The flu and the common cold share many of the same respiratory symptoms, including congestion, sneezing and coughing. The overlap in symptoms makes it tough to diagnose flu. The only way to definitively diagnose the flu is to be tested by your...
Makers of Hydroxycut claim the dietary supplement increases energy and burns calories by boosting your metabolism. After a voluntary recall of 14 Hydroxycut products in May 2009, the brand was reformulated with all-natural ingredients such as...
Polio is a contagious virus that causes paralysis, difficulty breathing, and possibly death. Medline Plus, of the National Institutes of Health, states that the virus spreads by direct person-to-person contact, contact with infected mucus or...
The polio virus is an extremely contagious microorganism known to cause paralysis and oftentimes death. Polio is an abbreviated term for the disease poliomyelitis. Three different strains of the polio virus exist, but not all forms of the virus...
Influenza is the name given to a number of virus strains. Flu sufferers may have many of the symptoms of a common cold, but with much more intensity. Fever, headaches, fatigue and muscle aches may all be present. Some strains affect the...
When it comes to choosing and using dietary supplements, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends starting with a healthy dose of skepticism. The FDA has concerns regarding the side effects these supplements can produce, made worse by...
Although the body needs cholesterol for normal functioning, too much of this waxy substance can clog the arteries, causing a stroke or heart attack. Diet and exercise may help patients to reduce their levels of low-density lipoprotein, sometimes...
Communicable diseases are everywhere--on your hands, the doorknobs, the faucets, your friends' faces and in your children's noses. Communicable diseases are illnesses that can be passed from person to person, either by direct contact or...
While people can contract the cold or flu throughout the year, the most common time for the season to spike is between September and January although a cold or the flu can occur at any time. Almost everyone has had a cold or flu at some point in...
Similar symptoms of cold and flu can make it hard to tell the difference. In either case, the illness usually lasts for one to three weeks. The symptoms of a common cold develop slower than flu in two to three days. Flu symptoms start suddenly...
Cholesterol is a substance found in the fat in the blood and within cells. It is used to form cell membranes, hormones and other functions. However, a high level of the bad cholesterol, called LDL, may clog arteries and increase the risk of heart...
Physicians commonly prescribe Lipitor for patients whose cholesterol levels place them at risk for heart disease. Lipitor is in a class of drugs called statins. Drugs in this class help lower the cholesterol levels in your blood by blocking...
If you've ever gone through an intensive workout session and felt body aches a day or two later, chances are you've experienced delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. Though it can be uncomfortable, the soreness is a natural response to intense...
Lipitor is the largest-selling drug in a class known as statins, and is used by millions of patients worldwide to help lower their LDL cholesterol. Lipitor works by inhibiting a key enzyme, HMG-CoA reductase, which is needed to manufacture...
Red yeast rice is the fermented product of a fungus called "Monascus purpureus" that grows on rice, according to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, or MSKCC. The use of red yeast rice dates back thousand of years to China. Red yeast rice is...
Grapefruit and grapefruit products, as well as some other citrus fruits such as pomelos, interact with a number of medications. Because they can increase the amount of medication you absorb, they can also increase the side effects you experience...
All forms of flu are caused by influenza viruses and they fall into three categories: A, B and C. Fujian human flu falls into the "A" category, and is a subtype of it known as H3N2 (H1N1 is also a subtype of the "A" strain). When the Fujian flu...
The burn of a tough workout can be satisfying, but if you overdo it on one particular area of the body, such as your abs, you can suffer some serious soreness. Sore muscles might indicate that you're pushing your body and that your muscles are...
Hepatitis is an inflammatory liver disease primarily caused by one of three viruses: hepatitis A, B or C. The early warning signs of hepatitis are similar regardless of the type of virus by which a person is infected. Approximately 50 percent of...
Rickettsia bacteria causes typhus, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Typhus causes an infected person to have a cough, pain in the joints, a rash, headaches, chills and very high fever, as high as 106 degrees Fahrenheit. Other types of...
The flu vaccine is recommended for protection against the seasonal influenza virus. The influenza virus is easily spread through person-to-person contact. The influenza shot is recommended during flu season, which begins in September and lasts...
Up to 20 percent of Americans come down with the flu each year, according to MedlinePlus, a division of the National Institutes of Health. Symptoms are similar to those of a cold, only more severe, and include muscle aches, coughing, headache,...
Arnica, also commonly known as arnica tincture, is a plant that has been used since the middle centuries to cure a variety of ailments. Applied as a cream, ointment or linament, arnica is best known for its ability to lessen the severity of muscle...
Benicar is a medication in a class of drugs known as angiotensin II receptor antagonists. It keeps blood vessels from narrowing, which lowers blood pressure and improves blood flow and it helps the kidneys to eliminate extra fluid, states...
The body requires cholesterol, a waxy substance, in order to function. Too much cholesterol however, causes arteries to narrow increasing the risk for coronary heart disease, angina and heart attack. Although some patients can manage cholesterol...
Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the same herpes simplex that produces fever blisters on your lips or cold sores within your mouth. Although genital herpes is usually transmitted through skin-to-skin sexual contact...
Caffeine causes many physical reactions in the body. The caffeine content in soda is generally less than that of coffee or tea, so its effects may not be as noticeable when you drink soda as when you drink coffee or tea. Although the intensity and...
Typhus is a group of illnesses that share some commonalities. They are caused by species in the bacterial tribe Rickettsiae. The two typhus fevers are louse-borne typhus fever and murine typhus fever. Although they are caused by different...
Shooting muscle aches can leave you in constant pain and dependent on others. This pain may result for many reasons, ranging from severe to superficial. Consult with your health-care provider to determine the source of your shooting muscle pain.
Trichinosis is a parasitic disease caused by eating undercooked pork or game. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments for trichinosis in this video.
