Healthy snacks are a great way to get more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat milk products. Use these ideas to get started. Make it easy. Have snacks ready for when you get hungry. Keep some healthy snacks at work or school and at home. If you have a healthy snack easily available, it's less likely that...

Discusses polycystic ovary syndrome, a problem in which female hormones are out of balance. Discusses PCOS early symptoms like heavy bleeding or facial hair. Also covers more serious symptoms like miscarriages or infertility. Includes info on treatment.

Guides you through choosing between radiation therapy and surgery (prostatectomy) to treat prostate cancer. Lists reasons for and against radiation therapy. Also lists reasons for and against surgery. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Guides you through the decision to have surgery for a herniated disc in the low back. Describes the types of surgery available, as well as nonsurgical treatment. Lists the benefits and risks of both types of treatment. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Meditation is the practice of focusing your attention to help you feel calm and give you a clear awareness about your life. Eastern philosophies have recognized the health benefits of meditation for thousands of years. Meditation is now widely practiced in the West, with the belief that it has positive effects on...

Make sure you know about each of the medicines you take. This includes why you take it, how to take it, what you can expect while you're taking it, and any warnings about the medicine. The information provided here is general. So be sure to read...

Briefly discusses common causes of ear injuries and problems, including infection, fluid buildup, and allergies. Offers interactive tool to help decide when to seek care. Also offers home treatment tips.

Covers exercises that may help reduce low back pain. Provides step-by-step instructions for each exercise. Groups the exercises based on whether pain is relieved by standing, sitting, or neither.

Red blood cells, or erythrocytes, travel through circulating blood carrying oxygen to body tissues and organs while removing waste. These blood cells make up the largest part of the blood system. As the red blood cells in blood travel through the lungs, oxygen molecules from the lungs attach to the hemoglobin, a protein...

Briefly discusses causes of eye injuries, including sports, work activities, recreational activities, and foreign objects. Offers interactive tool to help decide when to seek care. Also offers home treatment tips.

Learn how to care for your child if they start taking antidepressant medicines.

Guides you through decision to use active surveillance for men who have low-risk and for some men who have medium-risk localized prostate cancer. Lists reasons for and against active surveillance. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

What is child care? Child care is short-term care by someone other than a parent. There are two basic types of child care: individual and group. Individual providers. These providers care for only your child or children. The provider may be a family member or friend, a nanny, an au pair, or a babysitter. Group...

Discusses radiation therapy, including external, internal, and systemic forms. Covers how it works. Also covers risks of radiation and side effects that may occur right away or later.

Covers the causes and symptoms of upper and middle back pain. Looks at treatment with rest, pain medicine, and surgery. Includes steps to prevent back pain from returning, such as practicing good posture and getting regular exercise.

Read the following information to help you decide whether you might have depression. It does not take the place of a doctor's diagnosis. Depression causes you to feel sad or hopeless much of the time. It's different from normal feelings of sadness, grief, or low energy. Depression is a medical problem that needs...

Some people with diabetes use their insulin syringes and lancets more than once to save money. But makers of syringes and lancets do not recommend using them more than once. Talk with your doctor before reusing these items. Some people who have diabetes should not reuse their syringes or lancets, including people who...

It's a good idea to keep copies of your medical records. You'll need them if you change doctors, move, get sick when you're away from home, or end up in an emergency room. If any of these things happen and you have your records, you may get treatment more quickly, and it will be safer. Here are some steps to get your...

Explains hair loss from chemotherapy or radiation. Covers how long hair loss lasts and how to care for your scalp and hair. Explains how cooling caps may help prevent hair loss in some types of treatment.

Covers causes and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Looks at treatment with medicine, exercise, and lifestyle changes. Discusses things you can do at home to relieve your symptoms and help control the disease. Includes importance of regular checkups.

Insulin is used to treat people who have diabetes. How quickly insulin starts to work and how long it lasts will be different depending on the type of insulin you use. Other factors that can affect insulin and your blood sugar are exercise, diet, illness, some medicines, stress, the dose, how you take it, or where you...

A prostate biopsy is a test to remove small samples of prostate tissue to be looked at under a microscope. The tissue samples taken are looked at for cancer cells. For a transrectal prostate biopsy, an ultrasound probe is inserted into the rectum. Guided by ultrasound, a spring-loaded needle is used to take samples from...

You have erection problems if you can't get or keep an erection that is firm enough for you to have sex. Erection problems are also called erectile dysfunction or impotence. They are more common as you get older. There are treatments that can help.

People who have long-term (chronic) diseases such as arthritis, asthma, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, hepatitis C, or stroke often also have depression. Depression also often occurs with chronic pain. Depression may occur with these problems...

Lung function tests check to see how well your lungs work. The tests can find lung problems, measure how serious they are, and check to see how well treatment for a lung disease is working. The tests look at: How much air your lungs can hold. How quickly you can move air in and out of your lungs. How well your lungs put...