General Family Health

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a radiological study that obtains images with magnets and radio waves. Unlike X-rays and CT scans, MRI uses no radiation. There are three types of MRI...

Women looking to eliminate unsightly lines above their upper lip can now use a new process called Fractional Laser Skin Resurfacing. This uses a laser to precisely vaporize away layers of the skin...

Potassium is an essential part of your blood's chemistry. Potassium aids in your body's metabolism and regulates muscle tissue. Routine blood word checks a patient's potassium levels as well as...

Tylenol and Motrin can be very effective at reducing fever in infants, children and adults, but taking the two simultaneously is not advised. To achieve best results, the medications may be...

The spleen is an organ located on the left side of the body, just under the ribcage and behind the stomach. The spleen serves a role in the body's immune system by producing white blood cells,...

Noninvasive medical procedures are tests and treatments that do not involve any kind of medical devices that will penetrate a patient's skin. Noninvasive treatments will not use needles or knives;...

Heparin is a medication used for the treatment of various cardiac conditions, including atrial fibrillation and acute coronary syndrome. If Heparin overdose has occurred, it may be necessary to...

The goal of a lumbar fusion is to fuse the vertebrae together to prevent pain, numbness, tingling, and to stop abnormal movement in the spine. Proper post-operative treatment for the patient who...

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 hospital can be a terrifying place. The saving grace, however, is knowing that the doctors, nurses and technicians have the skill set and tools to provide the best possible care. The prospect...

While many medical professionals will try to treat the patient on the spot if they can, sometimes the patient is not in a safe place to start, or he must be taken to a piece of equipment that...

Ascites refers to an accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. This fluid is the result of such debilitating diseases as liver cancer, alcoholism and hepatitis (liver infection). Some...

Transferring a patient or loved one from his bed to a wheelchair can be a painful task for any caregiver. This is especially true if the patient is unable to assist in the transfer process due to...

False blood pressure readings are problematic because they can be upsetting to the patient and may lead to diagnostic errors and overtreatment. False readings are not uncommon and may occur for a...

Health care providers have both legal and ethical obligations in providing patient care. In addition to appropriate medical services, the provider is responsible for facilitating health for the...

Not everyone chooses to go with traditional treatments when fighting colon cancer. Some people choose to do a combination of both traditional and alternative treatment plants. Whatever option the...

Countless magazine and website articles are devoted to teaching people how to make the most of their doctor's visit. The doctor is rushed, distracted, overworked and unfocused. Patients must be...

According to the Mayo Clinic, dementia is a term describing symptoms that affect a person's mental and social abilities. These symptoms may include loss of memory, impaired speech and judgment...

Nursing theories offer an organized and systemic way to express statements related to questions in nursing, providing nurses with the opportunity to describe, predict, explain and control...

The Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) states, "Alzheimer's disease is often called a family disease, because the chronic stress of watching a loved one slowly decline affects everyone." The...

Adult foster care typically deals with elderly patients or adult patients with developmental disabilities. Finding the right care provider that fits your needs can be a difficult, but rewarding...

Helping someone out of bed or into a chair may sound like one of the most mundane tasks in the world. This is far from the truth as the unsafe movement of another individual can easily result in...

Knowing what to say or do during someone's illness can be perplexing. When dealing with a cancer patient you may wonder how you can help in practical ways and provide much needed emotional...

You will be able to properly take care of a nosebleed for a child or adult.

CAT scans are a common medical tool physicians use to diagnose and determine proper treatment for a variety of health problems. The test is relatively safe for patients and can detect illnesses...

A muscle relaxant is an agent that reduces the tension in voluntary muscles by acting in the central nervous system. In the spinal cord, it suppresses the active reflexes involved in the...

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, an alcoholism detox program should be monitored by medical professionals and achieve three main goals: help alcoholics safely withdraw from...

Have you ever known anyone who had a stroke? What did they say happened? Did they remember their symptoms and what transpired afterwards? What did they do when they realized something was...

This article will tell you the steps to take to receive free medical prescription help.

Food, plants and household cleaning products are just a few of the things that can cause hives, also called urticaria, in some people. Usually, hives look like large, roughly circular, raised...

Everyone has seen blood pressure numbers - 120/80; 130/60. But what do they mean, and more importantly, how are they found?

Motivational interviewing in health-care-provider settings and other corporate environments is used to improve management results by inspiring and encouraging the interviewee to recognize his own...

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...

A colonoscopy procedure involves the insertion of a flexible tube with a fiber optic camera through the patient's anus to examine the colon and bowel parts. While because of sedation, the patient...

Home-care nurses are frequently assigned to care for elderly patients with chronic illnesses such as heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and cancer. They also care for children with severe...

About 1 to 2 days before a colonoscopy, a patient is required to go on an all-liquid, fiber-free diet. This is to make sure that the large intestine is clear in order to get reliable results. The...

Acute care is the term often given to emergency rooms, ambulatory patient clinics and other hospitals. The goal of an acute care facility is to tend to the needs of the patient and stabilize him...

Bone marrow transplants, sometimes called stem cell transplants, can have trully remarkable results for patients with many different kinds of cancer. Non Hodgkins lymphoma, malignant myeloma,...

Home health is a very important service for many elderly, sick and disabled people who need medical care in their homes. A physician will initially request that a home health agency go out and do...

The Ambu (Air-Shields Manual Breathing Unit) Bag is a special type of Bag Valve Mask (or BVM) that is used to help a child or an adult who is either not breathing or having a hard time breathing...

According to the Alzheimer's Association, someone develops Alzheimer's Disease every 70 seconds, and it is the seventh-leading cause of death. Families who have members with Alzheimer's have...

Lactic acidosis is the overproduction of lactate within the body resulting from inadequate oxygen supply. Often, lactic acidosis is caused by intense exercise, certain drugs, or certain systemic...

Bedpans are used for patients who are paralyzed or recovering from surgery, or for anyone who has problems with mobility. A patient may feel embarrassed if she has to use the bedpan, because...

A colonoscopy is a routine medical examination where the colon, or large intestine, is inspected for abnormalities with a small camera. The primary purpose of a colonoscopy is to detect possible...

A colonoscopy should not be painful if done by a qualified practitioner. A doctor who specializes in colon examinations should not produce any pain for the patient. Just the thought of having the...

Proper digestion and expulsion of waste is critical to good health. Unfortunately, due to genetics, diet, trauma or disease, not everyone can digest properly or avoid problems with the colon....

Both Glyburide and Metformin are drugs to help treat diabetes. Both drugs are used for Diabetes Mellitus Type 2, which is the type that comes on in adulthood. Glyburide actually works by helping...

Cirrhosis, irreversible scarring of the liver, commonly caused by the excess consumption of alcohol over many years, reduces the liver's ability to process nutrients, proteins and waste products...

Science has come a long way when it comes to the development of medicines that address different kinds of ailments and yet, when it comes to ascertaining the effects of a certain kind of drug,...

Therapeutic communication begins with the nurse showing respect for the patient and family members and recognizing that communication includes not only verbal responses but also nonverbal...