People with chronic pain in the leg can choose drug therapies and non-medicinal treatment options based on the cause of their leg strain. Symptoms of leg pain can arise from problems in the local muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints or bones, or...
Congenital hip dislocation is a condition more commonly referred to as developmental dysplasia of the hip, or DDH. People are born with a dislocation of the femoral head from the hip socket. A diagnosis of congenital hip dislocation is made most...
Primary heart cancer is exceedingly rare. The incidence of all heart tumors is only 0.28 percent with only 23 percent of those tumors being malignant cancers, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Benign tumors are...
Vitamin D is found in the diet, but is also produced naturally in your skin as a response to sunlight. Your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium from food and drink sources. Although a vitamin D deficiency will not affect every organ, if you do...
Certain minerals such as calcium and phosphorus are important for making your bones. Your bones are dynamic structures, which means that bone tissue is continuously broken down and rebuilt. Disorders that interfere with the absorption of dietary...
Vitamins are vital organic compounds needed in small quantities for various metabolic functions. In general, vitamins are components in cellular formation, though each vitamin has specific tasks. Vitamins A, D, K, C and the B complex play...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that 6.9 percent of the population were heavy drinkers in 2008. Heavy drinking is defined as having five or more drinks on one occasion and at least five occasions in the previous 30 days....
While it may not exist, parents want perfection for their children when it comes to all aspects of growing up from physical development to learning to social interaction. When a child has a hip or joint abnormality, it can be a trying time for...
If you have recently increased the intensity and amount of your running and have started to feel pain in your Achilles tendon, then its time to back off some and practice prevention. The Achilles is the large tendon that connects the two large...
Lumbar discs are plates of cartilage that separate the vertebrae of the lower back. When a lumbar disc ruptures, and its center, called the nucleus pulposus, herniates, it can bulge into the spinal canal. The spinal cord ends at the level of the...
Approximately 180,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumor each year, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. A brain tumor is simply a mass of abnormal cells that grows in the brain. The temporal lobe processes sounds and spoken...
Childhood is one of the most rapid periods of growth and development. The body goes through a significant number of changes, and the bones grow quickly as a child gets taller. While vitamin D is important for everyone, vitamin D is especially...
Iron is an essential mineral that is part of all cells in your body. The iron in red blood cells is located in hemoglobin, which is a protein that carries oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body. Having too little iron leads to anemia...
Vitamin D is an organic nutrient found in some foods and is synthesized naturally by the human body. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble nutrient, meaning that the body can store excess amounts and use it when needed. When you don't produce or get enough...
According to Dr. Peter Ullrich, an orthopedic surgeon with NeuroSpine Center of Wisconsin, the term degenerative disk disease is misleadingly ominous. Ullrich notes that this condition is neither a disease nor a guarantee of progressively...
The adrenal glands are small hormone-secreting glands that are attached to the top of each kidney. Adrenal cancer, which is clinically called adrenocortical carcinoma, occurs when cells of the adrenal gland transform from normal cells into ones...
Staphylococcal bacteria commonly inhabit the skin and interior of the nose. Microscopic or visible breaks in the surface barrier of the body--the skin and mucous membranes--provide an opportunity for these bacteria to cause localized infections....
The central nervous is composed of the brain and spinal cord. Degenerative central nervous system (CNS) diseases are conditions that cause a gradual decrease in nervous system functions, such as balance, movement, speech and memory. These diseases...
Rickets, also called osteomalacia, is a softening and weakening of the bones that results from a severe vitamin D deficiency. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, rickets is rare in the United States. When it does strike, it is...
Parkinson's disease is a progressive, neurological disorder that affects movement and is caused by the destruction of nerve cells in the brain that release certain chemicals responsible for normal movement. The disease is characterized by stooped...
Magnesium and zinc are two important minerals that are often taken as supplements. However, they can have serious interactions with other medications that are prescribed by your doctor. The best source of information about your medications is your...
Calcium and magnesium are both dietary minerals essential to children's health. Childhood calcium deficiencies can cause rickets, a disease characterized by the softening and weakening of bones that can cause delayed growth, muscle weakness, bowed...
Numerous conditions can cause lateral hamstring tendinopathy. The term tendinopathy describes an injury to a tendon. Tendons consists of a fibrous material, connect muscle to bone and help move joints. There are two principle types of...
Deficiencies in one or more crucial vitamins can lead to dysfunctions in your body's cellular processes. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that helps form bones, maintain the immune system, and balance blood chemistry. It can be taken in through...
Vitamins are essential nutrients for proper body functioning. They aid the body in functions that promote growth, development, reproduction, digestion, disease reduction, and overall health and life maintenance. Each vitamin has its own role. If...
A deficient amount of vitamin D makes it difficult for bones to maintain a proper amount of calcium and phosphorus. Prolonged vitamin D deficiency causes rickets, a condition in which there is softening and weakening of the bones. Children 3- to...
Elevated alkaline phosphatase is associated with numerous signs and symptoms. According to Dr. Dicken Weatherby, a naturopathic physician and author of the textbook "Blood Chemistry and CBC Analysis," alkaline phosphatase is a group of isoenzymes...
Your hips consist of large joints known as ball-and-socket joints. While these joints are typically strong and sturdy, they can still sustain damage from injury or disease. Sore hips typically point to problems with the joint itself or with the...
If your circulatory system can no longer deliver the necessary blood, nutrients and oxygen to your body, you may be at a high risk for a heart attack or stroke. If lifestyle changes and medication have failed to help, you may need to consider...
