Bronchitis is a serious but common inflammatory condition of the lungs. Inflammation of the lungs causes redness, swelling, mucus production, and pain. There are two types of bronchitis: acute and chronic. In acute bronchitis, inflammation occurs as a result of a cold, sore throat, or viral infection. Symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a dry cough that progressively becomes productive. Prolonged acute bronchitis that continues for several weeks often develops into pneumonia. In chronic bronchitis, inflammation occurs as a result of exposure to tobacco smoke or other irritants. Symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, severe coughing, and phlem. Prolonged chronic bronchitis with coughing that lasts over many years can lead to permanent damage of lung tissue causing disability or even death.

Sciatica occurs when something happens to the sciatic nerve. This nerve is found in the back of your leg. It controls muscles in the back of your knee. It gives you sensation in your lower leg, thigh, and sole of your foot. Sciatica refers to bad pain, weakness, or tingling in your leg. Sciatica is caused by injury. Sciatica is not a medical condition by itself, but a symptom of another medical issue.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a painful condition that causes one or more of these symptoms within the abdomen; diarrhea, constipation, cramping and bloating. IBS affects the Large Intestine where stool is stored. Although IBS is very painful, it is not a disease. It is called a functional disorder, which means that the Large Intestine is not functioning properly, which causes the discomfort within the abdomen. Women are known to show the symptoms of IBS more than men. Some of these women may notice an increase in their symptoms during their menstral cycle.

One health issue people are talking more and more about these days are the horribly painful hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids consist of irritated veins surrounding the anus. When agitated they are known to bleed, become itchy and sometimes burst. Hemorrhoid pain can be very discomforting and if not treated in a timely manner they will only become worse over time and harder to cure. With today's medicines there are many ways to treat them and give temporary relief. Many people take a more natural and herbal route, while others use medicated creams and suppositories.

Recent research has discovered that people who are overweight more often than not have a far smaller amount of calcium in their diet than people who are of a healthy weight.

One of the most common disorders among the Americans is weight gain and there are many diseases which it accompanies along with it. Obesity and the overweight is the best examples of useless diet and unhealthy food habits. Over weight is not just an inadequate increase in the muscle mass but, it is a home of numerous medical problems. There are times when people can get frustrated about the bulging bellies.

"There's a rumbly in my tummy." Winnie the Pooh is known to sing. And yes, we must admit that we too are sometimes tempted to sing with him. Indeed, there is a rumbly in our tummy when we think about all the food we can taste and eat. Just the thought of juicy fries, a thick milkshake or a slice (or two) of cheesecake is enough to make our mouth water. But of course, all that eating will show on our bodies, especially our tummy.

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Just recently there have been many health studies and lots of news regarding the amazing benefits of antioxidants. This news makes great headlines, but most people dont even know what antioxidants are and how they can help us. Other questions in regards to these substances are how do we know if we are nourishing our bodies with enough of these nutrients, are there other types of antioxidants, and what do these antioxidants do to protect us from the
constant attack of free radicals?

In 1999, the tree conk Hemlock Varnish Shelf was found to possess "the strongest antioxidant activity of five species of Ganoderma [Reishi] tested." It was found to have stronger antioxidative activity than Vitamin E. The abundance of antioxidants in Hemlock Varnish Shelf has been confirmed by several other research papers. [827, 828, 829, 830]