My ex-husband insists that our 11 year-old has asthma because she feels winded while exercising. I feel that response to exertion is natural. We both want what is best for her. How do I know if she needs to be tested or this condition?
Feeling winded or short of breath can be normal or abnormal in an 11 year old girl during exercise. At the beginning of the season, if the child has not been involved with another sport, the child's endurance may be down and the increased oxygen demand of the activity would make the child breath heavier and
Osteoporosis: Symptoms and Prevention
by R. Carnavale May 22nd, 2012 | Health Observance, Prevention
May is National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month. Osteoporosis, which means “porous bone,†is the most common bone disease, and it is marked by bone weakness and the loss of bone density over time. Either the body fails to produce new bone, or too much old bone is reabsorbed by the body, or both. Maybe you've seen an elderly person who has shrunk over the years, walks with a shuffle, or whose spine curves forward like a hunchback's. Chances are that person may have osteoporosis.
One in 5 American women over the age of 50 has this disease, and 50
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One in 5 American women over the age of 50 has this disease, and 50
Cancer and Family Relationships
by Lori Sciame May 21st, 2012 | Relationships
As I sit in a recliner next to the adjustable bed, I hear nothing except my mother's gurgling gasps for air. It's the middle of the night, and I'm watching over the woman who gave me life while my dad sleeps in the other room. Soon, my mother stirs from the pain. She needs another round of medication. Â As I patiently hold the glass to her lips, she manages to wash the tiny pill down with a sip of water. Â After I tuck her back in bed, she looks up at me through half closed eyelids and says "I
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Understanding Stroke
by Dean Heller MD May 18th, 2012 | Ask the Doctor
My aunt, who is 83, keeps on getting episodes of confusion, and at other times she is ok. She has been diagnosed with dementia, but because the episodes come and go, we are very concerned about an early stroke. What should we be looking for to prevent stroke?
First of all, people with dementia can have varying degrees of loss of memory and what appears to be confusion. So it is likely that these symptoms are just related to the dementia. While confusion can be a sign of a stroke, the most common symptoms are slurred speech and weakness on one side of the body. Sometimes
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First of all, people with dementia can have varying degrees of loss of memory and what appears to be confusion. So it is likely that these symptoms are just related to the dementia. While confusion can be a sign of a stroke, the most common symptoms are slurred speech and weakness on one side of the body. Sometimes
Heart and Gum Disease: Health Connection
by R. Carnavale May 15th, 2012 | Dental Health, Illness
There’s a strong link between gum disease and heart disease and strokes; however, gum disease hasn’t been definitively proven to cause heart disease or strokes, according to a scientific statement issued in Circulation, an American Heart Association (AHA) journal. After reviewing more than 500 studies, researchers Peter Lockhart and Ann F. Bolger determined that currently, there is no conclusive evidence to indicate that gum disease causes heart disease or strokes: “Much of the literature is conflicting, but if there was a strong causative link, we would know that by now,†he says. Lockhart suggests a large, long-term study is
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