General Family Health

Who doesn't want to think more clearly and have improved brain function? We'd all like to increase our braincells. Find out how you can improve your brain power in 3 easy steps.

The number of people suffering from dementia is on the rise. The Alzheimer's Association reported that, as of July 2009, more than 5.3 million Americans were living with Alzheimer's disease or...

Someone close to you has fallen or somehow received a serious blow to the head. Despite the fact that your loved one may initially look fine, there may be serious consequences as a result of...

Brain fog can drastically interfere with your ability to concentrate and enjoy daily activities. There are many reasons why a person might experience brain fog, but some of the most common are...

Leptin is a protein hormone that has garnered a lot of attention for its association with appetite and the feeling of satiety generally referred to as feeling full. The amount of leptin, or its...

According to the Mayo Clinic, brain damage can cause cerebral palsy in a number of ways, but it is most often due to injury to the brain or infection of a baby's brain during early pregnancy...

According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol has damaging effects on the brain. Some of the most common effects include blurred vision, difficulty walking, slurred...

Adult responsibilities require focus on reports, forms, bills, conversations with bosses, etc. Sometimes it just seems difficult to direct our attention to the extent we need to. Focus can be...

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a condition in which the patient focuses on unreasonable fears, which create irrational patterns. If the patient tries to stop the behaviors, it may result in...

The human brain is an amazing organ far, more complex than any computer. It can process and sift through thousands of pieces of information that it's constantly receiving from your senses. Are...

Scientist and Anthropologist Lyall Watson once remarked, "If the brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn't." The brain continues to be researched by...

Sleep is one of the most complex actions we can do. It’s natural and necessary, but how much we need, when we need it, and how it affects our lives has been the subject of study for decades. ...

Balance is a state of equilibrium or neurological stability. High blood pressure (hypertension) can interfere with brain functioning and can cause a loss of balance and falling.

The eye interprets the light that reflects on objects and shines into it. The retina is the part of the eyes that is most affected by the light. The retina is buried behind the pupil and iris,...

Thousands of surgeries are performed every single day in America. It saves many lives and it is essential to our well-being. In comparison, there are some instances, in which, medical errors...

The brain is comprised of right and left hemispheres, each of which is responsible for different behaviors. The two hemispheres use the corpus callosum to communicate with one another.

The human body relies on a series of chemicals to carry out all of its essential functions. Neurotransmitters and hormones are the chemicals which control every system and process within the body....

Testosterone is a natural chemical of the brain. Like salt or water, you can't live without testosterone, but too much can damage your body and mind. Testosterone is often more predominate in males.

Growing children can develop less than they are able because their brain does not fully understand what their eye sees. Visual perception problems prevent normal functioning at home and good...

Brain function declines as the human body ages. Like a muscle, if you use your brain and exercise it, it will stay strong. If you do not use it, however, it will atrophy and begin to decay. You...

Technique is important when striving for extremely toned and strong abdominal muscles. Building a rapport between the brain and your core delivers rapid results. This is performed by the...

A Computerized Tomography scan, or CT scan, uses x-rays to form three-dimensional images of body parts and organs. CT scans can be as small as a detailed scan of the heart or as large as a more...

The human brain, part of the body's central nervous system, is a delicate structure that is protected by the cranium of the skull. The meninges--three layers of membranes--and cerebrospinal fluid...

Have you ever felt the soft tug of intuition when trying to complete a task or looked at an obstacle from outside the box? If you have, that means you have been using the right hemisphere of your...

The human brain is the center of activity in the human body. Without the brain, no functions would be possible. As such, the brain is responsible for a person's motor function in addition to a...

Roger Sperry, who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1981, discovered that the brain is divided into two sections--the left and the right--and each is responsible for very different functions.

The Nintendo DS System has a hit game called "Brain Age" that can supposedly calculate the age of your brain by engaging you in games that require logic and memory. Although this game is fun, it...

The human brain is divided down the center by a structure known as the corpus collosum. Current theories regarding the various functions of portions of the brain would suggest each side is...

Memory loss can affect people who are middle aged and older, a person with a brain injury or pregnant women. Your working memory, also known as your short-term memory, may be affected as well as...

Your brain requires nutrients and high protein to function. If your brain gets too much or too little of certain vitamin and minerals, it can damage the nerves in the brain. This can lead to...

Stroke is the No. 3 cause of death in the United States. It is most often a sudden episode that can cause disability and death if treatment and care isn't sought out immediately. Though scary to...

Serotonin is an essential neurotransmitter responsible for regulating many body and brain activities. Though people associate serotonin only with the brain due to its role as a neurotransmitter,...

Memory is a very important and powerful part of who we are. Our memory holds everything about us, what we've learned and everything we know. A good memory can help you be better in school and...

Stress is remarkable in its ability to cause or alter physical pain and diseases, and not for the better. Psychological stress can aggravate conditions such as migraine headaches, high blood...

Many diseases can affect normal brain function. Each part of the brain controls specific actions, and if a part of the brain is not functioning normally, the actions controlled by that part of the...

The temporal lobe is one of the four sections, or lobes, that make up the cerebral cortex of the brain. Located on the lower regions of both the left and right sides of the cortex, the temporal...

Dizziness is the sensation of feeling lightheaded, which can cause an inability to balance oneself and feeling disoriented. Bouts of dizziness can be caused by many different underlying factors;...

The brain is one of the body's most vital organs. It controls and regulates bodily functions and keeps the heart pumping. The brain uses nerves to communicate with the rest of the body. This...

More than 500,000 people suffer a head injury each year in the United States. The majority of these injuries are mild in nature and don’t require hospitalization. A head injury is trauma to the...

When you feel tired on the job, you may find yourself dozing off during an important meeting or zoning out at your desk as you stare mindlessly at the computer screen. And, while you might...

Science strongly suggests that fatigue can have a dramatic, negative impact on health. Although scientists don't yet completely understand this process, sleep deprivation seems to derail...

Contrary to popular belief, you can teach an old dog new tricks--or, perhaps more aptly, you can teach an old brain new tricks. Recent findings in neurology have shown that the brain is not just...

Cerebral vascular accident(CVA)is the medical term for a stroke. Timely treatment of stroke sym toms greatly affect the outcome of treatment. In order to treat in a timely manner it's first...

The brain is an amazing structure designed to multi-task on a continual basis. Along with regulating the body's many processes, it also coordinates the cognitive functions that distinguish humans...

Blood pressure is an important medical topic often found in discussions relating to heart disease, stroke, and general dietary concerns, such as a high salt diet. But beyond ones particular health...

The brain is the control center of the body. Made up of dense "grey matter" consisting of complicated networks of interconnected neurons, the brain can be superficially divided into three main...

Norepinephrine (NE) is the brain chemical associated with panic, fear and other heightened states of emotion with corresponding increase in blood pressure, heart rate and brain activity. Increase...

The brain is divided into two sides, known as hemispheres. The two sides are the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere. The left side is imperative for analytical skills, while the right is...

MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging. Using powerful magnetic fields and radio frequency pulses, a computer is able to generate detailed, noninvasive pictures of the organ being viewed. With...

Serotonin is a vital brain chemical for happiness, problem-solving, and concentration. Fluctuations in serotonin can lead to changes in mood, sleep, appetite, memory, learning, temperature, and...