Posted on April 5th, 2008
A Baker’s cyst is a condition in which you experience a bulge and a feeling of tightness behind your knee. The pain gets worse when you fully extend your knee or when you’re active.
A Baker’s cyst, also called a popliteal cyst, is usually the result of a problem with your knee joint, such as arthritis or a cartilage tear. Both conditions can cause your knee to produce too much fluid, which can lead to a Baker’s cyst. Up to one in five people with other knee problems may develop a Baker’s cyst.
Although a Baker’s cyst may cause swelling and make you uncomfortable, treating the probable underlying problem usually provides relief.
Posted on April 5th, 2008
Pityriasis rosea is a common skin condition in children and young adults. It usually begins as one large spot on your chest, abdomen or back and then spreads. The rash of pityriasis rosea often sweeps out from the middle of your body, and its shape resembles drooping pine-tree branches.
Although pityriasis rosea has a distinctive appearance once the rash appears, in its early stages you may confuse pityriasis rosea with other skin disorders.
Pityriasis rosea is most common in the spring and fall. It usually goes away on its own within six to eight weeks. Although pityriasis rosea may make you feel uncomfortable, there are steps you can take to relieve discomfort.
Pityriasis rosea symptoms
Pityriasis rosea symptoms include: Read the rest »
Posted on April 5th, 2008
Pseudogout is a form of arthritis characterized by sudden, painful swelling in one or more of your joints. These episodes can last for days or weeks. Pseudogout typically occurs in older adults and most commonly affects your knee.
Pseudogout is named for its similarity to gout. Like gout, pseudogout causes sudden, severe pain in a joint, triggered by crystals in the joint lining. But unlike gout, which usually affects your big toe joint, pseudogout usually affects the large joints of your extremities. And pseudogout is caused by a different type of crystal.
It isn’t clear why crystals form in your joints and cause pseudogout. Although you can’t get rid of the crystals, there are treatments to help you relieve the pain and reduce the inflammation of pseudogout.
Symptoms
Pseudogout most commonly affects your knees. Other joints that may be involved include your ankles, hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders.
If you have pseudogout, you might experience: Read the rest »
Posted on April 3rd, 2008
Infertility can be a difficult problem to treat, and modern interventions — while sometimes effective — can be expensive. So, it’s not surprising that some people look to herbs and supplements as a possible alternative treatment to this vexing problem. Unfortunately, the research on so-called fertility herbs and supplements is scant.
For male infertility, one study showed increased sperm motility in men who took a combination of acetyl-L-carnitine and L-carnitine. This resulted in a slight increase in pregnancies among study participants. Another study showed that men with low sperm counts who took vitamin E had a higher rate of fertilization than did those taking a placebo. However, other studies found no improvement in male fertility when vitamin E was combined with vitamin C or selenium. A few studies have suggested that coenzyme Q10 and folic acid may improve sperm counts or motility. But more research is needed to confirm these findings and to determine whether such findings lead to improved fertility.
For women, the evidence is even less encouraging. A few small studies have suggested that supplementation with vitamin C may improve fertility in women who have ovulation disorders. But much more research is needed to clarify these findings.
In short, at this time, there doesn’t appear to be compelling evidence for any herbal therapy or supplements as a treatment for infertility. Also, herbal and nutritional supplements are subjected to limited regulation by the Food and Drug Administration and are only now starting to be held to rigorous purity and quality standards.
In addition, conventional hormone and drug treatments for infertility are complex regimens. It’s not known how herbs or supplements may interact with such treatments. So until research more clearly defines the risks and benefits of fertility herbs and supplements, conventional treatment for infertility appears to be the best option.
Posted on April 2nd, 2008
Despite appearances to the contrary, more than half of normal-weight Americans have a high percentage of body fat. And, like their overweight contemporaries, this makes them susceptible to heart disease, diabetes and other metabolic disorders, a new study says.
Men whose body fat is greater than 20 percent and women whose body fat is greater than 30 percent are suffering from “normal weight obesity,” Read the rest »
