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Symptoms could include:
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Abdominal painAbnormal urine color (dark, rusty, or brown)Back painBlood in the urineEmaciated, thin, malnourished appearanceEnlargement of the veins around a testicle (varicocele)Flank painSwelling or enlargement of the abdomenUnintentional weigh...
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The causes of kidney cancer are unknown, but there are many risk factors associated with kidney cancer. The risk factors listed from greatest to smallest include:.
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The causes of kidney cancer are unknown, but men seem to have twice the risk of contracting the disease. There is a strong association between cigarette smoking and kidney cancer.
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Age and weight lossQuestion:Why does it get harder to lose weight with age?Answer:One must burn more calories than one takes in to lose weight at any age. This can be done either with caloric restriction or with exercise.
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Weight loss is a reduction in body mass characterized by a loss of adipose tissue(body fat) and skeletal muscle.Unintentional weight loss is the most common symptom of cancer and often a side effect of cancer treatments. A poor response to cancer ...
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Weigh Less, Live Longer helps you determine the cause of your excess weight and tailor a plan to your particular needs. Even a modest reduction of 7%-10% of your starting weight can lead to significant improvements in health.
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The not-so-secret secret to weight loss is to burn more calories than you eat. This can be done safely and effectively by eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly.
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The latest studies conclude that a successful weight-loss plan is a mind/body undertaking that not only involves monitoring calorie intake and expenditure, but dealing with the psychological side of weight loss and habit change.
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Out of the millions Americans who are overweight and go on a diet each year, many regain all or a part of the weight they lose within five years.
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Moderately intense activities, such as walking briskly from your parked car to the mall entrance and taking your dog for a quick jog after dinner, won't help you train for a sport. But they can help you achieve and maintain a healthful weight and improve your overall fitness level.
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The balance of diet studies shows it's not carbohydrates specifically that count, but the total calories and fat consumed.
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Walking is a great form of exercise that can be done just about anywhere. If you're trying to lose weight, though, you'll need to do more than a leisurely stroll.
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Most people want to lose weight in a hurry, so they go on a fad diet, lose some weight, go off the diet and go back to eating as they always have.
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Some diet advice is just plain wrong—and some can be dangerous to your health.You don't have to look far to find diet advice. It's as close as your Web browser, your local bookstore, or that pop culture magazine you leafed through. But how accurate is the information? Some diet advice is just plain wrong—and some can be dangerous to your health.
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If you're starving most of the time or can't imagine staying on a particular diet past a perceived deadline, you're on the wrong track.
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Experts say the long-term success at weight loss requires a balance between diet and physical activity.
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Experts say the long-term success at weight loss requires a balance between diet and physical activity.
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Here are strategies that can help you troubleshoot and personalize your weight-loss plan to manage common workplace weight-loss roadblocks.
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New types of weight-loss medications may help those who struggle with obesity, but there are some potentially serious side effects. Also, use of such a drug requires a significant adjustment in one's diet and level of physical activity.
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The majority of dieters regain the weight they lose within five years. But they could avoid doing so by gradually changing their eating and exercise habits. Your approach to weight loss should be to make changes you can keep up for the rest of your life.
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Out of the 90 million Americans who are overweight, 50 million go on a diet each year, according to the National Women's Health Resource Center.
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Doctors become most concerned about unintentional weight loss if it reaches more than five percent of the usual body weight (about ten pounds), especially if your weight has not stabilized and continues to go down.
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Hypertension is the term used to describe high blood pressure.Blood pressure readings are measured in millimeters of mercury(mmHg) and usually given as two numbers. For example, 120 over 80(written as 120/80 mmHg).The top number is your systolic p...
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The lower number is the diastolic pressure, which is the pressure when the heart is filling or relaxing before the next beat. Normal blood pressure for an adult is 120/70(on average), but normal for an individual varies with the height, weight, fi...
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Detailed information on high blood pressure, also called hypertension, including symptoms, diagnostic, and treatment information
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Primary, or essential, hypertension is caused by external factors; secondary hypertension is related to an underlying disorder, such as a congenital heart defect or kidney disease. Factors that increase the risk of high blood pressure include age(...
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High blood pressure is a sneaky ailment. The condition has no symptoms that you can see or feel. Having your blood pressure checked is the only way to know if it is high.
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Knowing the definitions of terms your doctor may use when talking with you about your blood pressure is important.
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Each day that your blood pressure is too high, your chances of having a stroke are increased.
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This report explains what your blood pressure numbers mean and how hypertension can be prevented and treated by making diet and lifestyle changes. Also includes information on medications.
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Detailed information on high blood pressure, also called hypertension, including symptoms, diagnostic, and treatment information
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Detailed information on high blood pressure, also called hypertension, including symptoms, diagnostic, and treatment information
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Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries as it flows through them.
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High blood pressure has joined type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol on a list of ailments that once struck only adults but now afflict children.
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Prehypertension is a new term that alerts people to the risk of developing chronic high blood pressure if they don't take timely steps to improve their lifestyle habits.
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When I get up in the morning, my systolic blood pressure is 30 to 50 points higher than it is later in the day (about 110). I am taking three different blood pressure medications. Is this unusual?
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High blood pressure is more common among African Americans than other ethnic groups. Nearly 40 percent of non-Hispanic blacks have hypertension.
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The National High Blood Pressure Education Program(NHBPEP) was established in 1972 by the National Institute of Health to translate research results on the health hazards of high blood pressure into clinical and public health practice. Before 1900...
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Did you know you can purchase your own blood pressure monitor and check the reading yourself at home?
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A Harvard Medical School doctor discusses possible causes of low blood pressure.
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Is it absolutely necessary for a diabetic who does not have high blood pressure to take a blood pressure pill anyway?
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Detailed information on high blood pressure, also called hypertension, including symptoms, diagnostic, and treatment information
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While people with high blood pressure are typically told to abstain from alcohol, a study suggests that moderate alcohol consumption may help prevent them from having a heart attack.
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A healthy blood pressure level can reduce your risk for many serious diseases and increase your longevity.
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High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the most common chronic adult illness in the United States. There is no cure for high blood pressure, but it can be controlled.
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High blood pressure (hypertension) is called the silent killer. This is because many people who have it don't know it. You can take an easy test to see if your blood pressure is too high. If it is high, you can take steps to lower it. Doing so could save your life.
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Risk factors are things that make you more likely to have a disease or condition. Do you know your risk factors for high blood pressure?
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The FDA has approved a new blood pressure drug that works by inhibiting hte production of renin, a substance made by the kidneys that is the first step in the body's system of regulating blood pressure.
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What causes high blood pressure in a 4-year-old?
Claire McCarthy, M.D., is a senior medical editor for Harvard Health Publications. She is an instructor in pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, an attending physician at Children's Hospital of Boston, and co-director of the pediatrics department at Martha Eliot Health Center, a neighborhood health service of Children's Hospital. The author of two books, "Learning How the Heart Beats" and "Everyone's Children", Dr. McCarthy was a regular columnist for "Sesame Street Parents Magazine" from 1995 to 1998 and is currently a contributing editor for "Parenting Magazine".
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Even if your blood pressure is normal or high-normal, you're still at increased risk for hypertension (high blood pressure), the condition in which your heart works too hard and the resulting forceful blood flow harms arteries.
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Prehypertension is a new term that alerts people to the very real risk of developing chronic high blood pressure if they don't take timely steps to improve their lifestyle habits.
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Hypertension, or high blood pressure, isn't limited to those 18 and older.Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects almost one in three adults in the United States. But this serious health condition isn't limited to those ages 18 and older, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
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For those living with high blood pressure, lifestyle changes such as eating a healthier diet, exercising regularly, and losing weight will likely have a positive effect not just on blood pressure, but on overall health.
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In most cases, high blood pressure responds to treatment, but the success of the treatment is up to you.
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If you have high blood pressure, you need to know, so you can control it. If you don't, you increase your risk for serious illness.
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High blood pressure can contribute to sexual problems, as can some treatments for it.
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Is it possible for a blockage in the kidneys to cause high blood pressure? What type of blockage would there be in a kidney?
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The number of Americans with high blood pressure has risen steadily since the 1960s, and now tops 65 million.
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Hypertension is high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries.
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A study reports that if the vertebra that supports the skull is misaligned, careful manipulation of it may result in a significant drop in blood pressure.
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Isolated systolic hypertension, when the systolic blood pressure is above 140 while the diastolic pressure is below 90, is caused by stiffening of large arteries. Medication may be prescribed, but lifestyle changes will have more impact on overall health.
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Hypertension is high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries as it flows through them.
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The category of prehypertension was established to serve as a warning. Those whose blood pressure reading falls in it should work to lower their pressure through diet, exercise, and weight control, though in some cases medication may be prescribed.
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An old theory about the connection between headache and high blood pressure makes a comeback.
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Hypertension is high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries as it flows through them.As blood flows through arteries it pushes against the inside of the artery walls.
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Abdominal pain is pain that you feel anywhere between your chest and groin. This is often referred to as the stomach region or belly.Stomach pain; Pain- abdomen; Belly ache; Abdominal cramps.There are many organs in the abdomen.
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New and severe abdominal pain always needs to be closely evaluated by a doctor. It is frequently a sign of serious illness.
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Repeated episodes of abdominal pain can arise from a variety of medical causes, including some serious conditions. Everyone who has unexplained abdominal pain requires a medical evaluation by a doctor.
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Most of the time, children with mild abdominal pain are not seriously ill; the symptoms go away in a day or two and can be managed at home. However, if your child has severe abdominal pain or has a bellyache along with frequent vomiting, you should contact your child's pediatrician.
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Abdominal pain is very common in children, and in many cases there's no serious cause. But stomach pain can sometimes point to a serious problem, such as appendicitis, so it is important to know when to seek help.
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Weakness is a reduction in the strength of one or more muscles.Weakness may be generalized(total body weakness) or localized to only one area, side of the body, limb, or muscle. Weakness is more notable when it is localized.
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But prior to that moment in time, the structures in your back may be losing strength or integrity.The specific structure in your back responsible for your pain is hardly ever identified. Whether identified or not, there are several possible source...
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Low back pain(LBP) is a common complaint—second only to cold and flu as a reason why patients seek care from their family doctor. It may be a limited musculoskeletal symptom or caused by a variety of diseases and disorders that affect or ext...
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Sometimes back pain can be caused by a condition that needs immediate medical evolution.
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Detailed information on low back pain, including causes, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation
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Low back pain is a common musculoskeletal symptom that may be either acute or chronic. It may be caused by a variety of diseases and disorders that affect the lumbar spine.
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Most back pain occurs in the lower back because that's the part of the spine that bears the most weight.
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Detailed information on low back pain, including cause, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment
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Detailed information on low back pain, including causes, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation
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Detailed information on low back pain, including causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment
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Back pain is a common complaint: Nearly everyone will have low back pain that interferes with work or daily activities at some point in his or her life.
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You likely position yourself differently now than you did before you were pregnant. Did you know that standing, sitting, or lying in certain ways can lead to back pain? To ease pain, use positions that support your body comfortably.
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Think through each move before you make it, so you'll use the right muscles for the job. If you practice these safe moves now, they may come naturally to you by the time your baby's born.
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The cause of most back pain cannot be identified specifically, and is likely due to a conbination of factors. Imaging tests are not very useful and do not improve the outcome of treatment.
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Can you tell me the purpose and basis of VAX-D treatment for spinal problems?
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Detailed information on lumbar strain, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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Detailed information on lumbar strain, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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As your body changes during pregnancy, your back must work in new ways. This can be painful if your back isn't prepared.
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This report details the latest diagnostic techniques and describes treatments, including exercise, home-based therapies, and surgery.
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Detailed information on lumbar strain, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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Although back pain tends to be a universal complaint, middle-aged people are more likely than younger and older folks to have back pain that's related to lifestyle.
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Low back pain can be caused by problems with any part of the lumbar spine.Low back pain can be caused by problems with any part of the lumbar spine. A disk can herniate (push out) and press on a nerve. Vertebrae can rub against each other or slip out of place. This can irritate facet joints and nerves. It can also lead to stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal or foramen.
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Some men are able to successfully treat their lower back pain with medication, but some require additional treatment such as physical therapy, steroid injections, or surgery.
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If the pain occurs because of an accident or injury, or fever is present, you should see your health care provider immediately. Pain not accompanied by fever or not associated with an accident or injury may not need immediate treatment.
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The symptoms in your back or leg may be due to pressure on a nerve. This pressure may be caused by a damaged disk or by abnormal bone growth. Either way, you may feel pain, burning, tingling, or numbness. If you have pressure on a nerve that connects to the sciatic nerve, pain may shoot down your leg.
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Blood in your urine, or hematuria, can be classified as microscopic or gross.In women, blood may appear to be in the urine when it is actually coming from the vagina. In men, what may be mistaken for urinary bleeding is sometimes a bloody ejaculat...
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Blood in your urine is a condition known as hematuria. Most of the time, the cause of hematuria is not serious. However, blood in the urine should never be ignored. Your doctor can evaluate you to identify the cause of the bleeding and treat it, if necessary.
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Detailed information on hematuria, including cause, diagnosis, and treatment Hematuria is the presence of red blood cells (RBCs) in the urine. Often, the urine appears normal to the naked eye, but examination under a microscope shows a high number of RBCs. In gross hematuria, the urine is red or the color of cola, which can be seen with the naked eye.
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A wide range of problems can lead to blood in the urine. Some of the most common causes—such as kidney or bladder stones, enlargement of the prostate, and infection—are often easily treated.
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I have been running for 10 years. Just recently, I started seeing blood in my urine just after running. What could cause this?
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Urinary tract infections, kidney stones and prostate problems are common reasons for this symptom. Less commonly, blood in the urine can indicate a more serious condition.
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Seeing blood in your urine can be a scary thing. This guide will walk you through several questions about your symptoms. Based on your answers, you will learn about the causes of the blood in your urine and what actions you should take.
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Your health care provider will perform a physical examination and ask questions about your symptoms and medication history, such as:.When did the painful urination begin?
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Fatigue is a feeling of weariness, tiredness, or lack of energy.Fatigue is different from drowsiness. In general, drowsiness is feeling the need to sleep, while fatigue is a lack of energy and motivation.
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Fatigue is physical and/or mental exhaustion that can be triggered by stress, medication, overwork, or mental and physical illness or disease.Everyone experiences fatigue occasionally. It is the body''s way of signaling its need for rest and sleep.
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Boosting Your Energy provides information on the causes and treatments of persistent fatigue. Includes information on aging and energy, eating for energy, and boosting your energy.
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Fatigue may be defined as a subjective state in which one feels tired or exhausted, and in which the capacity for normal work or activity is reduced. There is, however, no commonly accepted definition of fatigue when it is considered in the contex...
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If you regularly feel weary after waking from a good night's sleep or for no apparent reason, it's time to find out why.
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If the fatigue is related to a decrease in hemoglobin, or oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, then replacing the red blood cells by transfusion or taking erythropoietin can help reduce fatigue. If the fatigue is not related to this, then it is important that the person with cancer learn ways to conserve energy. Energy is like money, and people only have a limited amount of it. Think carefully about how to spend it. What activities are most important? What activities help restore energy? These are the activities that people with cancer should spend their energy on. They need to ask for help to do the rest of the activities.
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Fatigue may be defined as a subjective state in which one feels tired or exhausted, and in which the capacity for normal work or activity is reduced. There is, however, no commonly accepted definition of fatigue when it is considered in the contex...
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Fatigue is physical and/or mental exhaustion that can be triggered by stress, medication, overwork, or mental and physical illness or disease.Everyone experiences fatigue occasionally. It is the body''s way of signaling its need for rest and sleep.
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Fatigue is a feeling of exhaustion or loss of strength. The duration of fatigue for a patient with cancer has been found to last from one to two times the length of time between diagnosis and completion of treatment, so it is common for fatigue to...
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If the person on chemotherapy has decreased hemoglobin, or oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, and it seems like the low hemoglobin level will last for a while, then a medicine called PROCRIT® (Epoetin alfa) may be prescribed. This medicine is given as an injection to keep the hemoglobin at a higher level. This can sometimes manage fatigue. PROCRIT is for anemic chemotherapy patients with most types of cancer.
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We currently understand some of the causes of fatigue but not all of them. Fatigue may be related to physical changes caused by cancer or its treatment (chemotherapy, biotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgery). It is reported that the fatigue people get when receiving cancer treatment is more severe than the fatigue healthy people get. In addition, this fatigue lasts longer and is not relieved by sleep. Studies have shown that low hemoglobin is also related to fatigue. Hemoglobin carries oxygen in the blood, so if it is low, the body cells do not get as much oxygen as they need. Also, people who are not well nourished, who don't drink enough fluid and are dehydrated, or who are not able to move around much tend to have fatigue more easily. Finally, the way a person handles stress, thinks, or behaves can influence fatigue.
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Fatigue is a vague feeling of being tired, weak, or exhausted. It is often a symptom of cancer, when cancer is first diagnosed, or when cancer progresses (Ferrell et al, 1996). It is also the most common side effect of cancer treatment. Some people with cancer have described fatigue as being "tired to the bones” or "hitting a wall.” Others say it is the most distressing side effect of cancer treatment. Fatigue is different for everyone, so it is important that the person who is experiencing it describe how he or she feels. Fatigue may cause decreased ability to work or do physical activity. If the person with cancer is easily distracted and unable to concentrate on mental work or activity, then he or she may have attentional fatigue (Winningham and Barton-Burke, 2000). Depending upon its cause, fatigue can come and go or stay constant for a while. Fatigue from chemotherapy tends to occur a few days after the treatment, peaks, and then gets better before the next treatment. Fatigue from radiation doesn't happen right away. It develops over the first two to three weeks of treatment and then increases as the treatment continues. It may last three months or more after the treatment is finished. Attentional fatigue can last up until two or three years after treatment is completed.
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Fatigue is a common side effect of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. It can be caused by worry, lack of sleep, and poor appetite. Fatigue can also be a sign of anemia (a shortage of red blood cells). This could require medical treatment. The tips below can help you feel better.
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Many people experience late-in-the-day energy lags, but you can take steps to prevent them.
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Fever is the temporary increase in the body''s temperature, in response to some disease or illness.A child has a fever when their temperature is at or above one of these levels:.100.4°F(38°C) measured in the bottom(rectally) 99.5°F(3...
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The nervous system constantly relays information about the body''s temperature to the thermostat, which in turn activates different physical responses designed to cool or warm the body, depending on the circumstances. These responses include: decre...
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Detailed information on fevers in children A fever is a temperature of 100.4º F and higher.
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A fever is a special cause for concern in infants younger than 3 months of age. Parents and caregivers should be most concerned with changes in eating or sleeping habits, coughing, pain or other marked changes.
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Early morning body temperature may be as low as 97°F, and as high as 99.3°F in the afternoon hours yet still be considered normal. Higher temperatures may be observed in healthy people, but an abnormal elevation(pyrexia) is classified as...
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While the standard for normal body temperature is 98.6°F(37°C), normal body temperatures actually fluctuate within a range of one to two degrees, making it impossible to formulate a precise definition of fever based on a specific tempera...
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A fever is any body temperature elevation over 100°F(37.8°C).A healthy person''s body temperature fluctuates between 97°F(36.1°C) and 100°F(37.8°C), with the average being 98.6°F(37°C). The body maintains sta...
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Fever is defined as an abnormally high body temperature or a regulated rise to a new set point of body temperature. While a body temperature above 100°F(37.8°C) is considered to be a fever by some clinicians, a significant fever is usual...
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One minute you're hot; the next, you're chilled and your teeth chatter. You've got a fever. But look on the bright side: Fever seems to serve a helpful function in the body.
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Buying a thermometer isn't as easy as it used to be. You face an array of choices. But the decision doesn't have to be hard. Like temperature, it's a matter of degrees.
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Most medical professionals agree a fever by itself is not an illness; it is a symptom of an underlying problem. Fevers actually can be a positive sign the body is fighting an infection. However, a fever can cause discomfort for a child.
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A fever is a way for the body to fight infection. But it may also be a sign of a serious illness, especially in children younger than 3 months and children who haven't been immunized. Know when to seek medical care for your child.
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Detailed information on fever, including when to call your physician Fever (also called pyrexia) is defined as body temperature that is higher than normal for each individual. It generally indicates that there is an abnormal process occurring in the body. Exercise, hot weather, and common childhood immunizations can also make body temperature rise.
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Use a digital thermometer to take your child's temperature; never use a glass mercury thermometer. Most children aged three years and older can hold a thermometer under their tongue. If your child is younger than that, or you're having difficulty with the oral method, talk to your doctor about the best way to take his temperature.
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The best way to take an infant's temperature is rectally with a digital thermometer (never use a glass mercury thermometer). Taking the temperature under the arm, or using an ear thermometer, is less exact.
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Detailed information on children and fever, including symptoms and treatment A fever is a temperature of 100.4º F and higher.
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Hyperthermia involves raising the body''s core temperature as a means of eradicating tumors. The treatment simulates fever.
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Hyperthermia is the use of therapeutic heat to treat various cancers on and inside the body.The purpose of hyperthermia is to shrink and hopefully destroy cancer without harming noncancerous cells. It can be used to treat cancer in many areas of t...
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Children can become cranky, fussy or irritable for many reasons. Often it's because they're hungry or just tired. But sometimes irritability can be a sign of illness in children.
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