↓ Click the red icon below (☰) to veiw all Diseases

FAQ

Exercise is good for your health. Regular physical activity helps a person have stronger bones and muscles, helps control body fat, helps prevent certain illnesses, and contributes to a good outlook on life. Regular exercise helps promote digestion and a good night’s sleep. When children exercise as part of their busy lives, they are better equipped to manage the physical and emotional challenges of a busy day. Many governments and other organizations recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity every week.

Scientists do not know exactly why people need sleep, but studies show that sleep is necessary for survival. Sleep appears to be necessary for the nervous system to work properly. While too little sleep one night may leave us feeling drowsy and unable to concentrate the next day, a long period of too little sleep leads to poor memory and physical performance. Hallucinations (experiencing things that aren’t really there), vision problems, and mood swings may develop if sleep deprivation continues.

Substance abuse means taking drugs (other than those prescribed by a doctor for a specific illness) in amounts that are dangerous or that prevent a person from doing everyday things, including going to school or work. The substance being abused can be alcohol, marijuana, pills called tranquilizers that make people feel very tired or relaxed, household products that are inhaled, or a number of other drugs. Drug abuse happens all over the world, to all kinds of people, young and old. It frequently causes terrible damage to a person’s body, to relationships with family and friends, and to career or education. In some cases, substance abuse leads to death, because the abuser gets involved in an accident or because he or she takes enough of the substance to cause the body to completely shut down.

Bacteria are single-celled organisms that have the ability to feed themselves and to reproduce. They are found everywhere, including the air, water, and soil. They divide and multiply very quickly, which means that one cell can become 1 million cells in just a few hours. Viruses are microorganisms that are smaller than bacteria, but they cannot grow or reproduce without the help of a separate living cell. Once a virus gets inside your body, it attaches itself to a healthy cell and uses the cell’s nucleus to reproduce itself.

Answer: The “human papilloma virus”, or HPV, is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the world. HPV is a highly contagious virus which affects the skin and moist membranes of the body such as the cervix, anus, mouth and throatHPV is spread primarily through skin-to-skin contact. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection, and it is estimated that 80% of people will have at least one type of HPV at some point in their lifetime. You do not have to have sexual intercourse to catch HPV. The virus can be transmitted through touching or genital to genital contact, oral or anal sex. There is even evidence to suggest that deep kissing can spread HPV.HPV does not have any symptoms, so you may not know if you have it. It will likely only become apparent following a diagnosis with a HPV-related cancer, or genital warts.

Answer: Kidney stones, otherwise known as renal lithiasis or nephrolithiasis if you want words harder to pronounce, form when some type of mineral or salt clusters together inside your kidneys. Stones can form when you have too much of certain mineral or salt or if you are not hydrated enough. Calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate stones can form when you get high doses of vitamin D, undergo bypass surgery, or have metabolic issues.Uric acid stones can result when you eat too much protein or have gout. Certain types of urinary tract infection can lead to struvite stones.

Answer: Looks like lots of people are getting hiccups or at least laughing at people who are getting the hiccups this year. This is the second appearance on this list for hiccups.It’s not completely clear what may cause temporary hiccups. It may be having too much stuff in your stomach such as food, air, or bacon. It may be sudden changes in temperature. It may be stress or excitement such as seeing Justin Bieber. In most cases, you just don’t know what started them. Chronic or frequently repeated episodes of hiccups are a different story, This can be a sign that something like a mass or inflammation is irritating your diaphragm or the nerves that control and extend to your diaphragm. Certain medication or serious medical conditions such as diabetes, kidney failure, and encephalitis can lead to hiccups as well. Therefore, if hiccups continue to be an issue, call you doctor.

Answer: Altering your breathing cycle, which may calm your diaphragm down. Possibilities include breathing into a paper bag, pulling your knees to your chest and leaning forward, drinking water from the opposite side of a glass while bending over, or holding your breath. If you do hold your breath, make sure that you don’t do this indefinitely.Gargling with ice water or sipping cold water. If you do gargle, make sure that you don’t have so much ice in your mouth that you start spreading it around the room like a geyser.Pulling on your tongue. But don’t pull so hard that your tongue comes out, which will lead to bigger problems.Rubbing the back of your neck. It’s unclear whether adding the words, “there, there,” makes a difference.Getting scared. A sudden scare may help, such as someone suddenly jumping in front of you or being told that there is a sequel to the 2016 movie Dirty Grandpa.Laughing spontaneously. They say laughter is the best medicine. Maybe someone else hiccuping can get you laughing.Anecdotal evidence suggests that breathing into a paper bag may help stop hiccups.

Answer: Your blood pressure can fluctuate throughout the day. For example, it may go up monetarily if you see your idol. Or go down, depending on your situation and point of view.However, having elevated blood pressure over longer periods of time puts you at higher risk for all kinds of problems including heart attacks and stroke. Your first option should never be medications, unless it is an emergency situation. Lifestyle modification should come first such as reducing your sodium intake, losing weight, getting more exercise, limiting alcohol intake, reducing stress, meditating, and listening to some relaxing music. Don’t try to manage your blood pressure on your own. Get help from one of our doctors who really knows what he or she is doing.Be wary of any physician who want to slap you on medications before really getting to know you and trying other non-pharmaceutical options. High blood pressure is quite common, affecting around one in three adults. Yet, only 54% have their high blood pressure under control, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Alcohol is a type of drug known as a depressant that slows down the body’s central nervous system. After a person has had a few drinks, it immediately affects the way they think or act. Alcohol can make a person feel sleepy, less coordinated, and slow to react. And it can cause your brain to feel foggy as well as make you think and see differently. After years of drinking, alcohol use can cause stomach and intestinal problems, liver damage, nerve and muscle damage, heart problems, and brain damage. Alcohol can cause everything from blackouts to permanent loss of brain function and memory. Researchers have also linked long-term drinking to cancer of the throat, mouth, liver, esophagus, and larynx. Drinking alcohol can also lead to emotional and psychological problems such as sadness and depression. If a pregnant woman drinks too much alcohol, it can seriously injure her unborn baby and result in birth defects.

Answer: You need calories to survive. However, people probably are wondering how many calories they should eat based on whether they want to gain weight, lose weight, or do neither. The frequently cited threshold is 2,000 calories for women and 2,500 calories for men per day to maintain the same body weight.However, this greatly oversimplifies the complexities of your body. The calories that you need depend heavily, no pun intended, on many factors, including your body size, your age, and your activity level. The Mifflin-St. Jeor equation does take into account differences in sex, age, weight, height, and activity level and serves as the basis for some for some online calorie recommendation calculators. But even these are just approximations and do not account for every factor that may affect your weight. Plus, all calories are not equal.Getting 2,000 calories from just eating sticks of butter or drinking soda is very different from getting the same number from a more balanced diet. Highly-processed foods may have different effects on your metabolism compared to natural foods.

Answer: If you are asking this for yourself, you may not want to try the keto diet. Cutting your intake of saturated fats and trans-fats is an important step. So is increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids and fiber.Getting more physical activity and losing weight may help. If you are smoking, stop. Also, limit your alcohol consumption. High cholesterol can increase your risk of stroke and various types of cardiovascular diseases.

Experts aren’t sure. One study said heavier people may outlive lighter folks, but most research shows that those who carry extra pounds are more likely to get heart disease, cancer or die before thinner folks. Your best bet: Do what you can to get healthy. Stay active every day and eat a balanced diet. Lose some weight if you need to.