What is degenerative disc disease? Degenerative disc disease is when the rubbery discs in the spine wear down. Degenerative disc disease is treated with lifestyle changes, medication, alternative therapies and surgery. Sometimes, age can cause bones and joints to wear down. This can happen to the rubbery discs in your spine. This is called degenerative...
Medical checkups and screening tests help keep you and your baby healthy during pregnancy. This is called prenatal care. It also involves education and counseling about how to handle different aspects of your pregnancy. During your visits, your doctor may discuss many issues, such as healthy eating and physical activity, screening tests you might need,...
What is cancer prevention? Readers Comments 1 Share Your Story Cancer prevention is action taken to lower the chance of getting cancer. By preventing cancer, the number of new cases of cancer in a group or population is lowered. Hopefully, this will lower the number of deaths caused by cancer. Cancer is not a single...
Ovarian cancer is a disease in which the abnormal cells in the ovary begin to grow and divide in an uncontrolled manner forming a mass of undifferentiated tumor cells. Ovarian cancer is a disease in which the abnormal cells in the ovary begin to grow and divide in an uncontrolled manner forming a mass of...
Introduction to endoscopy Readers Comments 1 Share Your Story The use of upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopes has revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, and colon (large intestine). The last remaining frontier in the intestines has been the small intestine. Wireless capsule endoscopy allows physicians to visualize the inside...
Scoliosis may worsen with age in some patients. Scoliosis may worsen with age in some patients. The curve may increase with or without increasing the pain. Many patients fear that the only treatment for getting relief from the pain will be a spine surgery. However, many patients do not need surgery. With the right workout...
What is bone marrow? The soft spongy tissue in the center of bones is the bone marrow. The bone marrow contains the different types of cells (stem cells) that give rise to the red cells, white blood cells, and platelets found in our blood. The marrow may also contain abnormal cells, proteins, or inflammatory reactions...
Introduction to Breast Cancer Recurrence Breast cancer can recur at any time, but most recurrences occur in the first three to five years after initial treatment. Breast cancer can come back as a local recurrence (in the treated breast or near the mastectomy scar) or as a distant recurrence somewhere else in the body. The...
Barrett’s esophagus facts Barrett's esophagus is a complication of chronic (long lasting) and usually severe gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD), but occurs in only a small percentage of patients with GERD. Criteria are needed for screening patients with GERD for Barrett's esophagus. Until validated criteria are available, it seems reasonable to do screening endoscopies in GERD...
Symptoms of blood clots in the legs (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT) are pain, redness, and swelling.Source: Universal Images Group / Getty Images Blood clot facts A blood clot is a gel-like mass formed by platelets and fibrin in the blood to stop bleeding. A blood clot forms to try to repair damage to a...