Meningitis occurs when the brain membranes (known as meninges) and the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord become inflamed. Meningitis is typically caused by some type of infection. Adults are most commonly affected by...
Lethargy is the experience of feeling fatigue, which comes along with depression. It causes a significant decrease in energy that affects your performance in most tasks. Lethargy is both physical and mental when you are depressed. You feel tired...
Adrenal fatigue occurs when the adrenal glands do not function at an optimal level, especially after periods of prolonged stress. The adrenal glands, located above the kidneys, produce adrenaline, cortisol, estrogen, aldosterone and testosterone....
Meningitis is an inflammation of the connective tissues surrounding the brain and the spinal cord. The Merck Manual explains that these membranes, called the meninges, are made up of three layers of tissue, and inflammation from meningitis occurs...
The pineal gland in the brain releases melatonin into the bloodstream, regulating many body functions including the sleep-wake cycle. Many people take additional dietary supplements of melatonin to help with sleep related issues, such as jet lag...
Anemia is a medical condition caused by insufficient levels of iron within the blood. In healthy people the body uses iron to make hemoglobin---a substance within the blood involved with carrying oxygen throughout the body. If you're anemic your...
As your newborn grows from infant to toddler, each phase of nighttime sleep may seem to come with its own difficulties. Mayo Clinic experts indicate that until your child is 3 months of age, he may sleep 16 hours a day--sometimes more--in short...
Children of any age can acquire meningitis, a condition in which infection affects the brain and spinal chord, according to KidsHealth, a publication sponsored by the Nemours Foundation. Meningitis can be either viral or bacterial. The most common...
Colitis (ulcerative colitis) is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes severe inflammation of the lining of the large intestine (colon). Though this condition can begin at any age, most patients begin to develop symptoms between the ages...
A fever in a child with allergies is most likely the effect of a secondary infection. Allergies never cause a child's body temperature to rise, according to MayoClinic.com. Some symptoms of an allergic reaction can cause mucus build up in...
Shingles results when the varicella-zoster virus---the same virus that causes chicken pox---awakens within clusters of sensory nerve roots called "dorsal root ganglia." According to the American Academy of Dermatology, about 20 percent of people...
Your thyroid is a small gland located within your neck and produces hormones that regulate your body's metabolism. If you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), your body produces abnormally low levels of thyroid hormones. Treatment of an...
Jaundice is a condition in which the liver isn't able to effectively process bilirubin, a byproduct of hemoglobin processing. Approximately 60 percent of newborns are affected by jaundice, according to the Centers for Disease Control and...
Stiffness in the cervical spine may relate to any number of conditions, some more innocuous than others. In some cases, cervical spine stiffness may indicate a spasm in the neck muscles or injury to the spinal cord in the neck, known as a burner....
Cocaine is an illegal, highly addictive drug that stimulates the release of dopamine---a naturally-occurring pleasure-inducing chemical---within the brain. In 2002, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reported that 2 million people...
According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), multiple myeloma is the most common primary bone cancer, which occurs in four out of every 100,000 people in the United States each year. No known risk factors are inherited, but...
Hypoglycemia is a medical condition caused by abnormally low blood sugar levels within the body. Typically, the symptoms associated with hypoglycemia in children can be managed through diet and physical activity. The signs of hypoglycemia in...
H1N1, or swine flu, first made an appearance in April of 2009. Like the seasonal flu, swine flu is transmitted from person to person. Infants under two years of age are said to be at a higher risk of developing complications from H1N1, per the...
Vitamin B-12 deficiencies can cause dementia, psychosis and mood disturbances. These symptoms can appear in some people when their B-12 levels are only slightly lower than normal and well above those considered indicative of anemia. Because...
If you have a sluggish, or under-active, thyroid, you might have difficulty waking up in the morning, wonder why your normally healthy energy levels have plummeted and your clothes are fitting too snugly. Hypothyroidism occurs when your thyroid...
According to California Pacific Medical Center, most viral fevers range between 101 degrees and 104 degrees and disappear after two or three days. A fever of 103.5 degrees Fahrenheit technically sits on the border between a common fever and a high...
Regular exercise affords you many physical and emotional benefits, according to the Mayo Clinic. Exercise helps keep your weight manageable, improves your mood, increases your energy and helps you sleep better. A successful exercise program is one...
Many parents have noticed that their children are difficult to wake up when wetting the bed, leading to a popular notion that bed-wetting, or enuresis, occurs only in the deepest stage of sleep. However, most sleep research indicates that...
If your teen seems to want to sleep more during the day than he used to and tends to stay up late at night, his internal body clock could be to blame. In the early teen years, a child's body clock changes, and it is more difficult for him to wake...
Taking nutritional supplements is a common component of an adrenal fatigue recovery program. Among these supplements, bovine supplements -- consisting of extracts of dried adrenal glands derived from cows -- are ones that people with adrenal...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, estimates that shingles affect 1 million Americans each year. Although the disease is rarely life-threatening and usually resolves on its own without no treatment at all, the CDC recommends...
Meningitis is a serious condition that causes inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. There are many different types of meningitis, and the severity of the condition can vary depending upon whether it is caused by a...
More than five million children in the United States over the age of 6 still wet their bed at night, according to the National Kidney Foundation. This condition often goes away on its own and is usually not a sign of serious medical or emotional...
Staying dry overnight is one of the last toilet-training skills children learn. According to a 2002 study in "Pediatrics," 50 percent of girls don't remain dry overnight until 34.1 months and 50 percent of boys don't until 35.8 months....
Congestive heart failure, or congestive cardiac failure, is the failure of the heart resulting from any structural or functional disorder. Learn more about congestive heart failure in this health video.
Heart failure, or congestive cardiac failure, is the failure of the heart resulting from any structural or functional disorder. Congestive heart failure is the result of many conditions or diseases; learn more about heart failure in this health...
