health

Keeping your mind and body in check - popular topics in health and medicine to maintain a long and healthy life.

Being Diagnosed with Cancer at Age 16
My name is Sophia Ruiz. I’m 17 years old, and this September, my world was flipped upside-down. In July, I started having severe pain and muscle spasms in my lower back. I was waitressing at the time and my doctor thought the pain was from over-working myself. A month went by and nothing changed. I was still having back pain all of the time, sometimes it got so bad I couldn’t even move.
By Sophie Ruiz8 years ago in Longevity
5 Things People With Fibro Want You to Know (And the Things We're Tired of Hearing)
Fibromyalgia is an invisible illness, which means you can't always see the symptoms, but they're always there. Fibromyalgia is categorized by widespread pain and various somatic symptoms, symptoms that affect the brain.
By Arzie Villa8 years ago in Longevity
Brain Tumour Awareness
Konnor-Craig McKenzie Story Konnor-Craig James Mckenzie was born on the 22nd of July, 2014, 10 weeks pre-term and after spending four weeks in SCBU, he was discharged home.
By Czk Mckenzie8 years ago in Longevity
Best Honey for You
Honey has been used by man for healing for nearly fifteen thousand years. The oldest known record of an archaeological example of beekeeping dates back to Tel Rehov, Israel. That would place beekeeping in the times of King David and in the times of King Solomon. There is proof of ancient use of honey painted on a cave in Valencia, Spain. The cave is called the Cave of the Spider. The painting depicts a person descending with a honey pot with bees flying around the figure. Truly is amazing to know that the use of honey has been around for many of a millennia. Ninety-four years ago that painting was discovered in 1924 by a local teacher named Jane Gari i Poch. Honey has been used throughout time as a sweetener and as a healing agent. As a matter of fact, in ancient Egypt honey was used in agriculture, nutritional, medicinal, and ritualistic procedures. Egyptians understood every aspect of the value of honey. They cultivated bee hives and maintained a regular flow of honey for many different purposes. Honey was used to heal wounds by rubbing raw honey directly onto the wound. Honey possesses an antimicrobial property with which it provides a protective cover for wounds. This protective cover prevents further contamination while healing the wound with its antibacterial activity, providing a moist wound conditioner with high viscosity for wound healing. Hydrogen peroxide is produced by the enzymatic production from the bees in the development of honey. There are forms of honey that do not have these enzymes and this is called non peroxide honey. The non peroxide honey still has significant antibacterial effects that is considered beneficial for use in creating remedies for the healing of man's woes. Due to the low pH level of honey and its high content of sugar this bee's nectar gives us a strong natural defense against the growth of germs that are resistant to antibiotic treatments commonly used for deadly life threatening infections in humans and in their animals. In order for honey to work as effectively as it should work for the individual one should only use honey that is created by bees in their area. By harvesting honey that is created in one's living location and utilizing it for medicinal purposes one is introducing a super food into their system. Building their immune system and adding to their defense against local outbreaks of influenza and other transmitted diseases. Allergies to local area plants and trees will also lessen if using locally generated honey. If honey is used just as a sweetener with no intent upon building one's health then honey purchased from outside sources is acceptable, since all honey is good honey for the body no matter where it comes from.
By LG Reagon8 years ago in Longevity
10 Benefits of Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is a form of vinegar that's made from cider or apple. It's been a popular drink for centuries that's undergone fermentation for health-promoting probiotics and enzymes. It also contains less sugar and calories, which makes it way better than apple cider and apple juice. While some people drink it for its taste, it also comes with so many benefits. People use it to soothe sunburns, cure headaches fast, fight fungus, help clear up acne, treat warts, as a natural allergy relief remedy, and so much more.
By Rachel Blanchard8 years ago in Longevity
Chronic Illness: A Life of Trial and Error
Ah, good ole' chronic illness. We've all heard of "it," but do we really know what "it" is? Let me start by telling you, having a chronic illness is neither easy, nor is it fun. I know, you hear stories of how people with a chronic illness can't work, or can't attend school. A lot of people think that victims of having a chronic illness are living the dream. No work? Great! No school? Even better! But let me tell you, anyone who thinks that is wrong. I know this because I have a chronic illness, and it has taken my life away from me.
By Michelle Brianna8 years ago in Longevity
My Cancer Scare
It all started with a stomach ache. I didn’t think much about it as stomach aches are a perfectly normal thing to experience. We’ve all eaten something bad or have been sentenced to hours in the bathroom after a dinner at Taco Bell. It happens to the best of us.
By Corrine Fizer8 years ago in Longevity
I Get Paid to Fuel Addiction
I love Starbucks. Close your eyes and you can smell that delicious, sexy aroma of coffee, hear the muddled blend of relaxing music, steaming milk and blenders whirling among friendly chatter. It is a place where I have always felt welcomed and very productive. What I have referred to as my second home during college, where I have spent most of my paycheck and time doing homework. Whether you grab your coffee fix on the go or bunker down in the welcoming space there is nothing better than sipping on your favorite beverage.
By Marisa Zaremba8 years ago in Longevity
The Road to a Diagnostic
September 2015 I had just started an administrative assistant class when an odd sharp pain started in my forearm. It slowly went away and it didn't came back for a while so I thought nothing about it and went on with my life. Maybe a month later, the sharp and stabbing pain came back stronger. So strong that I had to leave class and went directly to the see the doctor. He told me it looked like carpal tunnel and that he would send me for an electromyogram which is when they send you small electrical shocks to measure the electrical activity produced by muscles. And here I was on the waiting list. He also prescribed Vimovo which didn't do anything. Meanwhile, I had more and more pain in various areas of my body and they then stopped. Just like that. What was going on? I got some blood work done and everything came back normal.
By Cassie S8 years ago in Longevity
Diagnosed
So I am going to do a short writing on my process of getting diagnosed with Fabry disease. When I was around five years old (this is as far back as I can make a valid point to), I started getting these sensations in my hands and feet; a burning sensation, like I had stuck my hands and feet on the burner of the stove and cranked it to high. My parents thought I was just trying to get attention, though I never truly understood why they would think that. I was not by any means the best kid out there, but I certainly did not seek attention, because the best I got was negative. I tried my best to stay under the radar at home and at school, though neither ever worked. Anyway, they thought that in the middle of the night, when this burning sensation would happen, that I was trying to get attention. They thought this even though the pain would bring me to tears and I would be running to the freezer to find anything cold to calm the pain. It never worked except for the first five or so minutes. This happened every couple of months. I would be up for hours screaming in pain, begging to go to the hospital, but to no avail. Flash forward six years. I get sent to a children's hospital to live for three months due to my less than satisfactory behaviour.
By Kristopher Kristianson8 years ago in Longevity
10 Reasons Why Kombucha Is Good for You
Kombucha is a low cal, fermented tea alternative to sugary drinks. What separates this fizzy concoction from diet soda and seltzer is thousands of years of purported health benefits. Folk tales aren’t the only thing maintaining that kombucha is good for you—organizations like the National Institute for Health have been studying its macronutrient and probiotic content for years. Here are just ten ways that black or green teas plus probiotics may improve your constitution.
By Ben Kharakh8 years ago in Longevity
My I Don't Want to Be 600-lb Life
I am 49 years old and I am morbidly obese. Which, to put aside all of the political correctness, simply means I am old and fat. I have been this way for as long as I can remember. I am not ashamed of how I look, but I am scared about how I have been feeling. I now have three beautiful reasons to make a change, but they did not prompt my change of heart. I got my wakeup call as I sat on a gurney in the emergency room, scared because I couldn't breath and quickly realized that my size had predetermined the care I was going to get.
By Christina Gonzalez8 years ago in Longevity