Depression Fact Sheet
Depression is a medical condition. It is an illness affecting the mind and the body. Depression can cause emotional and physical problems. Understanding the symptoms of depression can help individuals seek treatment.
Depression is a medical condition. It is an illness affecting the mind and the body. Depression can cause emotional and physical problems. Understanding the symptoms of depression can help individuals seek treatment.

Tuberculosis, commonly called TB, was once a prominent contagious illness in the United States. The World Health Organization states that a majority of cases now occur in other countries, such as those in the South-East Asia Region. With proper...

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome is a life-threatening disease caused by HIV, or the human immunodeficiency virus. The HIV virus spreads through sexual contact and the transfer of blood and other fluids between people. A person with HIV may not...

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that affects every organ in the body. It is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and metabolized by the liver. Since the liver can only metabolize a small amount at a time, the rest stays in the...

Your diet is the food you eat. Diets vary based on the needs of the individual or the goals the individual wishes to accomplish through a controlled diet. Because food is the fuel your body uses for all of its biological functions, your diet is a...

Dietary Reference Intakes-DRIs, established by the Institute of Medicine, encompass three additional values. The Recommended Dietary Allowances, or RDA value, meets the majority of the population's nutritional needs. Adequate Intakes, or AIs is...

Vitamin K belongs to the group of fat-soluble vitamins, which are absorbed into the body by means of dietary fat; they can also be stored in fat cells and liver tissues. The K in vitamin K comes from the vitamin's German name,...

Handwashing: In recent years, public health officials have raised the profile of this simple action to one of prominent, even life-saving importance. When practiced properly, good hand hygiene may make the difference between becoming seriously...

Better health results from improving your dietary and physical activity practices. Make sure that you get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs in your diet by consuming a wide variety of foods. Include whole grains, fresh fruits,...

Solar energy reaches the Earth as infrared radiation and visible light. Scientists estimate that the sun will continue to provide heat, energy and light for the next 5 billion years, according to the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point...

MRSA, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, infected 1.5 percent of the population of the United States in 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. Hospital-acquired MRSA accounted for around 86 percent of serious...

Subway was the brainstorm of a young medical student named Fred DeLuca who was looking for a way to finance his medical education. Using a loan from a family friend, DeLuca opened up a submarine sandwich shop in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The...
Cerebral palsy is a medical condition that causes your muscles to become stiff, weak and uncontrollable. It generally appears within the first few years of a person's life and isn't curable. According to the March of Dimes, about 800,000 people in...
Cerebral palsy is a term used to describe a variety of neurological conditions that first appear in childhood. The disease causes permanent damage that affects muscles and body movements, though its origin is in the brain, report doctors at the...

Weight loss can be confusing. Ads for different types of programs fill television and radio airwaves, and you can't walk into a store without seeing a book or magazine claiming to reveal weight-loss secrets. This information overload makes it hard...

Take in the right amounts of healthy carbohydrates, protein and fats, and you should be on a healthy diet, as long as you don't have any underlying medical conditions that call for special nutrition. MayoClinic.com states that no artificial...

Vitamin D3 is important for many types of body processes and functions. While it was known for its importance for bone health historically, emerging information indicates its importance for the prevention and cure of many other diseases and...
Healthy eating meets your body's metabolic needs without excessive intake of calories or any one nutrient, day by day. Use the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, calorie counts on food packages and weigh yourself periodically to see if the...

Many fans and golf historians consider Tiger Woods one of the greatest golfers of all time. From a young age he established himself as a tough competitor and creative shot maker, winning numerous amateur championships before turning professional...

Eating for two is not as simple as just eating more food. Women who are pregnant need to be mindful of what they eat in order to ensure their babies receive adequate nutrition and that they gain the appropriate amount of weight. In addition, there...

Hemp food products are gaining popularity in supermarkets across America. The nutritional benefits of non-drug varieties of plants from the Cannabis genus, commonly referred to as hemp, have received increasing attention in recent years. According...

Minerals are inorganic compounds that the body requires to carry out its normal functions. Minerals are divided into two classes: major minerals and trace minerals. Selenium is a trace mineral, which means it is needed in very small amounts by the...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the influenza virus referred to as swine flu was first detected in people in the United States in 2009. Swine flu is clinically known by the name H1N1 and reportedly spreads in a similar...

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) treats various forms of severe inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and celiac disease. Many patients have reported good results using the SCD, with relief from diarrhea,...

During pregnancy, what mom eats and what she doesn't eat can impact both her health and that of the developing baby. During certain times of pregnancy, vitamins and nutrients are vital. In addition, many foods should be limited or even avoided...

The chemical structure of vitamin B-12 is large and complex. It's distinct from other vitamins, because present in the vitamin is the mineral cobalt. For that reason, you might hear your healthcare provider refer to "cobalamin" when talking about...

Diverticulitis is a common disorder that results from the inflammation of small pockets, or diverticula, in the large intestines. When these pockets become inflamed, symptoms of abdominal cramping, nausea and muscle spasms may occur. Diets low in...

Insulin dependent diabetes, also called Type 1 or juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease in which the pancreas produces an insufficient amount of insulin or no insulin, the hormone the body needs to metabolize blood glucose. Your body...

Vitamin D plays an indispensable role in your body, including maintaining normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus, working with calcium to build strong bones and regulating the immune system. You can obtain vitamin D-3, an active form of...