Women's Cancer Pictures Slideshow: 15 Symptoms Women Ignore on MedicineNet.com

Women's Cancer Pictures Slideshow: 15 Symptoms Women Ignore on MedicineNet.com: "Women tend to be more vigilant than men about getting recommended health checkups and cancer screenings, according to studies and experts. But not always. Younger women, for instance, tend to ignore symptoms that could point to cancer. Of course, some women are as skilled as men are at switching to denial mode.
With that healthy balance between denial and hypochondria in mind, WebMD asked experts to talk about the symptoms that may not immediately make a woman worry about cancer, but that should be checked out. The following slides cover 15 possible cancer symptoms women often ignore.
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Men's Cancer Pictures Slideshow: 15 Symptoms Men Ignore on MedicineNet.com

Men's Cancer Pictures Slideshow: 15 Symptoms Men Ignore on MedicineNet.com: "See Your Doctor When Symptoms Occur, and Get Regular Checkups.
Experts say that men could benefit greatly by being alert to certain cancer symptoms that indicate a trip to the doctor's office sooner rather than later. Some of those cancer symptoms in men are specific. They involve certain body parts and may even point directly to the possibility of cancer (for example, a mass in the scrotum or testicle). Other symptoms are not specific. For instance, pain that affects many body parts could have dozens of explanations and may not be cancer; however, that circumstance doesn't mean you can rule out cancer without seeing a doctor.
The following slideshow of pictures explain 15 symptoms and possible clues to finding cancer early. Unfortunately, many men ignore these symptoms with the result of sometimes discovering a cancer that might have been more easily treated if the cancer had been detected at an earlier date in its development."

Skin and Beauty Pictures Slideshow: Top 10 Foods for Healthy Hair on MedicineNet.com

Skin and Beauty Pictures Slideshow: Top 10 Foods for Healthy Hair on MedicineNet.com: "Top 10 Foods for Healthy Hair
When it comes to foods for healthy hair and beauty, variety is the best way to go. 'An overall balanced diet of lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fatty fish like salmon and low-fat dairy will help keep hair healthy,' Giancoli says."

Alcohol Abuse Pictures Slideshow: 12 Health Risks of Chronic Heavy Drinking on MedicineNet.com

Alcohol Abuse Pictures Slideshow: 12 Health Risks of Chronic Heavy Drinking on MedicineNet.com:

"Alcohol and Health Risks
It's no secret that alcohol consumption can cause major health problems, including cirrhosis of the liver and injuries sustained in automobile accidents. But if you think liver disease and car crashes are the only health risks posed by drinking, think again: Researchers have linked alcohol consumption to more than 60 diseases.

1. Anemia

Heavy drinking can cause the number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells to be abnormally low. This condition, known as anemia, can trigger a host of symptoms, including fatigue, shortness of breath, and lightheadedness

2. Cancer

"Habitual drinking increases the risk of cancer," says Jurgen Rehm, PhD, chairman of the University of Toronto's department of addiction policy and a senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, also in Toronto. Scientists believe the increased risk comes when the body converts alcohol into acetaldehyde, a potent carcinogen. Cancer sites linked to alcohol use include the mouth, pharynx (throat), larynx (voice box), esophagus, liver, breast, and colorectal region. Cancer risk rises even higher in heavy drinkers who also use tobacco.

3. Cardiovascular Disease

Heavy drinking, especially bingeing, makes platelets more likely to clump together into blood clots, which can lead to heart attack or stroke. In a landmark study published in 2005, Harvard researchers found that binge drinking doubled the risk of death among people who initially survived a heart attack.

Heavy drinking can also cause cardiomyopathy, a potentially deadly condition in which the heart muscle weakens and eventually fails, as well as the heart-rhythm abnormalities atrial and ventricular fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation, in which the heart's upper chambers (atria) twitch chaotically rather than constrict rhythmically, can cause blood clots that can trigger a stroke. Ventricular fibrillation causes chaotic twitching in the heart's main pumping chambers (ventricles). It causes rapid loss of consciousness and, in the absence of immediate treatment, sudden death.

4. Cirrhosis

Alcohol is toxic to liver cells, and many heavy drinkers develop cirrhosis, a sometimes-lethal condition in which the liver is so heavily scarred that it is unable to function. But it's hard to predict which drinkers will develop cirrhosis. For some unknown reason, women seem to be especially vulnerable.

5. Dementia

As people age, their brains shrink, on average, at a rate of about 1.9% per decade. That's considered normal. But heavy drinking speeds the shrinkage of certain key regions in the brain, resulting in memory loss and other symptoms of dementia.

Heavy drinking can also lead to subtle but potentially debilitating deficits in the ability to plan, make judgments, solve problems, and other aspects of "executive function," which are "the higher-order abilities that allow us to maximize our function as human beings," says James C. Garbutt, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

In addition to the "nonspecific" dementia that stems from brain atrophy, heavy drinking can cause nutritional deficiencies so severe that they trigger other forms of dementia.

6. Depression

It's long been known that heavy drinking often goes hand in hand with depression, but there has been debate about which came first -- the drinking or the depression. One theory is that depressed people turned to alcohol in an attempt to "self-medicate" to ease their emotional pain. But in 2010, a large study from New Zealand showed that it was probably the other way around -- that is, heavy drinking led to depression.

7. Seizures

Heavy drinking can be a cause of epilepsy and can trigger seizures even in people who don't have epilepsy. It can also interfere with the action of the medications used to treat the disorder.

8. Gout

A painful condition, gout is caused by the formation of uric-acid crystals in the joints. Although some cases are largely hereditary, alcohol and other dietary factors seem to play a role. Alcohol also seems to aggravate existing cases of gout.

9. High Blood Pressure

Alcohol can disrupt the sympathetic nervous system, which, among other things, controls the constriction and dilation of blood vessels in response to stress, temperature, exertion, etc. Heavy drinking -- and bingeing, in particular -- can cause blood pressure to rise. Over time, this effect can become chronic. High blood pressure can lead to many other health problems, including kidney disease, heart disease, and stroke.

10. Infectious Diseases

Heavy drinking suppresses the immune system, providing a toehold for infections, including tuberculosis, pneumonia, HIV/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases (including some that cause infertility). People who drink heavily also are more likely to engage in risky sex. "Heavy drinking is associated with a threefold increase in the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease," Rehm says.

11. Nerve Damage

Heavy drinking can cause a form of nerve damage known as alcoholic neuropathy, which can produce a painful pins-and-needles feeling in the extremities, as well as muscle weakness, incontinence, constipation, erectile dysfunction, and other problems. Alcoholic neuropathy may arise because alcohol is toxic to nerve cells or because nutritional deficiencies attributable to heavy drinking compromise nerve function.

12. Pancreatitis

In addition to causing stomach irritation (gastritis), drinking can inflame the pancreas. Chronic pancreatitis interferes with the digestive process, causing abdominal pain and persistent diarrhea. Some cases of chronic pancreatitis are triggered by gallstones, but up to 60% stem from alcohol consumption.

Healthy Relationships Pictures Slideshow: 18 Secrets Men Want You to Know on MedicineNet.com

Healthy Relationships Pictures Slideshow: 18 Secrets Men Want You to Know on MedicineNet.com: "Men Will Talk About Feelings
Was your guy raised as a traditional, stoic, man's man? If so, let WebMD walk you through 18 relationship secrets, gathered from psychologists who study gender roles. Secret No. 1: It may be easier for your man to talk about feelings indirectly. Ask what he'd do during a romantic weekend. Or what he thought the first time he met you. His answers will reveal how he feels and bring you closer."

Infectious Mononucleosis Pictures Slideshow on MedicineNet.com

Infectious Mononucleosis Pictures Slideshow on MedicineNet.com: "What is infectious mononucleosis ('mono')?
Infectious mononucleosis, 'mono,' 'kissing disease,' and glandular fever are all terms popularly used for the very common illness caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). This common viral infection causes fever, sore throat, and enlarged lymph nodes. The illness generally goes away without medical help. However, it may last from weeks to months. Treatment is mainly to ease symptoms, usually at home, with plenty of rest and fluids."

Infectious mononucleosis (“kissing disease”) is a very common illness caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).