Finding the right family physician is a matter of figuring out your family's medical needs. Take a moment to write down the specific health concerns of different members of your family to narrow down your choices. Perhaps a member of your family...
Taking antihistamines is the normal response to having hives. However, if you're breastfeeding, anything you ingest appears in your breastmilk. The "American Family Physician" in July 2001 suggests taking any antihistamine immediately after...
Weight loss is a goal many individuals will have at one point or another in their lives. Weight loss can be a challenging and sometimes daunting task. Many individuals who attempt to lose weight often fail or immediately regain their lost weight....
There's a common misconception that shaving changes the thickness and growth rate of facial hair. But this is untrue. The only change that occurs is with the tips of shorn hairs. Shaving leaves the once-tapered hairs with blunt edges, making them...
A young boy with conduct disorder will display aggressive, violent and threatening behaviors without any concern for the rights or needs of others, notes the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, or the AACAP. Conduct disorder is...
Milia is a type of rash common to newborns. A January 2008 article in the "American Family Physician" states that up to 50 percent of babies have milia bumps, which are caused when keratin gets trapped under the top layer of the skin. These bumps,...
Serious complications of diabetes can include foot ulcers. Related foot problems, such as injury, deformity, peripheral arterial disease and neuropathy, can occur as precursors for a foot ulcer. Foot ulcers need ongoing treatment in order to heal,...
The pumping of the heart allows blood flow to every organ in the body. Every cell in the body needs oxygen; the oxygen we breathe gets to the cell via the blood. When blood flow is low, cells do not get adequate oxygen. Congestive heart failure...
Many people spend a lifetime trying to lose unwanted weight or avoid weight gain. For elderly people, however, weight loss that is secondary to depression, medications or health conditions can be dangerous. Addressing weight loss in your senior...
Chasteberry, also known as chaste-tree berry, vitex and monk's pepper, comes from the chaste tree, a small tree that grows in the Mediterranean region and Central Asia, according to the National Institutes of Health's National Center for...
Vertigo is a form of dizziness joined with feelings of spinning or moving. It is often caused by problems in your inner ear, according to a 2005 article in "American Family Physician." The University of Maryland Medical Center elaborates that...
With a family doctor, you can build a relationship with one physician and centralize your family's health care. Most cities and towns offer several different health practices, each with multiple family doctors on staff. Finding a trustworthy...
N-acetylcysteine, a modified form of the amino acid cysteine, is a powerful antioxidant that helps your body to generate glutathione and prevent cellular damage. N-acetylcysteine is given intravenously in hospitals to prevent liver damage. As a...
Tuberculosis, or TB, is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The "American Family Physician" reported in 2008 that an estimated one-third of the world's population, including more than 11 million people in the...
Most health care providers will not advise anyone against getting some exercise, but a pregnant woman will be subject to certain limitations and precautions for the sake of both her and her baby. If you are experiencing any health or obstetric...
Your joints are dynamic structures, constantly challenged by the forces of gravity and repetitive movement. They are also relatively isolated from the rest of your body, their demand for adequate nutrition being offset by a need to exclude...
Nausea is a common complaint during pregnancy. It is often referred to as morning sickness, but it can occur at any time of the day or night, and sometimes lasts the entire day. There are a number of natural cures thought to help nausea, like...
Women who routinely use medications to manage allergies should consult a medical care provider about devising a treatment plan during pregnancy. When deciding on the best course of action, the woman and her health care provider must weigh the...
Chest pain after a meal can put a damper on anyone's favorite spicy meatball dish. More importantly, it can be a warning signal to a more serious problem. Heartburn is a backward reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus causing pain. It is...
Testosterone is a hormone that helps the body maintain muscle mass, maintain bone density, maintain red blood cell production and increase sex drive. Testosterone production naturally decreases with age. Low testosterone levels can cause symptoms...
You may remember your family's general practitioner from years past. But in the United States, the medical field that was once known as general practice is now called family medicine and a doctor who practices it is a family physician. General...
Iron deficiency is one of the more common nutritional deficiencies in toddlers. According to "American Family Physician," iron deficiency has become less prevalent since the 1960s, due to universal screening of infants and toddlers as well as an...
Cellulitis is formally an infectious process in the deep layers of the skin. A virus or, more commonly, a bacterium such as Staphylococcus aureus can get into the skin because of irritation caused by an allergic reaction. An ear is fairly...
Heartburn is the sensation that you feel when stomach acid backwashes into your esophagus, which is the muscular tube that leads from the back of your throat to your stomach. Heartburn is usually described as an intense, burning pressure, much...
Muscle relaxants are widely utilized in the treatment of both acute, self-limited conditions and chronic diseases in order to help alleviate pain from muscle spasms and help return a patient to his previous level of activity. They are prescribed...
Characterized by throbbing head pain associated with nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and/or sound, migraine headaches affect nearly 30 million Americans and account for more than $13 billion in lost wages and impaired work performance,...
Gardnerella is a kind of bacteria responsible for a condition called vaginitis, according to a December 2004 article in the "American Family Physician." Gardnerella vaginalis in particular can cause various symptoms to occur during infection....
Iron is a vital mineral in our bodies that can be found in red blood cells. It is involved in the process of producing ATP, which is the body's source for energy, states the University of Maryland Medical Center. Extra iron is stored in the bone...
Cycling benefits all of the muscle groups. This video shows you how to cycle to stay in shape.
Contracting poison oak can be torturous, but remedies and treatments are available. Learn about poison oak from a doctor in this video on skin care.