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The symptoms depend on which type of nerve is affected. The three main types of nerves are sensory, motor, and autonomic. Neuropathy can affect any one or a combination of all three types of nerves. Symptoms also depend on whether the condition af...
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Peripheral neuropathy is a condition involving the nerves of the peripheral portion of the nervous system. Neurobiologists describe the peripheral nervous system as any part of that system found in the arms or legs. The nerves that traverse the ar...
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The term peripheral neuropathy encompasses a wide range of disorders in which the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord-peripheral nerves-have been damaged. Peripheral neuropathy may also be referred to as peripheral neuritis, or if many ner...
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Abdominal bloating is a condition in which the abdomen (belly) feels full and tight.
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Abdominal distention, gaseous often results from overeating or from swallowing air, but
can be a sign of a more serious medical condition, such as bowel obstruction. Eating
certain foods such as legumes (beans) can cause abdominal distention due to intestinal
gas.
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Pain is an unpleasant sensation triggered in the nervous system that can range from mild
discomfort to unbearable agony. Pain receptors located throughout the body send
electrical impulses via the spinal cord to the brain.
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An abnormal sensation is often a signal that there something affecting a nerve or the nervous system. These sensations are often difficult to describe and are subjective, that is, experienced by the patient but may be difficult for the provider to diagnose and treat.
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I'm a lung cancer survivor. My feet and hands are always hot, like they're on fire. Why could this be?
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Bowel movements normally occur at approximately the same time each day. The feces
(stool) itself should be soft enough that it can be passed without straining.
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Constipation refers to infrequent or hard stools, or difficulty passing stools. Constipation may involve pain during the passage of a bowel movement, inability to pass a bowel movement after straining or pushing for more than 10 minutes, or no bowel movements after more than 3 days. Infants who are still exclusively breastfed may go 7 days without a stool.
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Constipation is an acute or chronic condition in which bowel movements occur less often than usual or consist of hard, dry stools that are painful or difficult to pass. Bowel habits vary, but an adult who has not had a bowel movement in three days or a child who has not had a bowel movement in four days is considered constipated.
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Detailed information on constipation, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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Contrary to popular myth, it is not necessary for you to be "regular" (have daily bowel movements) for your bowel pattern to be normal. If your bowel movements are so infrequent that they cause you discomfort, or if bowel movements are an effort for you, then you are experiencing constipation.
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Detailed information on constipation, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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Detailed information on constipation, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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Detailed information on constipation, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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Oncology: Controlling ConstipationConstipation(difficulty passing stool) is a common side effect of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Constipation can be caused by the medications you are taking.
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Constipation is an acute or chronic condition in which bowel movements occur less often than usual or consist of hard, dry stools that are painful or difficult to pass. Although constipation is a relative term, with normal patterns of bowel movements varying widely from person to person, generally an adult who has not had a bowel movement in three days or a child who has not had a bowel movement in four days is considered constipated.
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Difficulty with producing a bowel movement, or infrequent bowel movements. Constipation, a condition that can affect the human digestive system at any stage of life, is rarely serious or chronic.
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ConstipationSymptom and DescriptionConstipation means being unable to move your bowels, having to push harder to move your bowels, or moving them less often than usual. Bowel movements will be small, dry, and hard.
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Constipation is an acute or chronic condition in which bowel movements occur less often than usual or consist of hard, dry stools that are painful or difficult to pass. Bowel habits vary, but an adult who has not had a bowel movement in three days or a child who has not had a bowel movement in four days is considered constipated.
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Lots of children suffer from constipation -- bowel movements that are hard or painful. Your child may become constipated because of toilet-training troubles or anxiety related to using the toilet. Or, he may not be getting enough fiber or liquids in his diet or may not be getting enough exercise.
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Many parents worry that their baby is constipated, which can happen for many reasons. Sometimes, however, babies are not really constipated, but just have their own way of pooping.
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Colds usually are mild illnesses that get better within one or two weeks. However, even mild symptoms can make children feel miserable.
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The most common beliefs about alleviating constipation may be myths, say some experts.
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What's the best way to relieve constipation in babies?
Claire McCarthy, M.D., is a senior medical editor for Harvard Health Publications. She is an instructor in pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, an attending physician at Children's Hospital of Boston, and co-director of the pediatrics department at Martha Eliot Health Center, a neighborhood health service of Children's Hospital. The author of two books, "Learning How the Heart Beats" and "Everyone's Children", Dr. McCarthy was a regular columnist for "Sesame Street Parents Magazine" from 1995 to 1998 and is currently a contributing editor for "Parenting Magazine".
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Why does taking iron cause you to be constipated?
Mary Pickett, M.D., is a lecturer for Harvard Medical School and an assistant professor of medicine at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, OR. At OHSU, she practices general internal medicine and teaches medical residents and students.
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I am suffering from constipation. Dulcolax works, but it cannot be taken too often. Could you suggest a better, non-habit-forming medicine?
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Uncoordinated movement is an abnormality of muscle control or an inability to finely coordinate movements, resulting in a jerky, unsteady, to-and-fro motion of the trunk or the limbs.
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Ataxia, a medical term originated from the Greek language meaning " without order, " refers to disturbances in the control of body posture, motor coordination, speech control, and eye movements. Several brain areas, including the cerebellum and the spinocerebellar tracts, substantia nigra, pons, and cerebral cortex control these functions.
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Detailed information on ataxia, including sporadic ataxia and the hereditary ataxias
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Lack of coordination in the muscles. Ataxia, an extreme lack of coordination of the muscles, is a symptom of damage to the central nervous system.
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Developmental coordination disorder is diagnosed when children do not develop normal motor coordination (coordination of movements involving the voluntary muscles). Developmental coordination disorder has been known by many other names, some of which are still used today.
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An abnormal lack of sweat in response to heat may be harmful, because sweating allows heat to be released from the body. The medical term for absent sweating is anhidrosis.
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Diarrhea is loose, watery, and frequent stool. Diarrhea is considered chronic (long-term) when you have had loose or frequent stools for more than 4 weeks.
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Detailed information on diarrhea, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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Oncology: Controlling DiarrheaDiarrhea(loose stools) is a common side effect of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Diarrhea results when treatment affects the normal cells lining the intestine.
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Diarrhea From ChemotherapyDiarrhea can occur in cancer patients for a number of reasons. The tumor itself can bring on this side effect, as can changes in diet or an infection in the intestine.
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Detailed information on diarrhea, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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Detailed information on diarrhea, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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Detailed information on traveler's diarrhea, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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Detailed information on diarrhea, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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Detailed information on diarrhea, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
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If your diarrhea is substantial, if you have other unexplained symptoms such as fatigue, abdominal pain, weight loss, or blood in your bowel movements, or if your diarrhea has persisted for more than five days, you should visit with your doctor to discuss your symptoms.
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We all dread diarrhea. But when the patient is your infant or toddler, diarrhea can range from a minor annoyance to a medical emergency.
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Common causes of diarrhea in babies include infections of the stomach and intestines (gastrointestinal tract) or changes in diet. Most cases of diarrhea are not serious, go away in a day or two and can be managed at home.
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Answering the questions in this tool will help you understand more about the possible causes of diarrhea in children, and will help you decide when to call your doctor.
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To most persons, diarrhea means an increased frequency or softer consistency of bowel movements; however, the medical definition is more exact than this. Diarrhea best correlates with an increase in stool weight; stool weights above 300 g per day generally indicates diarrhea.
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Satiety is the satisfied feeling of being full after eating. Early satiety is feeling full sooner than normal or after eating less than usual.
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Fainting is a temporary loss of consciousness due to a drop in blood flow to the brain. The episode is brief (lasting less than a couple of minutes) and is followed by rapid and complete recovery. You may feel lightheaded or dizzy before fainting. A longer, deeper state of unconsciousness is often called a coma.
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Fainting is a temporary loss of consciousness, weakness of muscles, and inability to stand up, all caused by sudden loss of blood flow to the brain. Fainting is a relatively common symptom caused by a variety of problems relating to changes in blood pressure.
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Detailed information on syncope, also called fainting, including causes, symptoms, diagnostic, and treatment information
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Fainting is loss of consciousness caused by a temporary lack of oxygen to the brain. Known by the medical term " syncope, " fainting may be preceded by dizziness , nausea, or a feeling of extreme weakness.
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If your blood pressure drops too low, your brain may not get enough oxygen-rich blood. Your body responds by losing consciousness briefly. You also slump or fall down. This problem is called syncope, fainting, or a blackout.
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Syncope, or fainting, is a temporary loss of consciousness, usually caused by decreased blood flow to the brain . Syncope is a symptom, rather than a disease itself, and has many causes.
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Fainting is a loss of consciousness, falling down or needing to lie down, followed by spontaneous recovery. Fainting by itself is not a problem, but it could be a sign of a serious health condition.
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Every time I have blood drawn, I have vasovagal reaction. Does that prevent me from blood donation? Any advice how to combat this?
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A drug trial shows that beta blockers do not reduce the incidence of fainting spells.
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Falls or accidents can lead to pain, broken bones, and fear of future falls. Protect yourself and others by preparing for episodes. Simple steps can help increase your safety at home and wherever you go.
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Falls are a common source of injury, particularly in the elderly population. They are more likely to occur if impairments in balance, strength, perception, joint range of motion, postural function or coordination are present.
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Aimed at older adults, this report provides practical advice on how to avoid common and often deadly accidents at home.
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Detailed information on preventing falls in children and the elderly
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Many older people fall because of unsafe surroundings at home. Use these suggestions to safeguard against some likely household hazards.
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Although it's impossible to prevent all falls, you can help keep yourself safe by improving your balance and employing "fall-proofing" behaviors.
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As we get older, our balance tends to diminish. Exercise, in addition to its many other benefits, can help regain or maintain balance and control.
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Fatigue is a feeling of weariness, tiredness, or lack of energy.
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Fatigue is physical and/or mental exhaustion that can be triggered by stress , medication, overwork, or mental and physical illness or disease. Everyone experiences fatigue occasionally.
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Boosting Your Energy provides information on the causes and treatments of persistent fatigue. Includes information on aging and energy, eating for energy, and boosting your energy.
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Fatigue may be defined as a subjective state in which one feels tired or exhausted, and in which the capacity for normal work or activity is reduced. There is, however, no commonly accepted definition of fatigue when it is considered in the context of health and illness.
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Fatigue: TreatmentIf the fatigue is related to a decrease in hemoglobin, or oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, then replacing the red blood cells by transfusion or taking erythropoietin can help reduce fatigue. If the fatigue is not related to...
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If you regularly feel weary after waking from a good night’s sleep or for no apparent reason, it’s time to find out why.
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Introduction Fatigue may be defined as a subjective state in which one feels tired or exhausted, and in which the capacity for normal work or activity is reduced. There is, however, no commonly accepted definition of fatigue when it is considered in the context of health and illness.
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Fatigue is physical and/or mental exhaustion that can be triggered by stress , medication, overwork, or mental and physical illness or disease. Everyone experiences fatigue occasionally.
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Fatigue is a feeling of exhaustion or loss of strength. The duration of fatigue for a patient with cancer has been found to last from one to two times the length of time between diagnosis and completion of treatment, so it is common for fatigue to persist beyond a patient ' s treatment regimen.
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Fatigue: ManagementIf the person on chemotherapy has decreased hemoglobin, or oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, and it seems like the low hemoglobin level will last for a while, then a medicine called PROCRIT® (Epoetin alfa) may be prescribed...
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Fatigue: CausesWe currently understand some of the causes of fatigue but not all of them. Fatigue may be related to physical changes caused by cancer or its treatment (chemotherapy, biotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgery).
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Fatigue: DefinitionFatigue is a vague feeling of being tired, weak, or exhausted. It is often a symptom of cancer, when cancer is first diagnosed, or when cancer progresses (Ferrell et al, 1996).
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Oncology: Managing FatigueFatigue is a common side effect of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. It can be caused by worry, lack of sleep, and poor appetite.
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Many people experience late-in-the-day energy lags, but you can take steps to prevent them.
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Sensations are carried from the extremities of the body to the brain via neurons in the
spinal cord. If the blood supply to the nerves is or if the nerve is otherwise damaged or its
function affected, it can produce the feeling that "my finger fell asleep".
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Muscle twitches are fine movements of a small area of muscle.
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Gas, also called flatus or flatulence, is air in the intestine that is passed through the rectum. Air that is passed from the digestive tract through the mouth is called belching.
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Detailed information on gas in the digestive tract, including a list of foods that cause gas, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention
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A guide to the causes and treatment for excess gas.Everyone has gas. Embarrassment sometimes prevents us from finding out what’s normal, what’s excessive, and what helps.
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These suggestions may help reduce your production of flatulence.12 tips for dealing with flatulence.
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Gas, or flatus, is produced when naturally occurring bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract begin to break down, or digest, food. When an excess of air builds up in the tract from swallowing air or a disorder that prevents digestion, it is released as gas.
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Sensations are carried from the extremities of the body to the brain via neurons in the
spinal cord. If the blood supply to the nerves is decreased, it can produce the feeling that
"my hand fell asleep".
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Detailed information on hand pain and the most common types of hand problems
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If your hands ache, tingle, or throb, this report can help you find relief. Covers many common and uncommon hand conditions and provides solutions including exercise, medications, surgeries, and more.
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Hand pain may develop for a number of reasons -- fracture and infection are among the most serious while sprains and strains are among the most common.
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Hazy vision, cloudy vision, blurred vision are all problems with seeing clearly. Any
change in your normal vision is cause for concern and is a good reason to call a doctor for
an examination.
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Heat intolerance is the inability to be comfortable when external temperatures rise.
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Erection difficulties - age relatedQuestion:Do most men have difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection (impotence) as they grow older?Answer:Getting older does not mean you will experience impotence, although in some men, sexual responses ma...
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Impotence, often called erectile dysfunction, refers to the male ' s inability to achieve or maintain an erection long enough to engage in sexual intercourse. Under normal circumstances, when a man is sexually stimulated, his brain sends a message down the spinal cord and into the nerves of the penis.
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Nearly all American men experience occasional impotence, and an estimated 30 million suffer from chronic impotence. But despite its prevalence, the condition is treatable in most cases.
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Detailed information on prostate health, including prostate conditions, prostate cancer, anatomy of the prostate, prostatism, prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, impotence, and urinary incontinence
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