ADD / ADHD
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder of childhood, estimated to affect between 3% and 5% of school-aged children. The core symptoms of ADHD include inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Although many people occasionally have difficulty sitting still, paying attention, or controlling impulsive behavior, these behaviors are so...
Blood Interpretation
Cholesterol Cholesterol values should only be analyzed after a 12 hour fast. Further, the physician must be aware that the patient's posture prior to the blood draw is significant. If the patient has been in a recumbent posture for more than 20 minutes, cholesterol values may be up to 15% lower than normal. Cholesterol is a blood fat which is the prime building block component to make...
Cardiovascular Disease
Definitions of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Total cholesterol Cholesterol is a waxy fat like substance. Total cholesterol refers to the sum of the different sub-fractions of cholesterol that are measured in the blood. Total cholesterol is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The National Cholesterol Education Program says 240 is considered high. A person with this level...
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
An entrapment neuropathy of the median nerve and, less commonly, compression of the finger flexor tendons, producing paresthesia, atrophy, and weakness in the affected hand. The syndrome is caused by continuous pressure on the median nerve as it passes through the anterior carpal tunnel, which is defined by the carpal bones (proximally: pisiform and the tubercle of the navicular; distally: hook of...
Depression
Depression is a major problem in the United States. Nearly 15 million Americans will suffer true clinical depression each year. Depression is also a big business for drug companies, especially for the maker of Prozac-Eli Lilly and Company. The good news is that there are natural measures to deal with depression that are both safer and more effective.
Female Conditions
Amenorrhea Absence of menstruation. Amenorrhea may be primary (the girl has never begun her periods) or secondary (the woman had her periods once and then stopped having them). Physiologic amenorrhea is the lack of menses before menarche, during pregnancy and early lactation, and after menopause (all considered normal). All other causes of amenorrhea are pathologic. Causes of Primary...
Liver / Gallbladder
Hepatopathy: any disease of the liver. Hepatotoxin: a toxin that destroys liver cells. Cholestasis: stoppage or suppression of bile flow, due to factors within (intrahepatic cholestasis) or outside the liver (extrahepatic cholestasis). Cirrhosis: a liver disease characterized pathologically by the loss of the normal microscopic lobular architecture and regenerative...
Low Back Pain
Pain felt either in the lumbar, lumbosacral, or sacroiliac areas. Most low back pain is from degenerative joint disease in the lumbosacral region, poor posture, the beer belly, constipation, and stress-induced myospasms of the lumbosacral region. Low back pain is commonly associated with sciatica. The prognosis depends on the cause. Generally, the condition is benign and the prognosis is...
Memory Loss / Cognitive Function Decline
Persons over 65 years old now comprise 12-15% of the U.S. population. Memory loss is one of the most common symptoms
Myofibrositis
Scar-type tissue causing restriction of tissue motion. Traumatic tearing of soft tissues or long standing muscle spasms cause production of thixotropic gel which organizes itself into collagen scar tissue. This is the body's attempt to stabilize what is perceived as injury. Three problems result from this scar formation:
Neurological Conditions
Neurological Conditions The Interplay of Neurotransmitters & Mental States The body is the theater for emotional and cognitive states. Whether mood or mental issues express themselves through behavior or physical functioning-neurotransmitters are one group of characters at play. Memory and cognitive processes are heavily dependent on acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter...
Skin Conditions
Acne Vulgaris An inflammatory disease most commonly seen in teenagers. It affects areas where sebaceous glands are largest, most numerous, and most active. Mild cases consisting of few residual signs except possibly dilated pores, and the development of the comedo, or blackhead, may progress through more pathological stages of ruptured sebaceous ducts, pustule formation,...