Everyone experiences stress from time to time. Stress disorders, however, are of a different magnitude. These occur as a result of profound trauma, such as encountering or witnessing a death, or experiencing serious injury. People with stress disorders exhibit intense fear, helplessness, or horror. Acute stress disorder occurs soon after the traumatic event and lasts [...]

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) occurs when your body’s immune system attacks and destroys the tissues that make up your joints. The joints become swollen, stiff, and painful. In later stages, the joints can become deformed. Other areas of your body can also be affected, including your lungs, heart, blood vessels, and eyes. About 1 percent of [...]

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder of the central nervous system. It causes tremors (especially in the hands) and rigidity (especially in the face). The disease affects men and women equally primarily after age 60. However approximately 10 percent of those with the disease are under age 40. Although no cure for the disease is [...]

Osteoporosis is the continual breakdown of bone. It can cause fractures deformity and death. Osteoporosis affects over 25 million people each year; 80 percent of them are women.
Signs and Symptoms of Osteoporosis
- Periodontal disease
- Hunched back
- Loss of height
- Back pain
What Causes Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis occurs when bone breaks down faster than it is formed. Lack of estrogen in the body [...]

There are a variety of types of nail disorders, and fungal infection is the most common. In 80 percent of cases of fungal infection, the toenails are affected. With proper treatment, most damaged nails can regrow into healthy nails.
Signs and Symptoms of Nail Disorders
Nail disorders are accompanied by the following signs and symptoms.
- Discoloration or spotting
- Painful, [...]

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable disease of the nervous system in which communication between the brain and other parts of the body is disrupted. Its effects can range from relatively benign in most cases to somewhat disabling to devastating. The symptoms may mysteriously occur and then disappear. In the worst cases, a person with [...]

Leukemia is a type of cancer in which the body produces large numbers of abnormal (usually white) blood cells. Approximately 28,500 new cases of leukemia are diagnosed each year. There are several types of leukemia, grouped as either acute (the diseases progresses rapidly) or chronic (the diseases progresses slowly).
The most common leukemias are:
- Acute lymphocytic [...]

Commonly called kidney stones urolithiasis means stones in the urinary tract. These stones occur four times more often in men than women with 240 000 to 720 000 Americans affected yearly. The pain of having a stone has been compared to that of childbirth. The stones can be made of calcium uric acid oxalate struvite [...]

Insomnia is the inability to fall or stay asleep. It often makes daytime functioning more difficult. At some time during the year, about one-third of adults suffer from insomnia.
Signs and Symptoms of Insomnia
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Frequent waking
- Early-morning waking
- Sense of unsatisfying sleep
- Daytime drowsiness and impaired functioning
What Causes Insomnia?
If your health care provider has ruled out physical and [...]

Hypercholesterolemia, or high cholesterol, occurs when you have abnormally high levels of fats (cholesterol or lipoproteins) in the blood. Lifestyle changes can help reduce cholesterol levels.
Signs and Symptoms of High Cholesterol
High cholesterol has few, if any, symptoms. The key to controlling your cholesterol is to change your lifestyle by exercising regularly, eating a low-fat diet, [...]