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Making the Home Environment Safe What's involved in making the home environment safe? When caring at home for an ill, aging, or disabled person of any age, it's important to think about home safety. Print out this helpful checklist. Then use it to check for safety issues around

Birth Injuries What is a birth injury? Sometimes during the birth process, the baby may suffer a physical injury that impairs function or structure of their body. This is sometimes called birth trauma or birth injury. It can happen during labor, delivery, or after delivery. Birth

Smoking and Heart Disease The American Heart Association (AHA) says diseases caused by smoking kill more than 440,000 people in the U.S. each year. Most new smokers are children and teens. Smokers have a higher risk for lung disease and other respiratory problems, such as

Trinucleotide Repeats: Fragile X Syndrome What are trinucleotide repeats? DNA is the chemical that makes up your genes. It contains a "code" of 3-letter words known as codons or trinucleotides. Many genes normally contain trinucleotide sequences that repeat. These are called

Allergens: Pollen What is pollen? Pollen is the tiny egg-shaped male cells of plants, including trees, grasses, and weeds. Pollen is microscopic in size. It is the most common cause of hay fever (seasonal allergic rhinitis). Which plants produce pollen that cause allergic

Common Liver Tests What are some common liver tests? A series of blood tests can often find out if the liver is inflamed, injured, or working normally. The pattern of abnormalities can point to hepatitis (infection or inflammation of the liver) versus cholestasis (problems with

Oral Health and Dental Specialists What is a general dentist (DDS or DMD)? To become a general dentist, a person must graduate from dental school and have either a DDS or a DMD degree: DDS. Doctor of dental surgery DMD. Doctor of dental medicine There is no difference between the

Antibiotics What are antibiotics? Antibiotics are powerful medicines used to treat certain bacterial infections. Antibiotics don't cure all infections. And antibiotics that are used when not needed can be harmful. There are two main types of germs that cause most infections

Arthritis Diagnosis Diagnosing arthritis may be difficult. There are more than 100 different types of arthritis. Many symptoms are similar among the different conditions affecting the joints. Arthritis may be generally categorized into the following groups: degenerative arthritis

Overview of Kidney Disorders How do the kidneys work? The body takes nutrients from food and converts them to energy. After the body has used all the food components that it needs, waste products are left behind in the bowel and in the blood. The kidneys and urinary system help