Abdominal hernias are caused by an internal organ pushing through the muscular wall of the abdomen. If the hernia is near your belly button, it is called an umbilical hernia. If the hernia is in your groin area – also called the inguinal area – the hernia is called an … Read More
Prostatectomy is the surgical removal of your prostate gland. During an open prostatectomy procedure, your surgeon makes a long incision in your lower belly, stands by your side, and removes your prostate through the incision. During a robotic prostatectomy, your surgeon sits at a computer console and controls tiny surgical … 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
As a naturopathic physician, I use a variety of tools and strategies to help my patients. One of them—homeopathy—is widely misunderstood. Some people mistake homeopathy as just another word for natural medicine. Rather, it’s a specific technique that uses very small doses of highly diluted substances to stimulate the body’s … Read More
Recovery from surgery can be a long process. Pain, discomfort, fatigue, and anxiety can last a long time and require a lot of patience. But if you want to know how to heal faster after surgery, one tip is as simple and easy as it gets: listen to music. Listening … Read More
Kidney stones can be an incredibly painful condition that can strike without warning. If you have only a small stone, you may have no symptoms at all, but if it is large enough to block the tubes inside the kidney, you may experience intense pains that come and go and … Read More
Ever been stopped short by a stabbing pain in your jaw? Have you struggled to eat a crunchy piece of bread, or corn on the cob? You could be suffering from a disorder of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). According to The TMJ Association, Ltd., 35 million Americans (roughly 12 percent … Read More
Chronic pain—a condition that exists when pain lasts three months or more—affects 25 to 30 percent of Americans. It is more common in older adults, men, and Caucasians. It is not life-threatening, but if not treated it can lead to permanent nerve damage. Different Than Acute Pain Acute pain might … Read More
Triptans are effective for the treatment of migraine headaches, according to one of the most comprehensive review of studies ever published. The findings, based on the results of 133 trials between 1991 and 2012, were reported in a 2015 edition of the journal Headache, the official publication of the American … Read More
Medications can be effective for treating pain, but they're not the only method. In fact, some people shouldn’t use painkillers at all. Others simply don’t need them because there are other ways to treat pain. Options for relieving pain without taking medications begin with conservative approaches such as losing weight, … Read More
