More and more uses are being found for the device known as the MRI -- magnetic resonance imaging -- and sometimes, what it finds can be used to improve specific treatment of a disease or condition.

•	MRI scan offers remedial options for dyslexic children

 

Sexual desire does indeed have an enemy, and it may not be loss of interest in your partner.

•	Times that try the soul also test the libido

 

Even for the most finely-tuned runners, pain in feet shouldn't be ignored. You can't run "beyond” the ache, using your mind to overcome what your body is telling you.

•	Tip to runners: When it comes to your feet, don't push past the pain

 

Slightly distorting an old adage: It may be a good idea to keep 'em on the farm before they see the big city.

•	Childhood exposure to farm animals seems to help those with asthma

 

Here's a version of the old Johnny Carson routine using the Great Karnak: The answer: Exercise, exercise, exercise. The question: What three things can help improve knee pain from osteoarthritis?

•	Osteoarthritis Pain Improves With Regular Exercise

 

The old TV commercial termed anemia as "iron-poor blood," and the condition's symptoms have been popularized as being tired and listless.

•	Anemia Linked to Elderly Mobility Problems

 

Kayaking can be an exciting sport, shooting the rapids of a boulder-filled river, the kayaker enduring the bumps, twists and turns of a hair-raising ride.

•	Kayaking injuries don't usually happen when the rapids are rough

 

The statistics identify it, but they don't explain it: kids are suffering from wrist and forearm breaks much more often than they did 30 years ago.

•	Is lack of calcium contributing to more arm fractures in children?

 

The latest nationwide outbreak of food poisoning -- this time from the salmonella bacterium -- places a big explanation point on the fact that even in the United States , consumers have to be careful about what they eat and drink.

•	Some ways to protect yourself from food-borne illnesses

 

With just about every study and survey showing that a significant part of the American population is getting fatter and more sedentary, it might be difficult to believe that some people are damaging their health by training too much.

•	There is such a thing as too much exercise… and it's dangerous

 

Despite some efforts to adjust attitudes among overweight children that would make them -- at the very least -- accepting of their condition, obese kid are very unhappy, so much so that a recent study compared their misery with those children who had cancer.

•	Obese children see their lives in dark shades of misery

 

While the moveable baby seat may be a Godsend for parents and caregivers, it isn't foolproof.

•	The Portable Infant Seat Isn't Protection for Every Situation

 

It seems to be almost a contradiction in terms, but if you use exercise as a primary tool to treat back pain, you may not need anything else to ease the pain.

•	Tailor-made exercise program can help lower back pain go away

 

While more medicines have been found to help fight the pain and discomfort caused by Crohn's disease, some patients will require surgery.

•	Catheters can delay or eliminate surgery for Crohn's disease patients

 

While many people who get Lyme disease have a rash from a tick bite as an early sign they've become infected, the singular "bull's eye" target isn't always there.

•	Altitude headache relief may be a couple of pills away - but which ones?

 

While many people who get Lyme disease have a rash from a tick bite as an early sign they've become infected, the singular "bull's eye" target isn't always there.

•	'Bull's Eye' Rash Not Always First Sign of Lyme Disease

 

Move over, Mr. Spock. The always logical Vulcan Star Trek officer often claimed that emotions got in the way of good decision-making. But at least one study has found that it takes both logic and emotional involvement to come up with a good choice, from where to have dinner to when to change jobs.

•	Decision-making requires both analysis and emotion

 

Nothing can hurt more than a bad tooth, but if you also have heart disease, the time of day you visit the dentist can make a difference.

•	Cardiac patients with a toothache better off with morning dentist visits

 

The computer is the office worker's new best friend in the 21st century. It also can be a real pain… literally.

•	Repetitive stress injuries not just for computer nerds

 

In the late 1980s, extended use contact lenses were viewed skeptically by many ophthalmologists. At that time the theory was, the longer you wear them, the better the chance for developing an infection, especially a bacterial one.

•	Contact Lenses Designed for Extended Use May Reduce Infection Risk

 

Some athletes seem always to come through when the pressure is highest.

•	Sometimes, athletes should 'do' instead of 'think'

 

As the American population ages, so increases the risk of a number of debilitating ailments and injuries.

•	'I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up' is Not a Joke

 

The debate as to whether a baby's brain is "hard-wired" to understand language or whether language skills are acquired over time hasn't stopped.

•	How soon can your baby understand what you say?

 

While it may not equate with knowing the details of brain surgery, being aware of how important exercise is for adolescents can literally be a life-saver.

•	Making exercise part of your routine as a teen creates healthier adults

 

With Spring here, there's little doubt that activity for many will soon switch from the house to the outdoors.

•	Tree Shade is Cool, but How Well Does it Protect You From UV Rays?

 

Does cocaine use cause your blood vessels to constrict, putting so much strain on the heart that a heart attack can occur?

•	Cocaine’s Wicked Double Punch Causes Major Heart Stress

 

Everyone needs to perspire. Sweating as the result of exercise, or emotional stress or being exposed to too much heat is an essential way to cool the body.

•	Unpleasant body odor tied to essential physiological element

 

The first and most important action for alcoholics is to stop drinking. The second is to stay off the booze.

•	Hidden hazards lurk for recovering alcoholics

 

With a late-season flu outbreak affecting hundreds of thousands of Americans, those familiar symptoms your child shows -- difficulty in breathing, coughing and fever -- may actually not be the flu at all.

•	Same symptoms as the flu, but your child may have a different virus

 

When drugs and dietary changes don't provide relief from the pain, bloating and other unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, patients may want to try a different approach.

•	‘Mind Over Matter’ can Control Irritable Bowel Syndrome… Literally

 

It's not the food you eat the may cause halitosis, better known as bad breath. The garlic, onions, coffee alcohol a person consumes could have some detrimental effect on one's breath, but the real culprit may too much or too little of a specific type of bacteria that dominate the back portion of the top of your tongue.

•	Bad Breath Not from What You Eat but from What Bacteria You Have

 

While new research suggests that putting a baby to sleep with a pacifier may reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, putting your baby to sleep on his or her back and not exposing the baby to smoke before or after birth are the two most important steps parents can take to reduce the risk of SIDS, according to child care experts.

•	Pacifiers help prevent SIDS, but baby on its back still the best approach

 

Experience is not only often the best teacher, it also can be the best basis for making decisions.

•	MD’s judgment, experience often best ways to treat a baby’s fever

 

One person's poison can often be another person's salvation, to paraphrase an old axiom.

•	Deadly Ebola virus may be used to treat lung diseases

 

It may seem like a good idea: Use a bit of TV viewing to ease your young child off to sleep.

•	TV viewing before bedtime linked to irregular child sleep patterns, experts say

 

The latest string of outbreaks of a version of a bacterial staphylococcus infection in schools and other places where the public gathers has caused attention to focus again how to bring this dangerous germ under control.

•	Nasal Antibiotic May be Able to Reduce Hospital Staph Infections

 

First, there's the initial baby question: When is the right time to have your first child?

•	Pregnancy takes a good sense of timing… literally

 

Among our commonest and most frequent ailments are conditions and diseases that start in organs leading to the gut.

•	Gastrointestinal problems costing close to $100 billion annually

 

What's the most common injury a backpack-toting student will get at some time during his or her school years?

•	Causes of backpack injuries not necessarily confined to the obvious

 

The argument over whether oregano is a legitimate herb to be included in the basics of a pizza recipe may be usurped by a more important concern.

•	Can Adding Oregano Keep Infection Away?

 

It's that time of year again: visits with family and friends, gift-giving, conviviality, that “warmth” toward your fellow human beings… and too much food and drink.

•	Here are Some Ways to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

 

The way to a person's heart may not be through the stomach, as the adage says.

•	Leg pain can be a precursor to far more serious problems

 

To paraphrase George Orwell: Some nicotine-replacement products are more equal than others.

•	Quit-smoking aids work at different levels for different people

 

If you feel like someone has split your head open with an axe, is that kind of pain always associated with a migraine headache?

•	It's hard to tell the difference between a migraine and an ‘ordinary' headache

 

A fractured wrist is bad enough in itself. But for older women, a broken wrist may the harbinger of something even worse – osteoporosis.

•	Osteoporosis warning sign in women: a fractured wrist

 

Can drinking coffee or caffeine-laced sodas help your liver? Research is mounting that caffeine helps people who are at risk for liver disease, and in fact, may be able to keep a liver healthy.

•	Caffeine as Liver Damage Preventative: Evidence Looks Good

 

The evidence that high cholesterol levels can cause heart problems has accumulated to a point that there is little dispute in the medical community.

•	Elevated cholesterol levels can cause cognitive decline; drugs may help

 

No one has ever claimed that chemotherapy is a pleasant experience. And while it's a necessity for a great many cancer patients – the number of saved lives climbs each year – chemotherapy's side effects sometimes can cause disaster in viral infections that under other circumstances would be considered nothing more than a minor annoyance.

•	When Do Annoying Respiratory Viruses Turn Deadly?

 

Listen to your mother: A little chicken soup can't do you any harm.

•	It can’t hurt: chicken soup can help with flu and cold symptoms

 

The cold season is coming; the allergy season is here. Just as in the spring, the uncomfortable periods of sneezes, runny (or stuffed up) noses, watery eyes and aches all over your body overlap.

•	How Can You Tell if Your Sneeze is From an Allergy or a Cold?

 

Lance Armstrong had won five Tour de France bicycling races in 2003 and had overcome cancer.

•	‘Overuse’ Training Can Produce Painful Side Effects

 

It's the season of Friday night lights, and high school football players are crashing into each other in record numbers.

•	Headaches a Real Warning of Serious Damage to High School Athletes

 

Few men may realize it, but if they're having problems achieving or sustaining erections, it may signal underlying heart trouble.

•	Sex May be Not Be the Problem for Those with Erectile Dysfunction

 

Forget about mints, peppermint “bursts” or chewing gum to freshen your breath. The answer may be resting in your kitchen cabinet.

•	Have Halitosis? Tea May be the Answer

 

You see them everywhere, almost with the same frequency as tattoos. Body piercings, especially in young people, that go far beyond one or two or more holes in each ear.

•	There’s Infection Danger in the Ancient Art of Body Piercing

 

By its own definition, chronic disease doesn't have a cure. The best one who suffers from such chronic conditions as sinusitis, lower back pain and migraine headaches can hope for is to cope successfully with these conditions without having them become overwhelming.

•	New Treatments Found to Ease Pain of Chronic Ailments

 

Injuries that occurred more than 60 years ago are providing scientists with insight into the relationship between brain trauma and depression.

•	Depression Still a Risk for Head Injury Victims Decades Later

 

The time to get an influenza vaccine isn't that far off; it usually starts at the end of September, with the heaviest activity for vaccinations coming in October and November.

•	Flu Vaccine Important, but it Doesn’t Prevent Everything

 

Most gynecologists and obstetricians would agree that keeping a pregnant woman as free from prescription drugs as possible is a good thing.

•	Premature Birth Risk May be Less by Using Antibiotics in Early Pregnancy When Certain Vaginal Infections are Found

 

Car seats are mandatory in all 50 states in the United States for children under 40 pounds. After that, it's up to the individual states to regulate when a child is old enough or large enough to no longer require a car seat.

•	Study Offers a ‘Big Boost’ for Older Child Car Seat Use

 

The practice of putting infants on their back when they sleep has long been associated with helping to reduce the onset of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

•	Sleeping on its Back Gives Baby Fewer Fevers, Stuffy Noses, Ear Infections

 

Cod liver oil is back.

•	Hold Your Nose and Open Your Ears: Cod Liver Oil Works

 

The practicing of putting holes in one's ears so that ornaments can be attached to them is recorded further back than even the earliest civilizations of Egypt and China.

•	It May Be ‘Old Hat', But Ear Piercing Still Can Be Dangerous

 

Dopamine, the substance that plays a key role in diagnosis of diseases like Parkinson’s, may also determine whether a person is addicted to gambling.

•	Gambling Addiction May Be Triggered by Brain Chemistry Change

 

Is it possible to spot a cheater? Studies indicate that, by-and-large, our brains have developed a natural sense of when someone is being dishonest with us on a regular basis. What’s more, they say, living by the Golden Rule really is much more preferable.

•	Scientific Study Says That Cheaters Really Don’t Have a Chance

 

When do you teach a promising young baseball player how to throw a curve ball? If he’s too young, you could ruin his arm. If he’s too far along in his athletic career, he might not have enough time to get it right.

•	The ‘Right Pitch’ for Little Leaguers Saves Arms for Later On

 

For a test whose results may make a big difference between strong bones and unnecessary fractures – especially in older people -- a bone mineral density test (BMD) is “NBD” --- no big deal.

•	The Bone Density Test: Why It’s Important and What You Can Expect

 

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – made its way into the public lexicon more than 30 years ago, during the Vietnam war.

•	Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder’s Reach Goes Beyond the Front

 

Summertime’s easy living also poses dangers, and one that can wreak havoc if not addressed every day is what the hot sun can do to the eyes… especially children’s eyes.

•	It’s Not Just the Skin that Needs Protection from the Summer Sun

 

How widespread is autism? And is the condition – which centers on characteristics such as the inability to form personal relationships – being properly diagnosed?

•	Autism Rate May Be Attributed to Broader Definition, Better Diagnoses

 

Postpartum depression has gotten a softer face in recent years as celebrity mothers, such as Brooke Shields, who've experienced its devastating symptoms, have begun to share their personal stories.

•	Postpartum Depression: A Risk for New Dads, Too

 

You don’t need to be a gym rat to benefit from exercise and lose weight. And while walking a half an hour a day won’t necessarily make your abs look like a washboard, your weight will be under control and your health will improve.

•	Nothing Beats Moderate Exercise for Weight Loss and Good Health

 

While it’s not exactly a take-off on the old song that has lyrics like “the leg bone is connected to the thigh bone,” medical research indicates that people with weak hearts can benefit from doing some exercises involving their legs.

•	Leg Exercises May Help Improve Failing Hearts

 

Getting enough sleep is important for adults, but for children, it’s critical.

•	Good Sleep Habits Help Kids with Schoolwork and Alertness, Studies Say

 

How to get rid of the unsightly wart? It’s still one of the most-asked questions in the world of practical medicine, meaning that one doesn’t need to be a Harvard Medical School graduate to give it a shot.

•	Sometimes, the Old Ways are the Best Ways to Treat Warts

 

There’s no doubt that the flu vaccine saves lives, especially among the very young and the elderly.

•	As Flu Season Ends, A Reminder to the Workforce About Vaccinations

 

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of organizations claiming to assist in obtaining proper health care information and programs.

•	'Healthy Steps': A Program That Works for Parent and Child

 

Medical research often results in findings that change or even reverse what was thought to be scientifically sound.

•	The More Fruit Eaten Earlier in Life May Reduce Cancer Risk

 

Consider the humble cranberry, “bogged down” during its growth period, yet full of medical benefit potential that scientists are still discovering.

•	Cranberries May Help Treat Damage From Stroke

 

It’s not enough that a mother-to-be who contracts the flu has to suffer through aches, pains and fever during her pregnancy.

•	Fever From Flu While Pregnant May Hike Risk of Child Behavior Problems

 

It’s not a cure—few steroids are—but prednisone, taken through an inhaler, can help ease the painful symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

•	Steroid Prednisone Effective Against Lung Disease Flare-Ups

 

With aging come a number of challenges, the most important probably being keeping healthy.

•	Stress is Elderly Caregivers’ Worst Enemy