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…...

Taking a cue from a Guy Clark song in which he sings the praises of practical possessions, such as his "ol' blue shirt" and his "used car", today's Health Tip focuses on simple, yet effective home remedies. Honey for children's cough. Treatment options for symptomatic relief of a cough associated with colds are fairly limited. …...

Over the past decade, the incidence of West Nile virus disease (WNV) was highest in 2006 when 4269 cases were reported with 177 deaths attributed to this illness.  This year, a total of 693 cases of WNV have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), resulting in 26 deaths.  While these numbers are…...

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently announced that up to 10,000 people who visited Yosemite National Park this summer were at risk for developing an infection caused by Hantavirus.  Most of these potential victims stayed in the Park’s tent-cabins that, unbeknownst to Park authorities, had been infested with mice that carry the potentially fatal…...

Following the abuse a summer's worth of sun can deliver to the skin, now is a good time to review the features of a common skin condition related to ultraviolet exposure, actinic keratosis (AK). This is particularly important since AKs are considered to be pre-cancerous with a certain percentage of them advancing into squamous cell…...

It is estimated that each year, one out of three adults over the age of 65 is involved in an unintentional fall. To understand the seriousness of this, here are a few statistics from the Centers for Disease Control: Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury related death. In 2009, unintentional fall…...

Occasionally, medical complaints can be so vague or bizarre that it inhibits those suffering such symptoms from reporting them to their doctors. Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is such a disorder. RLS is neurological condition that is characterized by unpleasant sensations in the legs, and an uncontrollable urge to move the legs in an effort to…...

The role of inflammation in the genesis of cancer is a complex and seemingly paradoxical issue. As mentioned in last week's health tip, inflammation is part of a process that helps the body remove damaged cells, irritants or germs following injury, exposure or infection. Cancer cells generally fall into the "damaged cells" category and are…...