Tongue facts Your tongue can say a lot about your health. The tongue is made up of a mobile group of muscles that is attached to the floor of the mouth. The surface of the tongue is covered with small bumps called papillae. The majority of our taste buds are in these papillae. The tongue is used for tasting, swallowing,...
Vaping (e-Cigarette, Marijuana): Side Effects, Risks & Lung Conditions
What are e-cigarettes? What is “vaping”? Readers Comments 9 Share Your Story The long-term dangers of vaping remain unclear, but it has been implicated in some lung problems. E-cigarettes (e cigarettes, or vaping) are smokable, refillable or replaceable cartridges or containers that hold liquid that contains nicotine, solvents, and chemical flavors. When a person inhales ("vaping"), they are putting a...
Hair Loss: Treatment, Causes, Types, Home Remedies & Prevention
Hair loss facts What Are Causes of Hair Loss? Hair loss without scarring of the scalp is a very common condition and affects most people at some time in their lives. Medical professionals should distinguish hair loss from breakage of the hair shaft from hair loss due to decreased hair growth. Common balding (androgenetic alopecia) occurs in men and women...
What Is Arrhythmia? Irregular Heartbeat Symptoms, Treatment & Types
Introduction to Arrhythmia Arrhythmia is an abnormal heartbeat, which can be diagnosed by an EKG readout. An irregular heartbeat is an arrhythmia (also called dysrhythmia). Heart rates can also be irregular. A normal heart rate is 50 to 100 beats per minute. Arrhythmias and abnormal heart rates don’t necessarily occur together. Arrhythmias can occur with a normal heart rate, or...
Brain Hemorrhage Symptoms, Treatment, Causes & Survival Rates
What is a brain hemorrhage? A brain hemorrhage is a type of stroke. A brain hemorrhage is bleeding in or around the brain. It is a form of stroke. Causes of brain hemorrhage include high blood pressure (hypertension), abnormally weak or dilated (aneurysm) blood vessels that leak, drug abuse, and trauma. Many people who experience a brain hemorrhage have symptoms...
Bee & Wasp Sting: Treatment, Remedy & Relief for Swelling Reaction
Bee and wasp sting facts Picture of Bee, Wasp, Hornet, Yellow Jacket Stings Bees and wasp stings may produce local reactions or systemic (body-wide) allergic reactions. Localized pain, redness, and swelling are the most common reaction to a sting. Severe allergic reactions to stings are known as anaphylactic reactions and may be life-threatening. Treatment of a local reaction involves cleansing,...
Terconazole (Terazol): Uses, Side Effects & Dosage
What is terconazole? What is terconazole used for? Terconazole is an anti-fungal cream and suppository used for treating vaginal yeast infections (Candida). It is related to several other anti-fungal drugs including fluconazole (Diflucan), ketoconazole (Nizoral), itraconazole (Sporanox), miconazole (Micatin, Monistat), and clotrimazole (Lotrimin). It prevents growth of yeast by preventing production of the membranes that surround the yeast cells. The...
Tacrolimus (Prograf): Immunosuppressant Side Effects & Dosage
What is tacrolimus? What are the uses for tacrolimus? Tacrolimus, previously known as FK506, is a macrolide immunosuppressant produced by the bacteria Streptomyces tsukubaensis. Tacrolimus is used for the prevention of rejection of transplanted kidneys, liver, or heart. It can be combined with steroids, azathioprine (Imuran Azasan) or mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept). What brand names are available for tacrolimus? Prograf, Astagraf...
Mirabegron (Myrbetriq) for Bladder Problems: Side Effects & Dosage
What are the uses for mirabegron? Mirabegron is a prescription medicine used to treat overactive bladder with symptoms of urgency (a strong need to urinate that is difficult to control), frequency (urinating often), and leakage (accidental urination due to a sudden or uncontrollable urge) in adults. What brand names are available for mirabegron? Myrbetriq Is mirabegron available as a generic...
Pravastatin (Pravachol): Statins, Side Effects & Dosage
What is pravastatin, and how does it work (mechanism of action)? Pravastatin is an oral drug for lowering the cholesterol in the blood that contributes to the formation of plaques in the walls of arteries that obstruct the flow of blood, known as arteriosclerotic vascular disease. Obstruction of the flow of blood to the heart causes heart attacks. Obstruction of...