Health Article description.Guides through the decision to have surgery to remove the gallbladder. Includes info on open and laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Lists benefits and risks of surgery. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Health Article description.Cryosurgery uses extreme cold to destroy cancer cells. It may be used to treat early prostate cancer. It's an option for those who can't have radiation therapy or a more invasive type of surgery. Or it may be used to treat prostate cancer that has come back after radiation therapy. During this treatment, very thin...

Health Article description.Sciatica is pain caused by irritation or pressure against the nerve roots of the sciatic nerve. People with sciatica usually have a shooting pain down the back of the leg. But they also may have leg weakness, tingling, or numbness. The sciatic nerve is formed by the nerve roots coming out of the spinal cord into the...

Health Article description.Name: ___________________________________. Partner's name: _____________________________. Doctor or midwife's name: __________________________. Today's date: _____________________. This birth plan is a guide for my labor and delivery. Since childbirth does not always go as planned, some of this birth plan may change...

Health Article description.Covers treating postpartum depression with counseling and medicines. Discusses when to seek care. Offers home care tips. Briefly outlines symptoms and the importance of treatment.

Health Article description.Guides through decision to have surgery for Dupuytren's disease. Includes other treatments for Dupuytren's disease. Describes the two types of surgery usually done. Covers benefits and risks. Includes an interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Health Article description.Mohs surgery removes a skin cancer one layer at a time. The doctor checks each layer for cancer cells until no more cancer is found. This method lets the doctor save as much healthy tissue as possible. This surgery is mostly used for areas of skin you can see or where scarring is a bigger concern, such as on the ears...

Health Article description.What is depression? Depression is a mental health condition that causes you to feel sad, lose interest in activities that you used to enjoy, withdraw from others, and have little energy. It's different from normal feelings of sadness, grief, or low energy. Depression can also cause people to feel hopeless about the...

Health Article description.Guides you through decision to have hysterectomy and oophorectomy to treat endometriosis. Covers risks of treating and not treating. Covers how well hysterectomy and removal of ovaries works. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Health Article description.Mastitis is an inflammation of the breast that occurs most commonly in breastfeeding women; it can be related to tissue injury, infection, or both. Breastfeeding mastitis is typically caused by bacteria that enter the breast through a cracked or sore nipple. Signs of infection may include: Increased pain, swelling...

Health Article description.What is inflammatory breast cancer? Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare, fast-growing type of breast cancer. It is often called IBC for short. Unlike other breast cancers, this type of cancer may not cause a lump in the breast. So screening mammograms often fail to catch it early. Because it grows so fast, it usually...

Health Article description.Guides through the decision to have surgery for tennis elbow (also called lateral epicondylitis). Explains how surgery is done. Covers risks. Lists reasons for and against surgery. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Health Article description.Disposable gloves are gloves that you use one time and then throw away. They can protect your health and the health of the person you're caring for. They help keep germs and infection from spreading to you and to the other person. Use gloves whenever you might touch body fluids, such as saliva, blood, urine, or stool...

Health Article description.Vocal cord dysfunction is the uncontrolled closing of the vocal cords when you breathe in. The symptoms can seem to be the same as those of asthma and may occur alone or along with asthma. If you have asthma and vocal cord dysfunction, it may be difficult for you to tell the difference between symptoms of the two...

Health Article description.Covers causes of sciatica such as a bulging or ruptured disc, spinal stenosis, and bone spurs. Looks at symptoms such as pain in your back or buttocks. Includes treatment with a cold pack, medicines, and exercises to relieve pain.

Health Article description.During fundoplication surgery, the upper curve of the stomach (the fundus) is wrapped around the lower end of the esophagus. Then it's sewn into place so that the lower portion of the esophagus passes through a small tunnel of stomach muscle. This...

Health Article description.Cystectomy is the surgical removal of all or part of the bladder. It is mainly used to treat bladder cancer that has spread into the bladder wall or to treat cancer that has come back (recurred) after treatment. Partial cystectomy takes out part of...

Health Article description.A canker sore is a shallow sore shaped like a crater (ulcer) on your tongue or on the inside of your lip or cheek. Canker sores have a red border and a white or yellow center. They may be painful and can make it hard to talk and eat. You may have...

Health Article description.Learn strategies to help you let go of negative emotions.

Health Article description.Includes information on gout, a type of arthritis caused by too much uric acid in the body. Info on symptoms, including swelling and pain that is often in the big toe. Covers how a diet high in purines can raise uric acid levels. Discusses diagnosis and treatment.

Health Article description.Viral (or aseptic) hepatitis is liver inflammation caused by infection with a virus. Common symptoms of hepatitis are pain below the right side of the rib cage, nausea, fatigue, jaundice (causing a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes), and headache. All types of hepatitis damage liver cells. Hepatitis can...

Health Article description.At 40 weeks, you have reached your due date. Your baby could be coming any day. Wondering what your baby looks like at 40 weeks? Your baby is now about the size of a small watermelon. Average baby length is 20 in. (50 cm). And average baby weight is 8 lb (3400 g). How your baby is changing Here are some of the important...

Health Article description.Vein ligation and stripping is a minor surgery. It is used to remove one or more varicose veins. These are twisted, swollen veins near the surface of the skin. They are most common in the legs and ankles. The surgery can also be done to prevent venous skin ulcers from coming back after treatment. You may be asleep...

Health Article description.Constipation and hemorrhoids are common problems during pregnancy. Constipation Constipation causes less frequent and more strained bowel movements. The bowels commonly move more slowly when you're pregnant. And iron in prenatal vitamins also can cause constipation during pregnancy. Hemorrhoids Hemorrhoids are swollen...

Health Article description.Discusses casts, which are used when a bone is broken. Covers how to care for casts and deal with swelling. Discusses complications that may require emergency care.