Provigil is a medication used to treat excessive sleepiness in conditions like sleep apnea, narcolepsy or sleep problems associated with working different shifts. Drugs.com explains that the medication is thought to work by altering the natural...
Lyme disease is spread from ticks to humans through the blood. It is a disease caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Deer ticks are the primary carriers of the bacterium, according to the Mayo Clinic. Ticks live in grassy and heavily...
Hopping on an exercise bike is an effective way to improve cardiovascular fitness and burn calories. Exercising beyond your endurance capacity, however, can lead to fatigue and other, possibly more serious, complications. Signs and symptoms of...
Maltodextrin is a thickening agent used in commercial food productions as well as an ingredient in some sugar substitutes. It can trigger blood sugar spikes, which in turn can cause heart palpitations and, potentially, chest pains. If you...
A calcium channel blocker is a medication used for various heart conditions. Some calcium channel blockers may slow your heart rate and can impact the target heart rate that can be achieved during aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise is still...
Dietary changes, increasing daily exercise and taking omega-3 fish oil sofgels can effectively reduce your total cholesterol levels. Furthermore, omega-3 fish oil softgels can lower the "bad" low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol, and raise...
If you're allergic to nuts, you may wonder if it's safe to eat kola nuts. The kola nut is used for medicinal purposes and in cooking. It's sold as an herbal supplement to help with depression, weight loss, fatigue, diarrhea and migraines. As with...
A systemic disease is a condition that affects the entire body. A variety of systemic diseases in children are associate with rashes. While the rash may be the most obvious symptom of these diseases, these conditions often need medical attention...
Celexa, which is a trade name for the drug citalopram hydrobromide, is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor that is primarily used to treat depression. Celexa has been studied in patients with a history of obsessive compulsive disorder. The...
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a behavioral condition characterized by such symptoms as hyperactivity, impulsiveness and inattentiveness. The exact cause for ADHD is unknown, but heredity, changes in brain function, toxin...
Potassium is an important element in your daily diet. It is an electrolyte, an electrically charged molecule that helps many of the tissues in the body function properly. The levels of potassium in the bloodstream are finely controlled, so small...
According to the American Heart Association, an estimated 98.6 million adults over the age of 20 have cholesterol higher than 200 mg/dl - the diagnostic threshold for having hypercholesterolemia. High cholesterol is a primary risk factor for heart...
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that causes the airways to become sore and swollen. Sensitivities to external triggers such as pollen, animal dander and perfumes can cause the airways to constrict making breathing difficult. Typical asthma...
Heart disease is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, affects about one third of all Americans. Often referred to as "the silent killer," hypertension often has no symptoms and...
Provigil, a brand name of the prescription medication modafinil, treats excessive sleepiness. Like caffeine, it works by changing the chemicals in the brain that control sleep and wakefulness. Although caffeine is not known to interact negatively...
Erythropoietin is a protein that stimulates bone marrow to produce red blood cells. Procrit, epoetin alfa, is a synthetic replica of this protein and is classed as an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent or ESA. These are given to patients diagnosed...
Dopamine is prescribed to treat heart conditions. It stimulates the heart muscle by providing additional pumping strength. It may also be used to improve the blood supply to the kidneys. Like all medications, dopamine may also have certain side...
Your heart contains valves that are designed to keep your blood flowing in the right direction. As your heart muscle contracts and pushes blood out of one of its four chambers, the valve opens to allow the blood to flow through. Then the valve...
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition of the lungs. It is usually triggered by allergens, like pollen, dust and cigarette smoke; upper respiratory infections or colds; exercise; and other environmental factors. The typical symptom of asthma...
Tobacco use can cause heart disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and a host of other health problems. The nicotine patch is available over-the-counter as a smoking cessation aid, and may make quitting smoking easier.
Nipride, or sodium nitroprusside, is a medication used for the control of very high blood pressure in emergent situations. Nipride lowers blood pressure by relaxing the smooth muscle in the walls of blood vessels. It also may be used to control...
Exercising regularly can help you keep your blood pressure in the normal range. If your blood pressure is only slightly elevated, increased physical activity may be enough to control your condition. Before you start any exercise program, consult...
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a condition in which the brain is unable to filter out much of the stimulus a normal brain would every day. The person feels as if he is on overload and unable to concentrate on one subject; instead, he...
Most heart disease in children falls in two categories: congenital heart disease and arrhythmias. Children with congenital heart disease are born with anatomical defects of the heart. Arrhythmias are abnormalities in the heart rhythm that can...
A Holter monitor records heart rhythm the same way an electrocardiogram does in a hospital. Holter devices work at home to provide doctors with the details of your heart function as you go about your daily activities. Tests of this nature provide...
The cardiovascular system is made up of the heart, arteries, capillaries and veins and is responsible for circulating blood throughout the body. The blood serves as a vehicle to carry gases like oxygen and nutrients like carbohydrates, fats and...
If you suffer from constant back pain without a discernible cause, your chiropractor or physical therapist may suggest that you use inversion therapy to help relieve your pain. Inversion therapy uses a table with straps that balances on a frame to...
All parts of the body need oxygen and nutrients to function normally. The arteries are blood vessels that take oxygen-rich blood away from the heart and then delivers them to all parts of the body. The cardiac arteries or coronary arteries supply...
Benzocaine is a local anesthetic that causes topical pain relief. The idea of adding it to candy was that the taste buds would be numbed, resulting in loss of appetite. Several candies and gums were marketed that contained benzocaine. Two...
