Drugs and Medications Features
- Sweat Yourself to Sleep
If you have difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or are waking up often during the night, you are not alone. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 70 million Americans experience insomnia at some point in their lives.
- Does Dairy Do a Colon Good?
Got milk? If the results of a recent study hold true, you might consider reaching for a tall glass of the one percent. A grain of salt might go well with your beverage, too.
- Pap Technology
Women have been going to their gynecologists for Pap tests for more than 50 years. And their vigilance has paid off: Mortality rates from cervical cancer have dropped 70%, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. But a woman's chance of getting a false negative -- a result that says she's healthy when she really has cancer or pre-cancerous cells -- is still between 10
- After the Baby's Born
Once their child is born and the difficult challenges of pregnancy are behind them, many couples look forward to having a normal sex life again. Unfortunately those expectations may not be realistic -- at least not immediately. Following childbirth, one partner may just not want to have sex. The possible reasons -- some physical, some psychological -- are many.
- Never Too Late to Lose Weight
A recent study -- the largest yet on obesity and mortality -- has found that the more overweight you are, the higher your risk of death.
- A Separate Bed For Baby
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), any child under the age of two should not sleep in an adult bed. The result could be deadly, says a study published by CPSC researchers in the October 1999 issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
- Guiding Your Herb Search
Got a cold? Maybe you've heard that the herb echinacea can help. But should you take the tea, the tincture, or the capsules? With or without goldenseal?
- Exposing Chlamydia
Chlamydia is an infection caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. It's one of the most widespread of all sexually transmitted diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- The Green Pharmacist
When you talk to a pharmacist in a drugstore, you can be pretty confident you're dealing with a professional who has taken rigorous courses on the medicines he or she sells. But when you're looking for herbal remedies, the situation's different.
- Getting Older, Feeling Better
Regular exercise is particularly important for older adults, for a variety of health reasons. Read here for more information.
- The New Language of Medicine: Part I
This is the first in a two-part series on integrative medicine, the combination of conventional and alternative therapies.
- Summer Sun for Winter Blues
Spending time basking in the sun may be more important than you think. Sure, it's a sensual pleasure and brightens your day. But far beyond that, the summer sun may help you avoid winter depression.
- Supplements to Boost Your Health
Learn about the 5 nutritional supplements that benefit many older adults.
- Common Diet Blunders
This article shows how it can be easier to stay motivated as you diet if you watch for and avoid the most common blunders.
- Natural Childbirth Options
Although the numbers are small, more and more women are choosing a self-directed approach to birth.
- When Alcohol Becomes a Problem
Alcohol-use disorders (AUDs) are probably the most common mental disorders in the United States: Nearly one person in seven suffers from an AUD at some time in his or her life.
- Battling Nature (Part 2): Human Potential
This is the second in a three-part series on what scientific discoveries are revealing about the aging process and how the findings will change the way people age.
- Battling Nature (Part 1): Genetic Possibilities
Learn more about the field of genetics and the future possibility of targeting certain genes to slow the aging process.
- Ginkgo Biloba: The Fountain of Youth?
Ginkgo biloba has become one of the most popular dietary supplements in the United States. This article reviews the potential benefits of this herb, and discusses how to determine whether it is a useful addition to your own diet.
- Menopause: What it is, What to do
Information on how to cope with menopause and where to go for additional information about it.
- Attention Men:
Although much attention has been focused on preventing and reversing osteoporosis in women, researchers are realizing that osteoporosis affects men, as well. Read here for info about osteoporosis in men.
- How Families Can Cope with Schizophrenia
What can families do to help their schizophrenic relatives, and to cope with this devastating illness?
- Feelings Are More Than Just Feelings
New research is showing that from hostility to love, the way you feel may play a part in determining the health of your heart.
- The Online Pharmacy Phenomenon
Although convenient, the proliferation of Internet prescription sites is sounding alarm bells for health professionals nationwide because of a lack of standards - even illegal practices.
- Ten Questions to Ask Before You Choose a Health Plan
Here's a list of ten questions you should ask before picking a health care plan.
- Rules for a Safe Summer
Here are three simple rules to follow for a safe summer in the sun.
- A Star Returns: Elaine Benes' Favorite Form of Birth Control Makes a Comeback
After a four-year lapse, the contraceptive sponge is scheduled for a comeback.
- Spider Vein-Free Legs Can Be Yours
A safe and easy treatment for spider veins, sclerotherapy, causes veins to clump together or clot and become less apparent.
- Why Aren't Men More Involved?
There are several obvious reasons why a man might want to be more involved in reproductive health decision making. This article teaches men about their role in contraception options.
- Complementary Therapies
If you're considering the use of complementary therapies to treat your health problem, this article will give you some pointers on how to go about it.
- Eating Well, Aging Well
Here are a few essential components of a good diet for older people.
- Brain Boosters: Pills and Potions
Inserting genes into humans to increase intelligence is a long way off, researchers say. So is there anything we can do in the meantime to boost our brain power? The answer is yes. But the best way to do it may surprise you.
- Befriending Our Bodies
Women of all shapes and sizes have trouble relating to their bodies. What can we do about this?
- The Brain Boosters: Part Two
In part one of this two-part series, we looked at pills and potions that promise to sharpen memory. In part two, we show why exercising your mind and body not only boosts memory but helps you think fast.
- Why Cigarettes are a Woman's Worst Enemy
Sure, cigarettes can harm anybody, men and women alike. But some of smoking's ill effects, from ectopic pregnancy to premature menopause, are reserved for women only.
- Brain Boosters: Pills and Potions.
This is part one of a two-part series on ways to sharpen your brainpower. Scientists at Princeton University recently created a strain of smarter mice by inserting a gene that boosts the activity of brain cells.
- A Simple New Strategy May Put Bedtime Struggles to Sleep
It's been a long day for Lola Franco and her husband, Kevin Seaman. They have barely begun to unwind from a hectic workday in New York City when they both begin to nervously eye the clock on the wall. Bedtime is fast approaching, and so is the battle to get their only child, two-year-old Patrick, to sleep.
- Does Men's Health Get Enough Care?
Do you care for yourself as much as you care for you car?
- Doze Control: Eat Right and You'll Sleep Like a Baby
Do you toss and turn during the night instead of sleeping soundly? If so, your battle with insomnia might start at the dining table, not in the bedroom.
- Integrative Medicine: Part Two
This is the second in a two-part series on integrative medicine, the combination of conventional and alternative therapies.
- Choosing a Baby Sitter You Can Count on
Parents are particularly scrupulous when looking for daytime child care arrangements. It is also equally important to make the right choice when hiring a nighttime sitter.
- Children and Illness
As a parent, it helps to know what your child is thinking and feeling when he or she becomes ill so that you can help teach him or her about being sick... and, of course, about staying well.
- Breastfeeding Update
Here is interesting information to help make your decision easier about whether or not to breastfeed.
- Facts About Cholesterol
Here is a brief and informative article about cholesterol.
- PMS: Signs and Symptoms
If the sadness and mood swings don't get you, the cramps and headaches just might. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) affects almost all women to some degree.
- Men and Depression
Men aren't less likely than women to become depressed; they're just less likely to recognize and seek help for depression, and they have different ways of dealing with it.
- Battling Nature (Part 3): Soldiers in the Field
This is the last in a series on what scientific discoveries are revealing about the aging process and how the findings will change the way people age.
- Male-pattern hair loss
Male-pattern hair loss is a genetic condition with no known cure. In the past there have been no legitimate treatment options, but now, with the introduction of Rogaine and Propecia, there's some hope.
- Peptic Ulcer Disease: Skip the Antacid and See Your Doctor Instead
Many studies show that when PUD is treated properly -- with a regimen of antibiotics -- people are cured, even if they've had an ulcer for years. This article points out the dangers of self-medication with over-the-counter products.
- How To Get a Good Night's Sleep
Organizing your life so you get the highest quality sleep possible is well worth the effort, and quantity doesn't necessarily equal quality. Find out why here.