Arthritis literally means joint inflammation ('arth' means joint, 'itis' means inflammation).
Asthma is a chronic, long-term lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. The coughing often occurs at night or early in the morning.
Candida is an overgrowth of yeast within the human body. It affects both men and women. Yeast lives naturally in the intestinal tract (in very small amounts) alongside other microflora (good bacteria). Often, yeast can overgrow in the intestinal tract and become systemic, causing numerous health problems.
Cirrhosis is a condition that results from permanent damage or scarring of the liver. Scar tissue forms because of injury or long-term disease. Scar tissue cannot do what healthy liver tissue does - make protein, help fight infections, clean the blood, help digest food and store energy.
Conventional medicine defines constipation strictly in relation to the frequency of bowel movements. According to conventional medicine, regularity of bowel movements is individual: one person may experience three movements a day while another may experience one every three days.
However, natural health practitioners believe that the bowel is the foundation of good health and having 2-3 bowel movements daily is important in keeping not only the bowel, but also the body healthy.
Crohn’s disease is an ongoing disorder that causes inflammation of the digestive tract, also referred to as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
Diarrhea refers to the frequent passage of soft, loose and liquid bowel movements. Diarrhea can be caused by either inflammation of the gastrointestinal lining, or secretion of fluids into the bowel.
Many people have small pouches in their colons that bulge outward through weak spots, like an inner tube that pokes through weak places in a tire. Each pouch is called a diverticulum. Pouches (plural) are called diverticula. The condition of having diverticula is called diverticulosis.
When the pouches become infected or inflamed, the condition is called diverticulitis. This happens in 10 to 25 percent of people with diverticulosis. Diverticulosis and diverticulitis are also called diverticular disease.
Gas is the release of air from either the mouth or rectum. Bloating occurs when gas fills the abdomen and the area appears distended.
A headache is a pain felt in the head that can range from mild to severe. Headaches generally occur in response to internal or external triggers, such as hormonal changes, sleep deprivation, fasting or stress. These triggers prompt the brain to produce a variety of chemical messengers to cause the expansion of blood vessels surrounding the brain.
Heart disease refers to a group of conditions affecting the structure and functions of the heart.
Heartburn, (also known as acid indigestion, acid reflux, or GERD), is an irritation of the esophagus caused by acid that comes up (refluxes) from the stomach.
Heavy metals are trace metals which are natural components of the Earth’s crust.
They are very stable elements and cannot be degraded or destroyed. Once liberated into the environment or used in the countless human-made chemicals and products, heavy metals are taken into the body through inhalation, ingestion and skin absorption.
Because of their density, heavy metals are hard to remove from the body's tissues. Heavy metal toxicity occurs when these heavy metals build up in our system.
Hemorrhoids (also known as piles) are swollen blood vessels in the anal area that stretch under pressure. They are similar to varicose veins in the legs. Hemorrhoids may develop either inside the lower rectum (internal hemorrhoids) or under the skin around the anus (external hemorrhoids).
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, most commonly caused by a viral infection. The symptoms of hepatitis include jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), dark urine, extreme fatigue, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
In a healthy individual the esophagus should pass through the diaphragm (the flat, dome-shaped muscle that separates the chest from abdominal contents) and into the stomach. The opening in the diaphragm is known as a “hiatus,” which gives this syndrome its name.
Cholesterol is a soft waxy substance made by our liver. It is one of the lipids (fats) found in the blood, and is a vital chemical building block that our body uses to make cell membranes and hormones. Without cholesterol, your body could not function.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), describes two separate but similar conditions called Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. These diseases affect the gastrointestinal tract and cause the intestinal tissue to become inflamed, form sores and bleed easily.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (otherwise called I.B.S.), is commonly characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel function, such as constipation, diarrhea, or alternating between the two. Some people have mild symptoms, while others have chronic symptoms that can be disabling.
A kidney stone develops when certain chemicals in your urine form crystals that stick together. The crystals may grow into a stone ranging in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball. Most stones form in the kidneys. Very small stones (called gravel) can pass through the urinary system without causing problems. However, larger stones, when traveling from the kidney through the ureter to the bladder, can cause severe pain.
Lactose intolerance occurs in people who are deficient in the digestive enzyme lactase. Lactase is the main enzyme required to break down dairy based products.
Leaky gut syndrome is a condition where the mucous lining of the small intestine becomes porous. If the intestinal lining is porous, than toxins, microorganisms and food particles can enter directly into the bloodstream.
Smokers use tobacco because they are addicted to nicotine. Addiction is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, even in the face of negative health consequences. It is well documented that most smokers identify tobacco use as harmful and express a desire to reduce or stop using it, and nearly 35 million of them want to quit each year. Unfortunately, only about 6 percent of people who try to quit are successful for more than a month.
P.M.S. (Premenstrual Syndrome) is a collection of physical, psychological, and emotional symptoms related to a woman's menstrual cycle. It usually affects women one or two weeks before menstruation begins.
Parasites are defined as ‘any organism that lives on, or in, the body of another organism'. Parasites which live inside the human body will feed off of our cells, the food we eat and even the supplements that we take.
An ulcer is a sore or lesion. A peptic ulcer is a sore that develops in the mucous lining of the stomach (gastric ulcer), duodenum (duodenal ulcer) or the esophagus (esophageal ulcer) and underlying tissue.
Poor skin includes a number of different skin conditions including: Acne, Eczema and Psoriasis.
‘Sluggish Liver’ is a non-technical medical term that is used to describe a liver that is not functioning optimally. Generally, this term is used when the liver is free of disease, but performing at a reduced rate.
A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an inflammation caused by bacteria attacking any part of the urinary system including the kidneys, ureters, bladder or urethra. It can cause varying degrees of pain and discomfort, from mild to extreme.