October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual event that increases awareness of the disease and promotes the early detection of breast cancer through mammography. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month began in 1985 when the American Academy of Family Physicians, AstraZeneca Healthcare Foundation and several other sponsors collaborat...

(This is part 2 of a 2-part series on sports-related concussion injuries) A concussion is an injury to the brain that occurs when the brain "bounces" off the skull. While your skull and a thin protective layer of cushioning fluid provide some degree of protection against minor bumps, they can't protect against a forceful collision with a hard surfa...

MRIs and other types of diagnostic imaging could someday replace invasive biopsies currently used to identify patients who are at risk of developing kidney disease. The kidneys are two bean-shaped, fist-sized organs. They are located just below the ribcage, one on each side of the body. Each day, the kidneys filter 120 to 150 quarts of blood to pro...

About 54 million adults in the U.S. are affected by osteoporosis and osteopenia (low bone mass), conditions that significantly increase your risk for serious fractures, including spine, hip and thigh fractures that can wind up causing long-term disability, not to mention considerable pain. Although osteoporosis occurs most commonly in menopausal wo...

Every year in the U.S., about 3 million student athletes are seen in emergency rooms seeking care for all sorts of injuries related to their sports. Sports injuries have two primary causes: traumatic injuries caused by falls, contact or similar events, and overuse injuries. In fact, as many as half of all student athlete injuries are due to overuse...

Everybody knows the heart plays a central role in circulation, pumping blood throughout the body to provide organs and tissues with oxygen and essential nutrients. But few know the heart has a little help, especially once the first "half" of the circulatory cycle is complete and the blood needs to travel from the extremities and back to the heart. ...

About 5.5 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association, and that number is expected to rise to 16 million by 2050. Alzheimer's is the most common type of dementia and the 6th leading cause of death, causing more deaths every year than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. About one out of every...

Uterine fibroids are surprisingly common - affecting from 70% to 90% of women by the time they reach age 50, according to the CDC - yet many women are unfamiliar with these growths and the impact they can have on their health and wellness. Fibroids are benign tumors comprising smooth muscle cells and other types of tissue, and they can range in siz...