This enhanced imaging technique came into popular use in the 1970's in hospitals where the three dimensional images were a large improvement...
In chronic sinusitis, the mucous membranes become inflamed, allowing fluid to build up. Postnasal drip often occurs and can cause nausea and vomiting. It's also common to have difficulty breathing through the nose when you have a sinus infection,...
Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is a functional disorder of the colon characterized by symptoms such as abdominal pain, altered bowel habits, bloating, passing mucus and sensation of incomplete defecation. According to the American College of...
An uncommon tumor, an acoustic neuroma forms on the cranial nerve that connects the ear to the brain, according to MedlinePlus. An acoustic neuroma is not cancerous and grows slowly, typically causing symptoms to begin after age 30. Patients can...
Osteoporosis is a loss of bone density that can lead to hip and other bone fractures, cause pain and severely limiting mobility. DEXA scanning (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) is the most popular and most recommended test for bone density, and...
Diverticulitis means inflammation of multiple diverticula or a single diverticulum. It is most frequently a disease of the colon. A diverticulum is a sac-like outpouching of a hollow structure. In diverticulitis, the outpouching becomes inflamed,...
Computer axial tomography scans are also called CAT scans and CT scans. Starting in the 1970s, this technology became wildly popular as more and more hospitals sought to expand their imaging capabilities. The CT scan was a revolutionary advance...
Patients with Parkinson's disease, a neurological disorder, have lower levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine. That drop in dopamine results from the destruction of specific cells in the brain that produce it. MedlinePlus points out that...
The brain is the sensory, cognitive and emotional command center of our human body. According to the Thinking Business website, an average human brain weighs approximately 3 lbs., is comprised of 75 percent water, contains 100 billion neurons,...
The American Academy of Family Physicians points out that herniated disks commonly occur in people in their 30s and 40s. When one of the spinal disks, which are located between the spinal vertebrae, sticks out, or herniates, patients can...
The Ewing family of tumors is a term used to describe a certain type of bone tumor or soft tissue tumor. In 1921, Dr. James Ewing discovered that some tumors in children had some slight differences from the more common tumor called an...
Uncomfortable and socially embarrassing, abdominal bloating and gas are unfortunately a common occurrence. The average American passes produces between 1 to 4 pints of gas per day, according to the National Digestive Diseases Clearinghouse. Still,...
Patients with meningitis have an infection of the meninges, a tissue that covers the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis can result from a virus or bacterium. One type of meningitis, pneumococcal meningitis, is a bacterial meningitis caused by...
Physicians divide the abdomen into quadrants to evaluate symptoms such as pain. While you may be unable to pinpoint exactly which internal organs are causing you pain, you can usually distinguish among the quadrants. Pain in your upper right...
