Most people enjoy spending time outside during the warm summer days, but not everybody takes the necessary precautions to protect their skin and eyes from the damaging effects of Ultraviolet A (UV-A) and Ultraviolet B (UV-B) rays. Here are some of the damaging effects caused by exposure to UV-A and…

Dehydration happens when your body doesn't have as much water as it needs. Without enough, your body can't function properly. You can have mild, moderate, or severe dehydration depending on how much fluid is missing from your body. Causes of Dehydration It’s normal to lose water from your body every…

Any time your child becomes sick or injured, it can be scary. You may not know what to do. Should you take him or her to the doctor? Do they need to go to the emergency room? If you have any question at all about your child’s health, you should…

Everyone gets scrapes and/or cuts at some point in their life. Most of the time, these wounds are minor and heal without any treatment at all. However, some cuts and injuries require stitches to heal properly. Whether a cut needs stitches depends on factors such as where the cut is…

A fracture is a partial or complete break in the bone. When a fracture happens, it’s classified as either open or closed: Open fracture: The bone pokes through the skin and can be seen, or a deep wound exposes the bone through the skin. Closed fracture: The bone is broken,…

Abdominal pain is discomfort or other uncomfortable sensations that you feel in your belly area. Just about everybody at one time or another will get a bellyache. Most causes of abdominal pain aren't reasons to worry, and your doctor can easily diagnose and treat the problem. Sometimes, though, it can…

Chest pain appears in many forms, ranging from a sharp stab to a dull ache. Sometimes chest pain feels crushing or burning. In certain cases, the pain travels up the neck, into the jaw, and then spreads to the back or down one or both arms. Many different problems can…

Stress is a normal human reaction that happens to everyone. In fact, the human body is designed to experience stress and react to it. When you experience changes or challenges (stressors), your body produces physical and mental responses. That’s stress. Stress responses help your body adjust to new situations. Stress…

Influenza (flu) and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different viruses. COVID-19 is caused by infection with a coronavirus, and flu is caused by infection with an influenza virus. COVID-19 symptoms generally appear two to 14 days after exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Flu symptoms usually appear…