What is Clostridium Difficile by Farrah Poe
Clostridium difficile is a germ that causes watery diarrhea. The germ is highly contagious if a person comes in contact with someone or a surface that hasn’t been sanitized. Hospital infections interest me because I work in a hospital and Clostridium difficile, also known as “C-Diff”, affects as many as 500,000 Americans each year. Clostridium […]
Overweight and Obesity by Ash’Lea Brooks Brown
Obesity and overweight are terms that are used when discussing ranges of weight that surpass what is considered a healthy weight for any given height. Obesity is an excess proportion of body fat overall. When the weight is 20% or more above normal, someone is considered to be obese. Obesity is commonly measured through a […]
Breast Cancer and Young Women by Jennifer Snyder
Each year, one million individuals are diagnosed with cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that of this one million, 296,980 of these cases will be women diagnosed with breast cancer in the year 2013. Of the 296,980 diagnosed, 7 percent will be women under the age of 40 or roughly 20,789 women. This is a […]
Spinal Fusion & Discectomy by Christopher J. Martin
The human spinal column normally consists of 33 vertebrae, 24 of which are independent; the remaining 9 are fused in the coccyx and sacrum. Vertebrae are separated by cushions called discs or disks. Discs may become damaged or herniated (moved out of place) due to age, physical trauma, or even genetic predisposition to stenosis, a […]
Obesity by Briyanna Jackson
Obesity has become a global problem since 2005. Obesity usually occurs between ages 15 and up in adults and children 5 and under. Obesity is defined as an excessive portion of body fat. Another term that is used for obesity is also known as overweight. A person is considered overweight when their weight exceeds 20% […]
How Many Women Die from Breast Cancer by Shenetra West
I chose breast cancer as my health topic. I chose this health topic because my grandmother was diagnosed back in August and I need to know as much as I possibly can. Over 200,000 American women are diagnosed, and almost 40,000 of them die from breast cancer. This disease is the second type of cancer […]
What is an Aortic Dissection by Eric Hegger
An aortic dissection occurs when you develop a tear in the inner layer of the aorta. Blood rushes out of the opening caused by the tear and into the middle layer of the aorta. This causes a separation between the middle and inner layers of the aorta. The aorta then swells up and can rupture […]
What is Dysautonomia by Stacy Muehlher
Dysautonomia is a term used for dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which regulates many involuntary processes within the body. Heart rate, blood pressure, sweating, and the dilation of blood vessels are just some of the functions controlled by this complex system. Within our blood vessels and internal organs, nerves carry sensory impulses to our […]
What is Diabetic Eye Disease by Angela T. Shasserre
Diabetes affects millions of Americans. If diabetes is well-controlled, patients can live long, active lives with the disease. On the other hand, poorly controlled diabetes can result in permanent damage to many parts of the body including the heart, kidneys, brain, peripheral vascular system, and the eyes resulting in increasing disability and early death. Although […]
What is Heterochromia Iridis by Alexandra Adelman
The iris is an intricate part of the eye. Its job is to level out the amount of light that enters the pupil, acting as an aperture. Iris can be many colors such as shades of brown, green, blue, hazel, and sometimes even violet. Heterochromia iridis is when the iris color does not match the […]