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Hives
Hives (urticaria) is an allergic reaction in the skin characterized by white or pink welts or large bumps surrounded by redness. These welts are known as wheal and flare lesions and are caused primarily by the release of histamine (an allergy mediator) in the skin. About 50% of people with chronic hives develop angioedema—a deeper, more serious form of hives involving the tissue below the surface of the skin.
While the basic cause of hives involves the release of histamine from white blood cells, what actually triggers this release can be a variety of factors, such as physical contact or pressure, heat (prickly heat rash), cold, water, autoimmune reactions, infectious organisms, and allergies or sensitivities to drugs (especially antibiotics and aspirin), foods, and food additives.
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Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are complex conditions involving psychological factors and nutritional deficiencies. The psychological factors may include an inability to cope with stress, problems with family and other relationships, feelings of deprivation, and experiences of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. Psychotherapy is an essential part of the treatment for eating disorders, along with nutrition counseling and medical care as needed.
The term eating disorders includes anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge-eating. A person with anorexia does not eat enough to maintain a healthy weight; she views herself as overweight and is anxious about gaining weight. Anorexia typically begins in early adolescence, mainly among girls, though the numbers of boys developing this condition is increasing. People with anorexia weigh less than 85% of the normal weight for their age and height. Excessive exercise, vomiting, and abuse of laxatives and/or diuretics may also occur. Severe anorexia can be life threatening.
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Anxiety
Anxiety describes any feeling of worry or dread, usually about potential events that might happen. Some anxiety about stressful events is normal. However, in some people, anxiety interferes with the ability to function. Severe anxiety usually lasts more than six months, though it may not be a problem every day. Some people who think they are anxious may actually be depressed. Because of all these factors, it is important for people who are anxious to seek expert medical care. Natural therapies can be one part of the approach to helping relieve mild to moderate anxiety.
What are the symptoms of anxiety?
Physical symptoms of anxiety include fatigue, insomnia, stomach problems, sweating, racing heart, rapid breathing, shortness of breath, and irritability.
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Canker Sores
Canker sores are small ulcerations within the mouth. Doctors call this common condition aphthous stomatitis.
What are the symptoms of canker sores?
Canker sores appear alone or in clusters as shallow, painful erosions in the mucous membrane inside the mouth. They typically have slightly raised, yellowish borders surrounded by a red zone, and are sometimes covered with a yellowish opaque material. Fatigue, fever, and swollen lymph nodes may be present in severe attacks.
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Osgood-Schlatter Disease
Osgood-Schlatter disease is a form of osteochondrosis, a disease of the growth center at the end of long bones. The disease occurs in adolescence, most commonly among 10- to 15-year-old boys, and is often the result of rapid growth combined with competitive sports that overstress the knee joint. The patellar tendon, which attaches the kneecap to the tibia, is sometimes strained and partially torn from the bone by the powerful quadriceps muscles. This tearing, called avulsion, may be extremely painful and is sometimes disabling. It may occur in one or both knees. The knee is usually tender to pressure at the point where the large tendon from the kneecap attaches to the prominence below.
What are the symptoms of Osgood-Schlatter disease?
People with Osgood-Schlatter disease experience tenderness, swelling, and pain just below one knee that usually worsens with activity, such as going up or down stairs, and is relieved by rest. Symptoms may also include the appearance of a bony bump below the knee cap that is especially painful when pressed.
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