Arthritis -- It’s Not Just One Disease
Mayo ClinicAlthough people often talk about arthritis as if it's one disease, it's not. Arthritis refers to diseases of the joints. It occurs in more than 100 forms.
Although people often talk about arthritis as if it's one disease, it's not. Arthritis refers to diseases of the joints. It occurs in more than 100 forms.
Being overweight is by far the greatest risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Between 80 and 90 percent of people who develop this type of diabetes are overweight. The good news is you can reverse this process.
A hysterectomy, surgical removal of the uterus, isn't the only treatment for uterine fibroids. Women actually may have many options including therapies to shrink or stop fibroid growth or surgical fibroid removal.
In the quest for an effective weight loss diet that also is nutritionally complete, researchers report preliminary weight loss results of a regimen that is similar to the Atkins diet that are encouraging, but merit further, broader study.
Botox does far more than help erase wrinkles. It can help alleviate more than a dozen health conditions and researchers are continuing to find new uses.
People are putting soy milk on their cereal, in smoothies and coffee. But what are the health benefits of soy milk?
Either you're high or you're low. Euphoric or depressed. Extremely optimistic or persistently sad. For some people with bipolar disorder, it seems as if there is no middle ground.
Vitamin K, known for its ability to help coagulate blood, has traditionally had a low profile in the world of vitamins. That's starting to change because of information that shows Vitamin K might be important in keeping bones strong and healthy.
Is drinking alcohol good for your health? There's been mounting evidence that drinking small to moderate amounts of alcohol may offer some health benefits, particularly in improving cardiovascular health and preventing stroke, vascular disease and dementia.
If a nasty cold coincides with planned air travel, what do you do?
Mayo Clinic will be featured as part of a series of national television broadcasts that will begin later this month. "Lifeline: Mayo Clinic," a four-part series on the Discovery Health Channel, will premiere on Friday, Nov. 14, at 9 p.m. CST.
Researchers have identified a genetic syndrome -- an inherited birth disorder characterized by learning disabilities, facial malformations, impaired organs and mental retardation. It has been previously misdiagnosed or undiagnosed.
Lung cancer screening could be the impetus to help some cigarette smokers quit, according to a study.
Researchers are the first to describe what goes wrong during the growth cycle of certain cells that can lead to inherited forms of breast cancer. Knowing the nature of this biochemical modification is a first step to designing drugs that can correct it to stop cancer.
Impaired uterine function is not the cause of lower birth rates among overweight women using fertility technologies to become pregnant.
A Canadian-led international clinical trial has found that post-menopausal survivors of early stage breast cancer who took the drug letrozole after completing an initial five years of tamoxifen therapy had a significantly reduced risk of cancer recurrence compared to women taking a placebo.
Feeling down, but don't think you're depressed? There's a self-screening test that might help you figure out what's going on and what you can do to get yourself back on track. As part of Mental Illness Awareness Week, MayoClinic.com has created a special package of information about depression.
The Atkins diet, the Zone diet, the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet. Are these diets the secret to losing weight?
If you're like most women -- 85 percent by one survey -- you're either trying to lose weight or trying not to gain weight. If you're stuck at a stubborn weight, or can't seem to lose weight at all, don't give up.
You're calling the doctor -- again -- positive that today's abdominal pain and cramping are signs of a serious illness. Once again, after a thorough check, the doctor reassures you that spicy food was probably the culprit.
Erectile dysfunction, also called impotence, is no longer the taboo topic it once was, perhaps due to the advertising for Viagra, the first oral drug for this condition.
Walking is simply great exercise -- simple to do and great for your health. But if your posture is off or your movement unbalanced, you may be doing more harm than good.
Have you had enough fiber today? If not, supplements can be a safe alternative.
The drug OPC31260 stops the development of cysts and prevents kidney function loss in rats and mice, according to a study.
Adults without known heart disease or diabetes can estimate their risk of having a heart attack or dying of heart disease within the next 10 years using the new Heart Disease Risk Calculator on MayoClinic.com.
Researchers have developed a drug treatment to stop the dizziness, light-headedness and fainting that patients experience who suffer from a common form of impaired nerve transmission known as "autonomic failure."
Immunoglobulin infusions are now the treatment of choice for Guillain-Barré Syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that typically affects patients once in a lifetime but may cause severe lifelong disability.
Contrary to long-accepted conventional wisdom and to current theories, high blood pressure and other risk factors for plaque buildup are not major factors in the dangerous ballooning of blood vessels near the heart.
Forearm fractures are on the rise among both adolescent boys and girls, according to a study.
Drinking alcohol may pose more health risks for women than men, according to new research that includes both sexes. Until recently, most alcohol-related research focused only on men.
You don't hesitate to get a mammogram or cholesterol check. But, that colon screening keeps getting pushed down on the to-do list.
Studies show that as many of 65 percent of women surveyed have had significant breast pain.
A study shows that melatonin successfully alleviates many patients' symptoms of REM-sleep behavior disorder (RBD), a violent sleep condition that manifests during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, a stage of deep sleep in which most dreaming occurs
Slow, deep, rhythmic breathing can help you deal with stress more effectively and improve your ability to exercise. For most people, this type of breathing doesn't come naturally.
It used to be that painful toothaches were treated by pulling the tooth. Today, the tooth and its function often can be preserved with root canal treatment.
What used to be considered a normal blood pressure reading is now a category called prehypertension.
Both fathers and mothers have distressing thoughts after the birth of a baby, according to a new study.
The Mayo Clinic kidney transplant team is using a new approach that filters out antibodies prior to surgery to overcome a major barrier to kidney transplantation in some patients.
A long-standing medical discussion about how transplanted organs survive in a new body has received provocative new evidence. It shows a donated kidney survives in a new body by turning on a protective mechanism to shield it from the hostile environment of the patient's immune system.
As the peak transmission season of the West Nile virus reaches its midpoint, Mayo Clinic Proceedings has released via the Web a manuscript prior to publication, so clinicians and the public can quickly access the latest information on the disease.
How do you sort hype from hope in medical news? Knowledge of how research is done can help you better understand its relevance to your health.
Morning back and joint pain that keeps you in slow motion until you limber up could be osteoarthritis.
During the long hot days of summer, it's possible for the body's natural cooling mechanism to be overwhelmed. Symptoms of heat exhaustion often begin suddenly and may include faintness, rapid heartbeat, low blood pressure, cold and clammy skin, nausea and, in fair-skinned people, an ashen appearance.
People over 40 who use aerobic exercise to prevent or control diabetes need not only regular, but frequent, exercise if they are to realize its potential benefits. Aerobic exercise is often prescribed to help prevent or control Type 2 diabetes.
Researchers found that some Web sites that advertise dietary herbal supplements containing the popular weight-loss dietary supplement ephedra fail to disclose potential adverse effects and make misleading statements about the safety, use and efficacy of the supplements.
Irritable bowel syndrome ranks right up there with the common cold as a cause of lost work time and accounts for about three million doctor visits in the United States every year. Yet, until recently, it was also one of the least talked about conditions
The Women's Health Initiative study found that a combination of estrogen and progestin resulted in more risks for heart attacks, breast cancer, stroke and blood clots. About 36 percent of women taking Prempro, the hormone therapy being studied, stopped using it within four months of the announcement.
The size of food portions keeps growing. Studies have shown that food portion sizes in restaurants, and at home, have grown substantially over the past 20 years. And more than half of Americans are overweight or obese, increasing the risk of weight-related diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and others.
In just a few months, SARS hysteria swept around the world. As concerns over severe acute respiratory syndrome spread from China to Hong Kong, Vietnam to Canada, so too did often irrational fear.
Managing chronic pain isn't about making your pain disappear; it's about enjoying life again, despite your pain. Each small step you take in your new role as pain manager will boost your self-confidence and strengthen your faith in your abilities.