Popular Articles on Diarrhea
One day I began noticing oddly shaped and colored bowel movements that were loose enough to be considered mild diarrhea. I thought this was related to my period, which was due in several days. Very [...]
Dent in Thigh: One of the Most Feared Symptoms
Let’s get to the bottom of whether or not a dent in your quadriceps muscle means you might have ALS. The “quad dent” evokes fear in tens of thousands of people. Are you one of [...]
Why Zumba Classes Should Not Be So Crazy Loud
You will damage your hearing if you keep attending Zumba classes unless you wear significant ear protection. Has it ever occurred to you, the Zumba enthusiast (either as a participant or instructor), that the volume [...]
Does Popeye’s Elbow Always Hurt?
As funny and goofy as Popeye's elbow looks, one has to wonder if this bizarre condition always comes with pain. Though Popeye’s elbow (olecranon bursitis) is associated with pain, it can also be painless — [...]
If You’re Dizzy Should You Get a CT Scan in the ER?
When is dizziness serious enough to warrant a head CT scan, being that this procedure emits radiation to the brain? Many people go to the ER for feeling dizzy. The sudden onset of what the [...]
Suicide Attempt by Bullied Teen: Shall We Blame the Parents?
Is it possible that a bullied teen could feel helpless enough to try suicide because their parents have shamed them for their troubles? Maybe the parents have always been critical, and that certainly would not [...]
Acid Reflux in Nose (LPR): Cause, Solutions, Long-Term Effects
An ENT doctor explains all about acid reflux burning in the nose as part of LPR, plus cause, how to prevent and long-term effects if it keeps happening. Acid reflux can shoot up into the [...]
Child Says Fidgeting Burns Calories Years Before Research
A teacher blew off a 13-year-old’s proposition that fidgeting burns calories, which, many years later, was proven by research to be true. When I was 13, I was a freshman at a Catholic high school. [...]
Why a Bullied Child’s Suicide May Be Rational vs. Mental Illness
Perhaps the bullied teen or adolescent who dies by suicide was thinking rationally rather than suffering from clinical depression or mental illness. When yet another story breaks of a child who dies by suicide as [...]
Child Bullying Younger Sibling: How Mom Should NEVER Respond
Find out what parents should never do in response to a child bullying a younger sibling; the way the parents respond in an attempt to “fix” the problem can make the situation far worse. This [...]
Why Isn’t Corus CAD Test Done on All ER Chest Pain Patients?
Since the Corus CAD blood test can determine if chest pain is being caused by clogged arteries, why aren’t all patients with chest pain in the emergency room given this test? Wouldn’t that more efficiently [...]
Chest Pain: Blood Test Can Tell if It’s Clogged Arteries
This blood test uses age, sex and gene expression measurements to safely & quickly determine whose chest pain is the result of obstructive coronary artery disease (clogged arteries). Certain patients are candidates for this blood [...]
PVCs: Frequency Per Minute, Hour, Day, Dangers
This is all about premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) as far as frequency and what REALLY matters as far as if they mean harm. At my mother’s pacemaker evaluation, it was determined that over the preceding [...]
Premature Ventricular Contractions after Pregnancy, During Exercise
Did you recently have a baby, have resumed your exercise routine, but are now experiencing frightening PVCs? A PVC is a premature ventricular contraction that makes it feel as though your heart is either skipping [...]
PVCs After Exercise: How Soon After Do They Count?
A cardiologist explains PVCs (premature ventricular contractions) that occur after exercise: how soon after do these matter; is there a cut-off point? If someone has PVCs in the minute after stopping the exercise but not [...]
How Often Do Heart Attacks Come After PVCs?
Do your premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) keep making you think that they mean a heart attack is coming? There are some people for whom, no matter how many premature ventricular contractions they experience, and no [...]
Can Insomnia Increase PVCs (Premature Ventricular Contractions)?
Are you losing sleep over the worry that insomnia can increase the frequency of premature ventricular contractions (PVCs)? There can be a connection between premature ventricular contractions and insomnia because lack of sleep can cause [...]
Zero Calcium Score & Normal Heart Structure but with PVCs?
What does it mean when you have premature ventricular contractions (PVC's) but also a zero calcium score and normal heart structure? Can the presence of the PVC's still be indicative of something bad? I asked [...]
Caffeine Causing PVCs: Why, & How Long It Takes
Find out why caffeine causes premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) and how long after eating or drinking this substance it takes to make your heart "skip" beats. How long after eating (or drinking a caffeinated beverage) [...]
What Gives Hair Its Natural Smell?
Here’s the explanation for why hair has a NATURAL scent or fragrance, rather than what causes a BAD smell. This isn’t a “Why does my hair smell bad?” article. It’s a “What gives hair its [...]
Soy Intolerance vs. Allergy, and IBS
There IS a difference between an soy intolerance and an actual allergy to this food, including how it relates to irritable bowel syndrome. “It is important to differentiate soy allergy from soy intolerance,” explains Dr. [...]
Does an IBS Attack Happen Suddenly or Slowly?
Here is information about the onset of an attack of irritable bowel syndrome. “The onset of IBS symptoms is usually slow and ongoing for a prolonged period of time,” says Dr. Saad Habba, MD, an [...]
Strength Training for Prader-Willi Syndrome
Here’s why people with Prader-Willi syndrome should train with weights (strength training). One of the classic features of the genetic condition of Prader-Willi syndrome is that of very poor muscle tone—the result of low muscle [...]
Colon Cancer Diarrhea vs. IBS Diarrhea: Is There a Difference?
A gastroenterologist discusses differences between colon cancer diarrhea and the diarrhea caused by IBS. Do they look the same? How are they different? You may have read that “constipation alternating with diarrhea” is a possible [...]
Are Big Tall Kids Rarely the Victims of Bullies?
It’s a myth that kids who are big or husky hardly ever get bullied. Ever notice that in TV shows and movies, a boy who’s a bully is almost always bigger than his classmates? He’s [...]
Can IBS Cause Bloody Mucus?
Is it at all possible for irritable bowel syndrome to cause any bleeding, or blood to appear in the mucus that comes out when you have a bowel movement? “Mucus is the product of shedding [...]
How Common Are Red Moles?
Here is information about red melanomas vs. benign red moles in terms of physical appearance. “Benign moles can appear reddish in part due to sunburn or irritation,” says Dr. Michael Shapiro, MD, Medical Director and [...]
How Common Are Grey Moles?
You may have read that moles can be grey in color, but how normal or common is this? “The most common moles usually have an even pink, tan or brown color,” says Dr. Michael Shapiro, [...]
Can Sun Spots Become Melanoma?
Sun spots mean there's been damage to the skin. Whether or not these might one day transform into melanoma is a fair question. “While sun spots do not automatically mean skin cancer, people with sun [...]
Can a Melanoma on the Face Look Like a Typical Pimple?
“Sometimes, nodular melanoma can resemble a pimple you might find on your face,” says Michael Shapiro, MD, Medical Director and Founder of Vanguard Dermatology in NYC, NY. “Nodular melanoma spots, unlike pimples, will be [...]
Age Spots vs. Melanoma: Appearance Comparison
Age spot Can a melanoma look like an age spot and vice versa? As people get older, their risk of melanoma rises, but they also start developing age spots. Age spots commonly appear [...]
Are You Fit Because You Do Housework?
If you suddenly decide that housework counts as true exercise, does this then magically make it so? One of the biggest gimmicks over the past decade or so is this idea that housework gets included [...]
Pills Stuck in Esophagus vs. Perception of Being Stuck
Is there a way to tell if a pill is actually stuck in your esophagus vs. it just feels that way? Not necessarily. Pill Stuck Feeling in Esophagus “This is a something that is not [...]
Can GERD Cause ONLY Excess Saliva?
If your only symptom is excess saliva, can this be caused by GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)? Excess saliva can be quite a scary symptom if you know that it's a symptom of Bulbar-onset ALS. But [...]
Why Can GERD Cause the Esophagus to Narrow?
A narrowed esophagus can be caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This narrowing may be the reason why you've been burping a lot lately or experiencing an unpleasant taste in your mouth. “Long-term acid exposure [...]
How Does GERD Cause a Trapped Food Feeling in Throat?
Acid reflux or GERD can cause the sensation of food being trapped in the throat. GERD stands for gastroesophageal reflux disease. “Acid reflux, or GERD, is a condition where an abnormal amount of acid is [...]
Constant Burping After Eating: Causes, Solutions
Do you find that after eating, you burp or belch a lot and it’s so embarrassing and frustrating? Many people assume that burping during or after eating is a sign of poor table manners. And [...]
Can Nutritional Supplement Pills Irritate the Esophagus?
You’ve probably read about medications and irritation of the esophagus, but what about nutritional supplement pills, tablets and capsules? Can these nutritional supplements, too, irritate the “food pipe”? “Certain supplements such as iron, vitamin C and [...]
Can GERD Cause Sharp Pain just Below the Sternum?
A sharp pain below the sternum is likely to have a cause other than GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). This includes costochondritis (inflammation of the cartilage at the sternum and rib junction), a skeletal muscle spasm [...]
Can GERD Cause Blood in Your Saliva?
If your only symptom is excess saliva, can this be caused by GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)? Excess saliva can be caused by a number of conditions, but can this symptom be the only presentation of [...]
