Coughing is a reflex action where the air is rapidly expelled from the lungs to clear excessive secretions, fluids, or foreign material from the airway. Therefore, cough is an important respiratory defense mechanism. However, coughing may also be a symptom of an underlying disease. Apart from the discomfort of coughing itself, excessive coughing can cause multisystem problems. For […]
Lyme Disease – 15 Questions and Answers About Causes, Symptoms, Prevention, and Treatment
In the early fall of 1975, two mothers from Old Lyme, Connecticut, desperately sought medical help because of a mysterious outbreak of a strange, unexplainable disease. Both children and adults were affected, and arthritis appeared to be the most prominent symptom. It was soon discovered that many patients also reported a skin lesion with an […]
10 Everyday Things That May Trigger Migraines
Migraine is characterized by recurrent attacks of headache. The pain is often described as throbbing, and there may be a pulsing sensation, usually on one side of the head. Migraines are commonly accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound (1). The exact cause of migraines is unknown, but they’re believed to be the […]
Melatonin – 15 Questions and Answers About Melatonin and Sleep
Melatonin is a hormone that regulates sleep, wakefulness, and circadian rhythms in humans. Circadian rhythm describes the sleep/wake cycle, a biological clock that runs in our brain and cycles between sleepiness and alertness. It explains why we may feel energized or sleepy at around the same time each day. We all know that sleep is crucial […]
10 Important Symptoms of Depression
Major depression affects more than 16 million American adults each year (1). It can occur to anyone, at any age. And, importantly, depression is not a personal weakness but a severe medical illness. Of course, we all have times when our mood is low. Gloom, heartache, melancholy, woe, desolation. These are all parts of life’s […]