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According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA), nearly 250,000 children are injured every year in car accidents. Car accidents are also the leading cause of acquired disability (e.g., brain injury, paralysis, etc.) for children nationwide. In the United States, injuries and deaths from car crashes have been…

Itching, known as pruritis in medical jargon, is defined as an unpleasant sensation of the skin that provokes the urge to scratch. Most often, itching involves a small area of the skin affected by a localized condition, such as poison ivy, eczema, or insect bites. On occasion, the itching is…

There are two main types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in childhood and requires treatment with insulin injections. When initially diagnosed, most Type 1 diabetics have distinct, and sometimes severe symptoms. Type 2 is known as “adult onset” diabetes and constitutes over 90% of the cases. In…

The most commonly used forms of smokeless tobacco are chewing tobacco and snuff. Chewing tobacco, also known as “chew”, “spit”, or spitting tobacco, is available as loose leaves, plugs, or twists. It is usually placed between the cheek and the lower lip and either chewed or held in place. The…

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the majority of all fireworks-related injuries occur during the weeks prior to and after the Fourth of July holiday. In 2008, seven people died and an estimated 7,000 were treated in emergency departments for fireworks-related injuries in the United States. Children under…

Poison ivy is a common plant found in most areas of the United States that contains highly allergenic oil called urushiol. Approximately 85 percent of the population will develop a skin reaction if exposed to poison ivy. The characteristic rash consists of lines of itchy, red bumps or blisters. Two…

Bell’s palsy is the most common cause of facial paralysis, affecting up to 30,000 – 40,000 people each year in the United States. It develops when the nerve that controls facial muscles (7th cranial nerve) becomes inflamed and swollen in the area where it travels through the bones of the…

New sunglasses are usually selected for their frames, the size of the lenses, or for a particular coating on the lenses, rather than considering the amount of protection that they afford. It is important to remember that the most important job for sunglasses is to prevent damage to the eyes…

Endometriosis is a condition affecting women in which cells similar to those that form the lining of the uterus (endometrium) grow outside of the uterus. Common locations for the abnormal growth of endometrial cells include the ovaries, Fallopian tubes, intestines, and the lining of the pelvic cavity. Unlike the normal…

Text messaging has become a preferred method of communication for a large number of Americans, particularly teens and young adults. According to market research performed by the Nielsen Company in 2010, the average teenager sends more than 3,000 texts per month! Amazingly, this number appears to be on the rise,…