Our bodies receive oxygen from the air we breath. In our lungs, this oxygen moves across thin membranes and enters the bloodstream. Oxygen is bound to special molecules on red blood cells called hemoglobin, which let it travel in the blood to the...
Anemia is a disorder characterized by low oxygen levels in the blood. Symptoms of anemia include fatigue, weakness, and paleness. One cause of anemia is iron deficiency. Iron is necessary for oxygen to bind to hemoglobin, the active component of...
Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, is important for the processing of carbohydrates, proteins and fats into glucose that can be utilized by the body. Vitamin B12 is naturally found only in animal foods such as milk, dairy products, eggs, meat, fish and...
Doctors face growing challenges treating infant addicts and their mothers. In 2010 Maine's two largest hospitals reported treating or observing 276 infants for neonatal abstinence syndrome -- withdrawal from opiates to which they were exposed in...
Iron deficiency anemia is a condition in which the body cannot produce enough red blood cells due to low levels of iron in the body. Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia. Iron deficiency may be caused by blood loss, diets...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a term used to describe a collection of diseases--including emphysema and chronic bronchitis--that progressively degrades and destroys the lungs. The Mayo Clinic estimates that 16 million people in...
At least 6.5 million children have asthma, including 1.4 million who are under the age of 5. It's the leading serious chronic illness that children suffer from. The child's bronchial airways become inflamed, which causes the airways to become...
Although getting more vitamin B-12 than your body needs won't boost your energy levels, sufficient dietary vitamin B-12 helps you maintain your health and normal energy levels. Your body uses vitamin B-12 for several functions related to creating...
Gemzar is the brand name of the chemotherapy drug known as gemcitabine, which is commonly used to treat pancreatic cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, bladder cancer, ovarian cancer and metastatic breast cancer. It is often used in combination...
Oxygen enters the body through the nose during inhalation. From there it travels to lungs and into the lung capillaries where it gets picked up by red blood cells and enters into the bloodstream. Anything that disrupts any part of this sequence...
Sickle cell anemia is an inherited blood disorder that is characterized by red blood cells (erythrocytes) that are sickle-shaped due to defective hemoglobin, the vital oxygen-carrying protein inside red blood cells. As outlined in the "Journal of...
The body requires an adequate amount of oxygen in the blood. Healthy red blood cells contain between 95 and 100 percent saturation with oxygen, reports Harvard Health Publications. Low blood oxygen, or hypoxemia, may be a symptom of inadequate...
Approximately one infant out of every 2,200 to 5,000 live births has a condition called diaphragmatic hernia, according to MedlinePlus. A diaphragmatic hernia is a type of birth defect that occurs when the diaphragm does not completely form during...
Headaches are a common problem that everyone experiences at some point or another. For some people, headaches are a constant interference with their lives. An imbalanced diet is a potential cause of headaches. Even migraines, which are more severe...