How a Scrape Heals

Most scrapes heal well with home treatment and do not scar. Minor scrapes may be uncomfortable, but they usually heal within 3 to 7 days. The larger and deeper the scrape, the longer it will take to heal. A large, deep scrape may take up to 1 to 2 weeks or longer to heal. It's common to have small amounts of fluid drain...

How ADHD Affects Your Child

It is important to learn about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the specific ways your child is affected. Knowledge about the condition will help you feel more confident in being able to help your child reach his or her potential. The following information can help you begin to understand how this...

How Adolescent Thinking Develops

Adolescents typically think in concrete ways. This means that they have difficulty with abstract and symbolic concepts. Their thinking tends to be focused on the present. They are just starting to be able to gather information from experience, analyze information, and make critical decisions about future choices and...

How Asthma Develops in Children

Asthma is the most common long-lasting (chronic) disease of childhood. It usually develops before age 5. Many children who have allergies get asthma, but not all. And not every child with asthma has allergies. In most cases of persistent asthma, the first symptoms (such as wheezing) start in the first years of life. One...

How Birth Control Methods Prevent Pregnancy

The following table lists the different types of birth control methods and how they work to help prevent pregnancy. How birth control methods prevent pregnancy Method How it prevents pregnancy Hormonal Prevents ovulation. Thickens mucus at the cervix so sperm can't pass through. Changes the environment of the uterus and...

How Diabetes Causes Blindness

Diabetes damages small blood vessels throughout the body. Diabetic retinopathy happens when prolonged high blood sugar damages the blood vessels of the retina. This is the part of the eye that sends images to your brain. Other conditions that increase your risk include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and kidney...

How Diabetes Causes Foot Problems

When you have diabetes, your feet need extra care and attention. Diabetes can damage the nerve endings and blood vessels in your feet, making you less likely to notice when your feet are injured. Diabetes also limits your body's ability to fight infection and get blood to areas that need it. If you get a minor foot...

How High Blood Pressure Damages Arteries

High blood pressure means that blood is pushing too hard against artery walls. The force of this blood can damage the heart and the delicate inner lining of the artery walls. This damage can lead to many health problems. One problem is atherosclerosis or "hardening of the arteries." This problem happens when the inner...

How is a colonoscopy done?

Anatomy of the colon During a colonoscopy, the doctor will be able to look at the inside of your entire large intestine (your colon). This includes the cecum (which is attached to the small intestine and is the beginning of the large intestine), the ascending colon, the transverse colon, the descending colon, the...

How Much Should I Weigh?

Related Topics Find Health Condition Information Find Drug Interaction Information People are often concerned about their weight because fashion trends and celebrities’ physical appearances influence popular body-image ideals—but these ideals do not necessarily represent healthy weight ranges. Since people usually...

How Palliative Care Can Help With Goals and Dreams

Palliative care can help you live well. Even when the end of your life is near, you can still try to live as well as possible. Remember to do the things that you love. For example, if you love to garden, you may still be able to garden if you do not overdo it. Talk with your palliative care provider about what you feel...

How Palliative Care Can Help With Spiritual Concerns

Your palliative care team may include a spiritual advisor or chaplain. Spiritual advisors can help you with questions that do not have clear answers. It does not matter what your spirituality or religion is. Your beliefs will be honored and respected. You may want to talk to a spiritual advisor about: The meaning of...

How pimples form

Pimples form when dead skin cells mix with excess oil (sebum). This mixture plugs the pore, causing swelling. Bacteria can grow in the mix and lead to infection and pus.

How Pregnancy (Conception) Occurs

Most women are able to become pregnant from puberty, when their menstrual cycles begin, until menopause, when their cycles stop. A pregnancy starts with fertilization, when a woman's egg joins with a man's sperm. Fertilization usually takes place in a fallopian tube that links an ovary to the uterus. If the fertilized...

How Reading Helps Language Development

Newborns and toddlers Speech and language lessons start in the uterus, where your unborn baby hears and responds to familiar voices. After birth, your newborn learns language by listening to the basic and distinct sounds (phonemes), such as the "tr" and "cl" sounds in the English language. Reading to your newborn gives...

How sound waves reach the brain

Sound waves enter the ear through the ear canal. Then they strike the eardrum. The eardrum is what separates the ear canal from the middle ear. The sound waves make the eardrum vibrate. The vibrations move to the bones of the middle ear. This boosts the sound and sends it to the inner ear. The inner ear is a...

How the Heart Works

Your heart is divided into two separate pumping systems, the right side and the left side. The right side of your heart receives oxygen-poor blood from your veins and pumps it to your lungs, where it picks up oxygen and gets rid of carbon dioxide. The left side of your heart receives oxygen-rich blood from your lungs...

How the Kidneys Work

The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs located on either side of the spine, just below the ribs. The kidneys filter wastes from the blood and help balance water, salt, and mineral levels in the blood. To do this, blood from the body enters the kidney. Inside the kidney, blood is filtered and waste is removed. Salt...

How to apply a compression wrap for a sprained ankle

A compression wrap is used to prevent swelling, which can help your ankle feel better. It does not support the ankle or prevent it from moving. This means that it does not protect your ankle, but it can remind you to be careful with your ankle. Before you start: Roll up an elastic bandage if it isn't already rolled up...

How to Clean an Eye

To keep the eye clean: Wipe away the drainage from around the eye. Moisten a clean cotton ball or washcloth with warm (not hot) water, and gently wipe from the inner (near the nose) to the outer part of the eye. With each wipe, use a new or clean part of the cotton ball or washcloth. Keep a supply of clean cotton balls...

How to clean under skin folds

Cleaning and drying the skin carefully can help prevent rashes and infections. To wash under skin folds: Use one hand to lift and flatten the skin fold. Gently clean the area with a washcloth, and then dry.

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