Childhood is full of little medical rites of passage. Every kid eventually catches a nasty ear infection or a bad case of strep throat. Before the release of its vaccine, adults of a certain age remember catching chicken pox and missing a week of school to stay home and resist the urge to scratch. But […]
When we tell our computers to “go to sleep” each night before bed, we can expect that they’ll remain in a quiet, low-energy state until we start them back up in the morning. People who go to sleep, on the other hand, are not necessarily quiet or low energy at all. We toss, we turn, […]
You find yourself in bed in the dark, having the worst headache of your life. Naturally, you want to know what’s causing this pain so that you may resolve it. Migraines and sinus headaches are similar in that they can both cause severe pain and pressure around the face and head, but their divergent causes […]
One of the most debilitating effects of hypersensitivity to allergens is asthma—the inflammation of the airways leading to coughing, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Chronic allergic asthma is not only painful, but the looming threat of attacks can also affect an individual’s quality of life between attacks. People who suffer from allergic asthma are […]
Little kids get sick—a lot. It’s a fact of early childhood and child-rearing that you and your child will have to get through together. These little battles are necessary so the immune system can come to full strength later. In addition to inevitable illnesses such as strep throat, allergies, and strains of the common cold, […]
Where would we be without our immune system? A robust and responsive immune system works hard, often without us even knowing it, to keep our body safe against harmful pathogens. But the body’s immune system can overreact to a perceived threat, and such an immune response can be unpleasant—if not dangerous. This sort of internal […]
Trust and faith in medical professionals make up the backbone of any doctor-patient relationship—a patient must respect their doctor’s expertise for that expertise to do any good. But just as integral is open communication between doctor and patient. Just because you’re not the doctor doesn’t mean it’s incumbent upon you to sit silently with no […]
Potential allergens are everywhere. And your skin, as the largest organ in your body, is the point of contact for many of those allergens. Allergies lead to hives, rashes, swelling, and other visible skin conditions. When they arise, do you know which specialist to call for? By learning the distinctions and differences between a dermatologist […]
Second only to the vestigial appendix, the tonsils may be one of the most enigmatic parts of the body to many people. Ask the average person what he or she knows about their tonsils, and the answer will probably be that they were removed. But tonsils don’t exist just to be cut out—they do serve […]
If you have asthma or allergies, you may find housecleaning to be a real no-win situation. While allowing dust, dander, stains, and mold to accumulate is obviously an unacceptable status quo, it can be just as frustrating when cleaning seems to trigger your allergies and asthma attacks as much as if you had left all […]
