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Vitamin B12, cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin essential for your central nervous system, red blood cells and DNA synthesis. Generally, a balanced diet provides the amount of vitamin B12 your body needs, but proponents of vitamin B12 supplements tout the boost in health benefits. Cyanocobalamin is the name of the synthetic pharmaceutical version.   The National Center…

Psoriasis is a common and uncomfortable skin condition that typically develops as a rash. People who experience psoriasis will usually have itchy skin along with redness, inflammation and shedding. In most cases, psoriasis on its own isn’t life-threatening, and while treatments exist to reduce symptoms during flare-ups, there is no cure for psoriasis.  Plaque psoriasis…

Travel outside the United States is a popular retirement goal for seniors. Many seniors enjoy exploring other countries, cultures and customs in their golden years. You may choose to see the world from the deck of a cruise ship or you may be ready to jet off to new and exciting locations by plane. Seniors…

Diabetes is a medical condition that affects over 30 million people in the United States.  Diabetes causes the body to either not produce enough insulin or have difficulty processing insulin. As a result, people with diabetes face many side effects that range in severity. One of the most challenging aspects of diabetic life is the development…

In the United States today, there are approximately one million people living with the chronic neurological condition known as multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a disease of the brain and central nervous system. It triggers the immune system into attacking the myelin, which is the material covering nerve cell axons. Myelin functions as the protective insulation…

Blepharoplasty, commonly referred to as eyelid surgery, is the removal of excess skin from your eyelids. Your ophthalmologist may suggest this procedure if you have upper eyelids that droop, bags under your eyes, or excess skin in your upper or lower eyelids. Because surgeons perform blepharoplasty for both cosmetic and medical purposes, Medicare requires prior…

For people who have end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease, having a heart transplant might be necessary if other treatments haven’t helped. Also known as a cardiac transplant, a heart transplant is a complicated procedure that involves removing a functioning heart from a deceased organ donor on life support and implanting it in the…

Rabies is a viral disease caused by the lyssavirus that can be transmitted from infected animals to humans through bites, scratches, or infected saliva that comes into contact with the eyes, mouth, or nose. If you have an encounter with an animal that either tests positive for rabies or can’t be found for testing, you should…

If you’ve ever had dental work done you’ve probably heard of lidocaine, the most common local anesthetic that dentists use to block nerve pain. While lidocaine is used to treat other serious conditions like ventricular tachycardia, it is also available as a topical anesthetic in stick-on patches that you can use for any of the…

In the United States, there are over 10 million people older than 50 who have been diagnosed with osteoporosis. While most of them are women, approximately two million are men. In addition, there are over 43 million people who currently have low bone mass levels and an increased risk for osteoporosis.  Osteoporosis is a condition…

Today in the United States, there are close to 790,000 people living with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Over 71 percent of them are currently on kidney dialysis and 29 percent have had a kidney transplant.  ESRD, also referred to as acute or chronic kidney failure, occurs when the kidneys can’t filter waste from the body…

Today in the United States, statistics show that most people who are diagnosed with lung cancer are over the age of 65. Even though lung cancer is still the number one cause of cancer fatalities in this country, numbers are going down as more and more people quit smoking.  While lung cancer starts in one…