The main blood vessel in your body is the aorta.
It carries blood from your heart to the rest of your body.
It is a long blood vessel that reaches from your chest into your abdomen or belly.
The part of the aorta in your abdomen is called the “abdominal aorta”. An aneurysm is a weak area in a blood vessel.
If a blood vessel weakens, it starts to swell like a balloon.
If the aneurysm grows too large, your aorta may burst.
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Allergic rhinitis is a reaction of the lining of the nose to particles in the air. Allergic rhinitis occurs when the nose and usually also the ears, eyes, sinuses, and throat come into contact with allergy-causing substances. The allergy-causing substances are called allergens. The most common allergens are pollens, molds, dust, and animal dander. Some allergens are present only during certain seasons, for example, ragweed in the fall or pollens in the spring. Click here to read more...
ALERT: Medicare Part D - Time Is Running Out to Enroll
By Roland Larrabee, M.D.
In January of 2006 a new benefit was added to the Medicare Program. This benefit known as Part D adds medications to the Medicare basic package. The goal of Part D is to enable Medicare participants to obtain their medicines at a reduced cost. The program is provided through insurance companies designated by Medicare. However, the deadline to enroll without penalty is May 15, 2006. Click here to read more...
Amenorrhea (pronouncedy: un-men-or-EE-uh) is when you don’t have periods. You can have primary or secondary amenorrhea. Primary amenorrhea is when you haven’t had a period by 14 to 16 years of age. Secondary amenorrhea is when you have had normal periods but then you don’t have one for three or more months in a row.
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Behavior Problems in a Family Member with Dementia: What Should You Know?
By Alan Peterson, MD
People with dementia can have changes in their personality and the way they act. They might be confused about what is real, and they might see things that are not there. If someone you know has these problems, it does not mean he or she is mentally ill. Dementia is a medical problem.
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I hear this question frequently from parents of infants and young children (age less than 6 years). Thus, it would appear to me that guidelines are not readily available for parents to answer the question of whether these products are safe to use in this age group. I hope the following will be of some help during the summer months.
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Kidneys clean the blood by removing waste and extra fluid. The waste then passes out of the body in the urine. Kidneys also help control blood pressure, keep bones strong and help make red blood cells. Chronic kidney disease happens when there is damage to the kidneys over time. Because of this damage, the kidneys cannot clean blood as well.
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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (or COPD, for short) is a lung disease that causes you to have less air when you breathe. There are two main illnesses in COPD: chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
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Constipation is when you have fewer bowel movements than usual. You may also have hard, dry stools. If you don’t have a bowel movement every day, this does not necessarily mean that you are constipated. Click here to read more...
By Alan S. Peterson, M.D.
A crisis is when you feel like you can’t cope with something. You might feel that an event is out of your control or that it is dangerous for your physical or emotional health.Any event can cause a crisis.Some examples are life changes (like having a baby or retiring) or things that upset you (like a car crash, an assault, or being in a hurricane or earthquake).
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By Roland Larrabee, M.D.
Depression is when you feel sad, hopeless, and uninterested in daily life. You may have other symptoms as well. Depression can be mild to severe. It can last for a short time or a long time. We all have times when we feel sad and "blue." However, when you feel this way for more than 2 weeks in a row, it is called clinical depression. Clinical depression is a medical problem.
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The hemoglobin A1c ("A-one-C") test is a blood test used in the care of people who have diabetes. The hemoglobin A1c percentage is a way of looking at your average blood sugar control over a period of 3 months. Sugar absorbed from your digestive system circulates in the bloodstream. When the blood sugar is high, the sugar attaches to the hemoglobin protein in red blood cells, forming hemoglobin A1c.
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Dementia is a problem that makes it hard for a person to remember things. Dementia in older people usually is caused by Alzheimer’s disease. People with Alzheimer’s disease slowly lose their memory, and over time they stop being able to take care of themselves.
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Edema is swelling or puffiness of parts of the body. Edema usually happens in the feet, ankles, and legs. It can also affect the face and hands. Pregnant women and elderly people often get edema, but it can happen to anyone.
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By Alan S. Peterson, M.D.
Summertime is the main grilling time for Americans, but I do have patients that grill all year round. This is some very useful information I gathered this from the American Institute for Cancer Research newsletter.
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By Alan Peterson, M.D.
Several things can make traveling by plane more comfortable. The air in airplanes is dry. You should drink plenty of nonalcoholic drinks so you won’t get dehydrated. Sitting still for many hours on long flights can cause blood clots in your legs.
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Heartbeats that are fast or irregular are called palpitations.
Your heart is like a pump.
Each time it beats, it pumps blood through your body.
When you exercise, it is normal to hear or feel your heart “pounding” as it beats faster.
But if you have palpitations, you might feel your heart beating fast while you are sitting still or moving slowly.
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Heat Injury Prevention
By Roland J. Larrabee, M.D.
Summer heat waves cause thousands of cases of heat-related illness in the U.S. each year and hundreds of heat-related deaths, especially among the elderly. Chronically ill, elderly, poor and socially isolated persons without air conditioning are particularly susceptible to heat injury. Those with a previous history of heat-related illness are also at more risk.
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High blood pressure or hypertension is when the pressure in your arteries is higher than it should be. If you have high blood pressure, you are more at risk of having a heart attack or stroke. You are also more at risk of getting kidney disease and even of eventually dying from the complications of high blood pressure.
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A medicine interaction is when a medicine or food changes how another medicine works. Eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice can cause some medicines to enter your body faster.
This makes it more likely that you will have side effects from the medicine.
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Menopause is the time in a woman's life when menstruation stops permanently. Menopause is usually a gradual process, but it can occur suddenly in some cases. The ovaries begin to produce less estrogen hormone. The reduced amount of hormone causes menstrual periods to become irregular. Eventually they stop completely.
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Microscopic Hematuria is a small amount of red blood cells in your urine that can only be seen under the microscope. The amount of blood is so small that it does not change the color of your urine and the only way that it can be known is to be found in a urinalysis by your doctor.
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Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is a build up of fat in the liver. NAFLD can be harmless, but it may cause the liver to swell and cause other liver problems. It is a common condition that has many causes, including some drugs and genetic disorders. The most common causes of NAFLD are obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol levels.
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Over-The-Counter Cough Medicines
By Roland Larrabee, M.D.
Choosing a cough medicine can be confusing. Do you need to get relief from the cough? Or do you need something to help you loosen the mucus? Or both? Some coughs are dry and hacking. Some coughs are deeper, even painful sometimes, and the cough brings up mucus or phlegm. Health care providers call this a productive cough because it produces mucus.
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Poison ivy, oak, and sumac belong to a family of plants that produce one of the most common allergic reactions in the United States. Experts estimate that up to 70% of the population is allergic to urushiol, the oil found in the sap of these plants. The reaction, known as allergic contact dermatitis or Rhus dermatitis, occurs when urushiol attaches itself to the skin.
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If you take trips by plane, you have probably seen in-flight videos about the importance of occasionally leaving your seat. Avoiding prolonged sitting while traveling by airplane, bus, train, or automobile can help prevent an uncommon but potentially dangerous condition called Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT).
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The prostate gland is part of the reproductive system of men. It is the size and shape of a walnut. The prostate gland is located below the urinary bladder and in front of the rectum. The prostate surrounds the upper part of the urethra. (The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside.)
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Rickets is a bone problem that affects children. It happens when your child’s bones do not form correctly. Rickets can make your children’s bones hurt, and the bones can bend and break easily. Children can inherit rickets from a parent. Sometimes it relates to what your child eats. This is called nutritional rickets.
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Shingles is a skin infection caused by the chicken pox virus. You can only get it if you have had chicken pox or have had the chicken pox shot. The chicken pox virus stays in your body and can cause shingles later. Shingles is most common in older people.
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Plastics are widely used to store and package foods and beverages. Uses include disposable and reusable containers, plastic wraps, cutlery, water bottles and baby bottles. Plastic is convenient, lightweight, unbreakable and relatively inexpensive. However, there are both environmental and health risks from the widespread use of plastics.
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By Alan S. Peterson, M.D.
Spina Bifida is the most common permanently disabling birth defect in the United States. An average of eight babies every day are born with spina bifida or similar defects of the brain and spine.Spina Bifida occurs when the spine of the baby fails to close. This creates an opening of the spinal column.It happens early in pregnancy before most women even know that they are pregnant.
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A tension headache is a dull-aching feeling on both sides of your head. Some people with a tension headache also have a tight feeling in their head and neck muscles. Tension headaches start slowly, usually in the middle of the day. Another name for this type of head is called “stress headache.” Tension headaches may be mild or very bad. Sometimes they hurt more than migraine headaches.
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By Alan S. Peterson, M.D.
This article takes a look why it is important to get vaccinated for several viruses, included HPV (Human Papilloma Virus), influenza, pneumonia, mumps, chickenpox and pertussis.
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Vertigo is the feeling that you are moving when you are staying still. You might feel like you are spinning around, or that everything else is spinning around you.
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With late spring and summer now fast approaching, mosquito season will also soon be upon us. West Nile virus is most often spread by mosquitoes. West Nile virus is a virus that can infect humans, birds, horses and mosquitoes. Infection from this virus is most commonly found in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. But the virus has spread to the United States.
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Worry is a normal response when you are unsure about things. It may help you feel more prepared in the short run. It may even help you feel some control over what could happen. Worry may “work” at the time, but it can become a bad habit. But when worry becomes a habit that you can’t control, it can make life miserable. Worries can get in the way of your daily life and disturb your sleep.
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Whooping cough can make you cough for several minutes at a time.
After you cough, if you are a child, there may be a “whooping” sound when you breathe in.
You might vomit or stop breathing for a few seconds after coughing.
Infants who develop whooping cough can, as a complication, have severe respiratory problems and even die as a result.
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