Physical Ailments

Menopause is a term for the end of a woman's menstrual cycle, and the end of her fertility because her estrogen and progesterone (hormones) levels become low. It is also a term that generates anxiety in many a woman as she nears 50. "What will it be like? Will I have much discomfort? Am I going to suddenly break into sweats and gain weight and become an old woman?" are questions she may ask about this phase in her life.

Pregnancy is a time of great joy and happiness. This is when couples everywhere celebrate the creation of new life. It is also when they start counting down the days to the birth. A healthy pregnancy typically takes about nine months from start to finish. During this time, there's a great deal that any given woman can do to maximize her chances of having a full term birth.

Cardiovascular disease, more commonly known as heart disease, affects over 62 million Americans at this very moment. Heart disease arises in an individual when a substance called plaque begins to build up inside that person's coronary arteries. These arteries are essential to life as they are what supplies your oxygen-laced blood to your heart muscles. The build up of this plaque happens over a span of years and is called atherosclerosis.

The very mention of the word “stroke” invokes fear in the hearts of everyone. Though many know that it is one of the most horrific medical conditions to deal with, few know the process that is occurring inside the body. A stroke transpires when an area of the brain is cut off from its necessary blood flow. The cessation of flow can be caused by two diverse types of stroke. They are hemorrhagic and ischemic. TIA, or mini-strokes, are another type that only has temporary effects.

COPD is an acronym for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease that affects more than five percent of the entire population of the United States. More than 120,000 Americans die of the disease every year. Those who suffer from COPD find it difficult to breathe because inflamed and thickened lungs prevent oxygen from getting into the body's tissues. Airflow decreases going into the body and coming out.

Most people who think of a migraine headache think of a pounding pain on one side of the head. This is true of a classic migraine and gives it its old name of hemiplegia. But this is only one type of migraine. A migraine is also different from other types of headaches in that the pain is only one of its symptoms. The classical migraine has five stages.