A single blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence doubles a person's chances of developing melanoma skin cancer later in life.  Other types of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, are directly related to long-term sun exposure.  Children often spend a good part of their day playing outdoors in the sun, especially during…...

Recently, several reports of infections caused by "flesh eating bacteria" have appeared in the news.  Such infections have been responsible for amputations as well as death.  In one instance, the infection appears to have developed after a serious cut was exposed to contaminated water.  Just how common is this disease and do we need to…...

Some old wives' tales, such as arthritis resulting from cracking knuckles, have not held up to scientific scrutiny.  Others have stood the test of time, such as the idea that drinking cranberry juice can help fight urinary tract infections.  The concept of fish being good for the health of the brain has also gained credibility…...

Heart murmurs are sounds made by blood moving through the valves that control the flow of blood between the chambers of the heart or to the major blood vessels leaving the heart.  They are usually described as a "whooshing" sound, occurring at a certain point during the "lub-dub" cycle of each heartbeat.  Click here to…...

Heart murmurs are sounds made by blood moving through the valves that control the flow of blood between the chambers of the heart or to the major blood vessels leaving the heart.  They are usually described as a "whooshing" sound, occurring at a certain point during the "lub-dub" cycle of each heartbeat.  Last week we…...

What do Michael J. Fox, Mohammed Ali, and more than a million people in the U.S. have in common? All have a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system known as Parkinson's disease. It is named after the English doctor James Parkinson, who in 1817 called the disease "shaking palsy", after one of the condition's…...

This summer has seen record breaking heat, particularly in the northeast part of the U.S. Based on news reports, this summer may set a record for heat-related illness and deaths also.  Heat-related illnesses (e.g., heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat syncope, or heatstroke) can develop when high temperatures overwhelm the body's natural ability to dissipate heat. …...

Skin tags, known in medical terms as "acrochordons" or "fibroepithelial polyps", are very common benign skin growths affecting over half of the general population at some time in their lives.  They most commonly occur in skin folds, especially in the neck region, armpits, and groin.  Other common areas for the development of skin tags include…...