Medicine

What's Insomnia? Identifying insomnia is a little like the old joke about art: you know it when you're having it. For people with insomnia, though, it's no laughing matter. Having reduced or interrupted sleep is as bad for your physical and mental health as getting the wrong, or not enough, food. People suffering insomnia may experience difficulties falling asleep, waking too early, or sleeping in small bursts throughout the night. Worse yet, someone with sleep difficulties wakes up and doesn't feel rested, may have trouble focusing, and worry about their sleep problem to the point where they can't sleep for worrying. What Can I Do? Like any other health problem, a combination of medication and new behavior can make a big difference....

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Myth #1: "Nothing can be done about arthritis..." You don't have to put up with arthritis. Now motre than ever, there are excellent medicines that can not only treat the symptoms but also, in many cases, get the disease into remission. Arthritis when diagnosed and treated properly can be controlled. Myth #2: "It's all due to getting old..." Arthritis affects all age groups. Arthritis can even affect children. Three out of every 5 people with arthritis are younger than 65 years! Myth #3: "If I wait, it'll go away..." Six million Americans believe they have arthritis but have never seen a physician! A proper diagnosis and treatment are important! Who doesn't want to see their children graduate or play with their grandchildren?...

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Naproxen belongs to a class of drugs called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. This basically means it's a common pain reliever among the ranks of ibuprofen (Motrin), indomethacin (Indocin), nabumentone (Relafen), and several others you are probably familiar with. Naproxen, which is sold over the counter as Aleve, is used to manage mild to moderate pain, fever, and inflammation. It works by reducing the production of pain chemicals in the brain. Naproxen was approved by the FDA in December, 1991. Naproxen (Aleve) has been very successful because it has a longer half-life than many other drugs, resulting in as long as 12-hour pain relief. Because it thins the blood, it should not be used in conjunction with any blood thinners or blood pressure lowering drugs....

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One of the most prevalent and difficult health conditions to treat in the physical medicine is low back pain. The difficulty in treating low back pain comes from the fact that there are numerous causes including herniated discs, bulging discs, degenerative discs, muscle spasms, facet arthritis, and sciatica. While the vast majority of low back problems are relieved in a few days, there are still millions of Americans suffering with severe and chronic pain. The number of opinions on how to treat low back pain are as numerous as the physicians trying to help the patients, until recently. The last few years has brought about a revolution in the treatment of low back pain where all types of healthcare providers agree on the best treatment....

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NEW YORK, N. Y., February 18, 2004 - On a visit to his doctor, Gary Jacob received distressing news - not about himself, but a friend of the doctor's. While playing with one of his children, the doctor's friend fell and broke a rib. That was bad enough, but during the examination at the hospital, the father was hit with a startling and totally unexpected diagnosis - he had a disease known as multiple myeloma, a bone marrow blood cancer. The diagnosis was nothing less than a death sentence. Jacob knew of the anguish of multiple myeloma patients. The disease is incurable and nearly always fatal, one of the rare diseases that have few, if any, available treatments. They are known as "orphan" diseases, shunned by most drug-makers because the patient populations are small and commercial development of a drug is seen as economically unattractive....

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Quality, dependable Medical Equipment is an important component of every medical practice. It can't be overstated that while the practice of medicine is an art, Medical Equipment is the science behind the implementation of that art. Increasingly, patients are becoming more sophisticated in their understanding of the medical supplies and Medical Equipment that is being used to treat them. This means that a health care provider needs to know and understand not only how their equipment operates, but also have confidence that the Medical Equipment they use is of the highest quality. Your Medical Equipment needs to be reliable and of a high quality. The tools of your profession, whether it's a stethoscope or a nebulizer, can now all be ordered online over the internet, generally at substantial savings....

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A variety of options exist for hemorrhoid treatment including surgery, herbal remedies, and hemorrhoid creams that provide temporary relief of symptoms. While prevention is the best hemorrhoid cure, treatment of hemorrhoids is critical to avoid more serious complications. You can temporarily relieve the discomfort with a topical hemorrhoid cream, which is easily applied to the surface with an applicator such as a cotton ball or cotton swab, or with the fingertips. Hemorrhoid cream contains active ingredients that go directly to the problem and provide soothing relief. For bleeding hemorrhoids, an especially mild hemorrhoid treatment cream may be used to bring immediate relief and not cause further harm to already damaged tissues....

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America's war on drugs, which has been fought in the opium fields of Afghanistan and the cocaine plantations of Columbia, will have to reinvent itself to combat what is set to be America's biggest drug abuse problem, pharmaceuticals. One in five American's, nearly 48 million, have used prescription drugs for non-medical purposes at least once in their lives. The current past month misuse rate among Americans is 6.2 million. According to a recent white paper by Carnevale Associates, this rate of use is already higher than the historical highs of both cocaine and heroin epidemics. For some, the road to illicit use of prescription medications starts innocently. After a car accident, back injury, or, even, a mental/emotional breakdown a physician prescribes medication for a legitimate use....

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=====KNOW YOUR ARTHRITIS===== Arthritis is referred to as the nation? s number one crippling disease and the most common chronic disease in people over 40, arthritis affects more than 40 million Americans. And this figure is expected to rise to 60 million by 2020, according to the Center for Disease Control. Arthritis generally afflicts people between the ages of 20 and 50, but can affect all ages, even infants. The average age of onset is 47 and about three out of every five people with arthritis are under 65 years of age. Arthritic expenditures for just one person due to lost wages, medical treatment and other related expenses can come to more than $150,000 in his or her lifetime. And doctors believe there are over 100 different forms of arthritis, all sharing one main characteristic: all forms cause joint inflammation....

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We all know that there's no such thing as cheap Lunesta. But when compared with the other prescription sleep aids, Lunesta is the best buy if you're looking for a way to just finally get a good night's sleep without waking up drowsy and dysfunctional. When you begin taking Lunesta, you'll enjoy another huge benefit: Unlike other sleep aids, Lunesta is the only one approved for long term use. That means you can enjoy months to years of better sleep, rather than just a few days. When looking for the sleep aid medication with the best overall value, Lunesta is an obvious choice. But what's the best choice when it's time to buy Lunesta online at an internet pharmacy? Many people just look for the lowest prices on their sleep medications, and they end up being ripped off....

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Depression is a disorder marked by sadness, low energy, impaired concentration, and feelings of dejection. Some people believe that depression is normal. Hectic daily activities and the conflict between family and career cause constant stress. Yet depression and anxiety as a response to stress are not normal. They can be signs of illness, which may worsen and result in physical symptoms or an inability to function. Life was much simpler for the last two generations. Father worked; mother stayed home. This is no longer the model. Some now view families as an "endangered species." There are more single mothers working than ever before. There is greater stress and competition for well-paying jobs....

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Many researchers believe that addiction is a behavior that can be controlled to some extent and also a brain disease. And since some testing with functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) found that all addictions tend to cause nearly the same reactions inside the brain, there could be one type of control model for addiction health-related issues. Others express the opinion that some of us have an addictive personality and therefore are more likely to have problems than others. In other words, just as there is one disorder or disease labeled asthma, there would be one for addiction, covering all addictions; gambling, smoking, overeating, drugs, etc. Then one main treatment strategy or plan could be used to treat all addictions....

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Would you buy groceries without knowing their prices? I suspect not. You probably compare the costs of different boxes of cereal in order to get the best deal. But when it comes to medical care, do you even ask for the prices involved? While it's true that good health is priceless, and cutting corners on health care is risky, there is still much you can do in order to obtain the same good value in medical care that you insist upon in other areas of your life. If you lack a prescription plan that pays for your medications, it's high time you discussed the cost of drugs with your doctor. Your doctor's number-one choice in medication for your medical condition might be expensive. There are usually reasonable alternatives that cost less....

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