Pink eye is an infection of the covering of the eyes (conjunctiva) caused mostly by viruses. However other things can make your eyes red. One of these conditions goes by the tongue twister chemical conjunctivitis. What happens here is that a chemical gets into the eyes and from there irritates [...]

The latest issue of Consumer Reports examines how safe and effective are supplements. And guess what? Supplements did not fair too well. Overall, the verdict was a no go: Not safe and not effective. The problem is that supplements are not regulated by the FDA. For some unknown reason, these [...]

Although it is nice to think of kids as just little adults, that is just not true. In fact, doctors are taught the differences so that these differences can be taken into account, when treating kids. Fractures in adults require splinting and at times surgeries. The bones have stopped growing [...]

Fever is simply not a great way of deciding whether a child is really sick or not. Children's bodies can respond to even minor infections with a high fever because their immune systems sense an invader and mount a vigorous response. On the other hand, a child who has say [...]

Just like we don't have to think about breathing, when we swallow almost all of the time it is automatic. However, swallowing is pretty complex and requires quite a few nerves, muscle and gut interaction to work right. If you think about it, food, water and sputum need to be [...]

Blood just doesn't hang around forever. In fact, the bone marrow is hard at work replacing all forms of blood cells. These include red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Each type of cell has a different life span, but all need constant replacement. What happens when the bone [...]

Not all concussions are created equal. Some occur with loss of consciousness; others without. Some lead to minor side effects and others to long term issues. In fact the NFL is now grappling with a condition called traumatic encephalopathy which occurs after repeated concussions or head trauma. This affects the [...]

Takosubo cardiomyopathy not only is a very exotic, difficult to spell syndrome, it is also quite unique. The best way to describe this condition is as a "broken heart" problem. This occurs more often in women than men and unlike true heart attacks seems to happen more during the day [...]

Just about everyone at some time or another has bumped an arm or leg which is then followed by swelling, discoloration and pain over the injured site. This is a bruise, which in med speak is called a contusion. What if a similar injury (ie bruise or contusion) were to [...]

You have a sore throat and then feel some bumps on your neck. Being neurotic (and believe me I know about neuroses), you immediately assume that you have developed some awful, terminal cancer. You rush to your doctor who, after your rapid fire description about your potential last days on [...]