There are about 600 lymph nodes in your body, and most of them are located in your neck. A lymph node is part of your body’s defense system. A body fluid that comes out of your blood, called lymph, runs through your lymph nodes. The job of the lymph node … Read More
Epstein Barr virus is a virus that infects almost everybody by the time they are adults. Most people never have symptoms or only have mild cold-like symptoms. Some children or young adults have a more severe infection called mononucleosis. Once infected, everybody has EBV living in their white blood cells. … Read More
As medical experts learn more about inflammation and how it affects our overall health, its link to a broad array of diseases and medical conditions has also been discovered. Its effect on almost all parts of the body—heart, lungs, bones, joints, skin, brain, and more—means that doctors often recommend a … Read More
Medical dictionaries describe lockjaw as a tightness or spasm of the jaw muscles due to a bacterial infection from Clostridium tetani, commonly called tetanus. [1] Tetanus has become very rare in the United States with only about 30 reported cases per year. Almost everyone who gets tetanus today has not … Read More
Finding a lump is frightening—no matter where it is. Swollen lymph nodes are your body’s way of telling you that something’s wrong. Usually, they’re alerting you to a mild infection or illness. Once your immune system has fought the pesky invader, your lymph nodes will shrink back to their normal … Read More
Surprisingly, there is no universally agreed upon definition of fatigue. It has been described as “an overwhelming sustained sense of exhaustion” or “an overwhelming subjective sense of tiredness and lack of energy.” Fatigue’s nonspecific nature is part of what makes it so difficult to define and treat. Feeling tired much … Read More
People around the world spread this metal on their underarms; cook and store their food in it; receive vaccines containing it; and treat their heartburn, color their lips, and protect their skin from sunburn with it. Aluminum, the most widely distributed metal in the environment, is extensively used in modern … Read More
If you’re starting to experience cold extremities more frequently these days, you may want to share those cold hands and feet symptoms with your doctor at your next visit. Chances are there is nothing seriously wrong with your health to trigger chilly fingers and toes. But because circulation problems may … Read More
Once your medical history, physical examination, and diagnostic tests have been evaluated, your medical provider may diagnose you with one of the following types of arthritis. It also is possible that you may be diagnosed with a multisystem disorder. Degenerative Arthritis OA is the main cause of degenerative arthritis. It … Read More
When you consider blood pressure, it’s important to keep in mind that not all hypertension is the same. Medical experts recognize several types of high blood pressure, each with different etiologies. Essential Hypertension Accounting for about 90 percent of all high blood pressure, essential, or primary, hypertension has no single … Read More
