According to the American Academy of Dermatology, approximately 85 percent of the population will develop an allergic reaction if exposed to poison ivy, oak or sumac. The cause for the rash, blisters, and infamous itch is urushiol (pronounced yoo-Roo-shee-all), a chemical in the sap of these plants. Avoiding direct contact with the plants reduces the…...

The first vaccine was developed by Edward Jenner in 1796 as a means of preventing smallpox. Currently, vaccines to protect us from around 27 diseases are available in the U.S., with more under development. Immunization is the process in which vaccines are administered to help develop resistance or immunity to disease. In the medical community,…...

Last article, normal immune function and how vaccines work were discussed. Before vaccines, the only way to become immune to a disease was to survive having it, a process known as “natural immunity”. In the process of developing natural immunity, however, symptoms of the disease, along with its potential complications, were experienced. Immunity developed through…...

Every day, millions of people use soaps and body washes that are labeled as being antibacterial or antimicrobial. Much of the proliferation of these products appears to be due to the marketing efforts of their manufacturers. Makers of these products have convinced us that using these products demonstrates concern for our family’s welfare as well…...

"One man's meat is another man's poison" - Lucretius, 1st century BCRecently, a friend of mine ended up in the emergency department a few days after starting a dietary supplement that she assumed was safe since it could be purchased without a prescription. What she didn’t realize is that many supplements, just like prescription medications,…...

"Water is the driving force in nature." --Leonardo da Vinci Water constitutes up to 60% of the human adult body. This water serves a number of important functions including: Helping to regulate body temperature through sweating Assisting in flushing waste out of the body Carrying nutrients and oxygen to the body’s cells Moistening tissues in…...

Recently, the term “supportive care” has appeared in news releases in relation to the treatment of Ebola virus victims without providing much information on the specifics of this treatment. Actually, supportive care has more than one context in medicine. For example, in terminal cancer, supportive care, also known as palliative care, focuses on relieving suffering…...

Many people have heard about the benefits of having a strong “core”, but few really understand which muscles are parts of the core group or why they are so important. Which muscles are considered to be part of the core? Although definitions of which muscles constitute the core vary, in general, they are considered to…...