The gallbladder is tucked up underneath the liver on the right side of the body. Its main function is to store bile – historically called “gall” – which is produced by the liver and carried to the common hepatic duct and the gallbladder through a series of tubules or ducts (bile ducts) embedded in the [...]
Belching Or Eructation Belching is a perfectly normal human experience and it is common for people to belch about a dozen times in a single day. It is also known as eructation, burping and ructus. Belching releases gas from the digestive system. This gas builds up in the stomach and esophagus, and is then released [...]
Riboflavin, or vitamin B2, is one of a family of eight B vitamins. It helps the body convert food, or carbohydrates, into fuel, known as glucose, which can be burned to produce energy. Vitamin B Complex There are eight separate vitamins within the B complex, including B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9 and B12. [...]
The ‘K’ in Vitamin K is derived from the German term, koagulation. It is a fat-soluble enzyme that plays an important role in blood coagulation, or clotting. There are five forms of Vitamin K. Vitamin K1 and K2 are the natural forms of Vitamin K. There are also three synthetic forms of Vitamin K, which [...]
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water soluble vitamin necessary for biological processes in humans and other animals. It is required for collagen production in blood vessels, cartilage, bones, and muscles. It also is critical for the prevention of bleeding capillaries, and the healing of wounds. It is generally produced internally by [...]
5-HTP is the common name for the chemical substance 5-hydroxytryptophan. 5-HTP occurs naturally in the human body as a metabolite of the amino acid tryptophan, which is present in many foods. Major sources include meats, fish, and eggs. Because the body needs 5-HTP to produce both serotonin and melatonin, this supplement may be effective in [...]
Overview and Alternative Names Mononucleosis has several names such as mono, kissing disease, Pfeiffer’s disease, Filatov’s disease, and glandular fever. Regardless of the name, infectious mononucleosis is an infection caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, which produces flu-like symptoms and extreme fatigue. Causes Infection mononucleosis is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. Viruses are microscopic pathogens made [...]
The immune system’s primary function is to fight off bacteria, viruses, cancer cells, toxins, and blood or tissue belonging to other humans or species. These intruders are called antigens and white blood cells go into attack mode to protect the body from anything they consider to be intruders by producing antibodies. However, sometimes white blood [...]
What is Leucoderma? Leucoderma is a cutaneous disorder in which the skin loses part or all of its pigment in spots, causing white blotches, or lesions. It is also known as Vitiligo, however, Vitiligo is a type of Leucoderma, therefore the terms are not completely interchangeable. Leucoderma is non-contagious. The areas that lose pigment are [...]
Yeast infections, also known as candidosis, moniliasis, idiomycosis or vaginitis, are caused by too many yeast cells growing in the vagina. Yeast is naturally present on the skin and in moist areas of the body, such as the mouth and vagina. A healthy vagina has bacteria that help to keep the amount of yeast in [...]
Hay fever is a common condition. So common in fact that it is thought to affect one in five people. As with many common ailments, hay fever has many aliases. Other names for hay fever include seasonal allergic rhinitis, nasal allergies, pollinosis, or simply allergies. No matter which name it is called by, hay fever [...]
What Are Varicose Veins Varicose veins, also known as varicosity and varicosis, are veins that have become twisted and engorged due to the collection of an abnormal amount of blood. Varicose veins are sometimes painful and can happen to any veins but most often affect the veins of the legs and feet, which is the [...]
Breast cancer is a disease that can strike fear in the heart of any woman, and with good reason. It is the second most prevalent kind of cancer, after lung cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, there were about 194,280 new cases of breast cancer in the U.S. last year. This is including 1,910 [...]
Most of us feel extremely lucky if our family members make it through the winter without succumbing to any ailments. That’s because along with the first frosty days, winter often brings the flu, colds, coughs and sore throats. It’s no coincidence that increased sickness comes with decreasing temperatures. When temperatures begin to fall, the body [...]
Measles is a very serious respiratory virus that is considered one of the “standard childhood diseases”. Measles is highly contagious; in fact, in the pre-20th century world, measles outbreaks often grew into epidemics. However, thanks to modern medicine, measles is no longer a serious threat. There is practically no possibility of measles causing an epidemic; [...]
An eating disorder is a condition that affects one’s eating habits. These disorders can lead one to eat too much or too little. Though eating disorders usually occur in children and young adults, they have also been seen to affect adults later in life, with females being more affected than males. While an eating disorder [...]
What is Fennel? Fennel, scientific name foeniculum vulgare, is a plant found growing in many gardens in the United States due to its usefulness in the culinary arts as well as its medicinal properties. The plant species is indigenous to the Mediterranean shores but seems to grow wild in numerous areas of the world now. [...]
This article will discuss the symptoms, causes, and treatments for arteriosclerosis. Arteriosclerosis is the hardening and loss of elasticity of medium or large arteries. This article will also present a discussion of atherosclerosis, the most common form of arteriosclerosis, as well as a related disease, arteriolosclerosis, the hardening and loss of elasticity of small arteries [...]
Every year millions of people see their doctors for symptoms such as constipation, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or excessive gas. These are the most common indicators of gastrointestinal disorders. The diagnoses for digestive disorder range from an upset stomach to the potentially serious and life-threatening colon cancer, or colorectal cancer. The most common diagnoses are Irritable [...]
Acne scarring, as with any other scarring, is the result of a wound in our skin. The problem of acne scarring begins first with having acne. Acne begins with our skin producing natural oil in the subaceous gland. Bacteria causing acne metabolizes this oil, which then irritates the skin. When the skin is irritated by [...]