Caregivers Plus Health Library
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
What is progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP)? Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a rare brain disease. It happens because of damage to nerve cells in t ...
Vegetarian Diet
A vegetarian diet focuses on plants for food. These include fruits, vegetables, dried beans and peas, grains, seeds and nuts. There is no single type of vegeta ...
Rotator Cuff Injuries
Your rotator cuff is located in your shoulder area. It is made of muscles and tendons. It helps your shoulder to move and stay stable. Problems with the rotato ...
Neck Injuries and Disorders
Any part of your neck - muscles, bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, or nerves - can cause neck problems. Neck pain is very common. Pain may also come from your ...
Kidney Transplantation
A kidney transplant is an operation that places a healthy kidney in your body. The transplanted kidney takes over the work of the two kidneys that failed, so y ...
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections
What is respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)? Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a common respiratory virus. It usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. B ...
Oxygen Therapy
What is oxygen? Oxygen is a gas that your body needs to work properly. Your cells need oxygen to make energy. Your lungs absorb oxygen from the air you brea ...
Chest Pain
Having a pain in your chest can be scary. It does not always mean that you are having a heart attack. There can be many other causes, including Other heart ...
Childhood Vaccines
What are vaccines? Vaccines are injections (shots), liquids, pills, or nasal sprays that you take to teach the immune system to recognize and defend against ...
Reye Syndrome
Reye syndrome is a rare illness that can affect the blood, liver, and brain of someone who has recently had a viral infection. It always follows another illnes ...
Meningococcal Infections
Meningococci are a type of bacteria that cause serious infections. The most common infection is meningitis, which is an inflammation of the thin tissue that su ...
Encephalitis
Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain. Usually the cause is a viral infection, but bacteria can also cause it. It can be mild or severe. Most cases are ...
Caregivers Plus Health Library
Common Infant and Newborn Problems It is hard when your baby is sick. Common health problems in babies include colds, coughs, fevers, and vomiting. Babies a ...
Cancer–Living with Cancer
Cancer is common. Half of all men and a third of women will get a diagnosis of cancer in their lifetime. Many people with cancer do survive. Millions of Americ ...
Asthma in Children
What is asthma? Asthma is a chronic (long-term) lung disease. It affects your airways, the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. When you have asth ...
Heart Diseases
If you're like most people, you think that heart disease is a problem for others. But heart disease is the number one killer in the U.S. It is also a major cau ...
Chronic Bronchitis
What is chronic bronchitis? Chronic bronchitis is a type of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). COPD is a group of lung diseases that make it hard ...
Urinary Incontinence
What is urinary incontinence (UI)? Urinary incontinence (UI) is the loss of bladder control, or being unable to control urination. It is a common condition. ...
Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a type of movement disorder. It happens when nerve cells in the brain don't produce enough of a brain chemical called dopamine. Som ...
Muscle Disorders
Your muscles help you move and help your body work. Different types of muscles have different jobs. There are many problems that can affect muscles. Muscle dis ...
Disabilities
Disabilities make it harder to do normal daily activities. They may limit what you can do physically or mentally, or they can affect your senses. Disability do ...
Cholesterol Medicines
What is cholesterol? Your body needs some cholesterol to work properly. But if you have too much in your blood, it can stick to the walls of your arteries a ...
Advance Directives
What kind of medical care would you want if you were too ill or hurt to express your wishes? Advance directives are legal documents that allow you to spell out ...
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare, degenerative brain disorder. Symptoms usually start around age 60. Memory problems, behavior changes, vision problem ...
Disaster Preparation and Recovery
Preparing for a disaster can reduce the fear, anxiety and losses that disasters cause. A disaster can be a natural disaster, like a hurricane, tornado, flood o ...
Bereavement
Bereavement is the period of grief and mourning after a death. When you grieve, it's part of the normal process of reacting to a loss. You may experience grief ...
Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia among older people. Dementia is a brain disorder that seriously affects a person's ability to ...
Health Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle
What is an inactive lifestyle? Being a couch potato. Not exercising. A sedentary or inactive lifestyle. You have probably heard of all of these phrases, and ...
Critical Care
What is critical care? Critical care is medical care for people who have life-threatening injuries and illnesses. It usually takes place in an intensive car ...
Traumatic Brain Injury
What is traumatic brain injury (TBI)? Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a sudden injury that causes damage to the brain. It may happen when there is a blow, b ...