According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS) is a rare but serious condition caused by reactivation of the herpes virus varicella-zoster, the same virus that causes chickenpox and shingles. When this virus gets into your body it can remain dormant in nerve 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
Influenza—better known as the flu, is a nasty viral infection that strikes millions every year, both in the winter and spring. If you have full-blown flu, you will likely feel very unwell and may be confined to bed for a day or three. And you may be looking—like all of … 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
Naturopathic and integrative physicians are increasingly using high-dose intravenous (IV) vitamin C to treat a number of medical conditions, such as chronic fatigue. In a recent study published in Medical Science Monitor, vitamin C IV therapy was shown to benefit patients with high levels of antibodies to the Epstein-Barr virus, … Read More
Are you caught in a vicious cycle of stress, fatigue, and infections? Most of the time we think of extreme fatigue as being the result of an infection; hence the term “post-viral fatigue.” And we can easily see how post-viral fatigue syndrome can result from chronic stress. Fatigue Can Cause … Read More
Welcome to the new season of America’s Got Viruses. From a common cold to Zika, viruses from all over the globe are competing to infect the highest number of host cells. While some viruses are mild, gifting us with symptoms like a runny nose and sore throat (we feel you, … Read More
Have you ever had a bad chest cold and then, for weeks after, spent much of your day coughing and hacking? After a week or so, you may have wondered, "How long does a cough last?"—and whether something was really wrong. In the meantime, the cough disturbs your sleep and … Read More
You probably first heard of mononucleosis, or “mono” for short, while you were still in high school. You may have never had it yourself, but perhaps you envied (just a little bit) your friends who got it, if only because they got to spend a few weeks at home while … Read More
If your physician prescribes antibiotics, question it. And do some research on your own before taking them. Some doctors are a little too quick with the prescription pad, and some patients (myself included) a little too trusting. The truth is we’ve been over-prescribing antibiotics in this country for quite some … Read More
