Lab tests play an important role in your health care. They help your doctor make a diagnosis or treatment decisions. But they may not provide all of the information that your doctor needs. Your doctor will not usually make a decision or diagnosis based only on the results of a lab test, unless the test results are...

Nerves carry messages back and forth from your low back and legs. By testing how well your muscles, reflexes, and sense of feeling are working, your doctor can tell whether there is pressure on a nerve root in your spine. Your doctor often can also tell which nerve root is involved. Muscle strength tests Muscle strength...

For inspiration to exercise, John hasn't had to look far. His father rides his bike daily to prevent another heart attack. John's grandparents and others in his family also had heart disease. John's doctor told him that his steady weight gain over the years was putting him in danger of heart problems as well. "He said...

Finding the right nursing home can help you feel safe and cared for. A good first step to choosing a nursing home is to make a list of homes you might be interested in. Talk to family, friends, doctors, and others to get recommendations of good nursing homes. If you can, it's good to plan ahead so you have time to learn...

A loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) removes tissue from the cervix. You may have this done if you've had a Pap test or colposcopy that shows tissue that isn't normal. During LEEP, your doctor will put a tool called a speculum into your vagina. It opens the vagina a little bit. This lets your doctor see the...

There's a lot you can do to lower your stress when you have cancer. The key is to find one or two ways of coping with stress that work for you. Pick at least one you can do when your energy is low. Try different things until you find what works for you. For example, you could try relaxation exercises like progressive...

Discusses how to work with your doctor, how to prepare for different types of appointments, and what to do after appointments. Includes questions to ask about recommended tests and treatments.

Guides through the decision to have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for low back pain. Discusses the problems an MRI can find and why it may not show the source of pain. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Anoscopy, proctoscopy, and sigmoidoscopy tests allow your doctor to look at the inner lining of your anus, your rectum, and the lower part of the large intestine (colon). These tests are used to look for abnormal growths (such as tumors or polyps), inflammation, bleeding, hemorrhoids, and other conditions (such as...

What is colic? All babies cry, but sometimes a baby will cry for hours at a time, no matter what you do. This extreme type of crying in a baby between 3 weeks and 3 months of age is called colic. Although it is upsetting for parents and caregivers, colic is normal for some babies. Doctors usually diagnose colic when a...

When you have infertility, you may feel alone, confused, or scared. Talking with others about your feelings can help. Here are some places you may find support. Family and friends. They can help you cope by giving you comfort and encouragement. Counseling. Professional counseling can help you understand and deal with...

A bone density test is a kind of X-ray test. It measures the density of minerals (such as calcium ) in your bones. This information helps your doctor estimate the strength of your bones. We all lose some bone mass as we age. Bones naturally become thinner (called low bone density ) as you grow older. This is because...

Chronic pain often requires both counseling and medical treatment, because it can have a wearing effect on both the body and the mind. At a pain management clinic, you can get multidisciplinary treatment from a team of specialists, including: Physiatrists. These medical doctors specialize in physical medicine and...

Covers the basics of obesity. Discusses health risks such as hypertension related to having excess body fat. Focuses on lifestyle changes you can make, like healthy eating and exercise. Includes information on weight-loss medicines and surgery and on creating a long-term plan with your doctor.

Screening for heart attack and stroke risk is a way for your doctor to check your chance of having a problem called atherosclerosis. This problem is also called hardening of the arteries. It is the starting point for most heart and blood flow problems, such as coronary artery disease, heart attack, stroke, and...

Your doctor may take a sample, or biopsy, of abnormal tissue. The majority of warts do not require a biopsy. But a biopsy may be taken if genital warts cannot be easily identified with a physical exam or during a gynecology exam with a lighted magnifying instrument ( colposcopy). A microscopic exam on the biopsied...

As a part of the physical exam for eating disorders, a doctor may order certain tests to see whether your body is generally healthy. These may include blood or urine tests to check: Electrolyte levels. Electrolytes are minerals, such as potassium, calcium, and sodium. A severe imbalance of electrolytes can lead to...

Learn about how to find resources that can help with housing needs.

An autopsy is a thorough medical exam of a body after death. It may be done to learn about a disease or injury. Or it may be done to find out how or why a person has died. An autopsy is done by a doctor called a pathologist. This type of doctor is an expert in examining body tissues and fluids. Family members may ask...