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Your body relies on your kidneys to filter out dietary wastes and excess nutrients that can otherwise harm your health. When your kidneys suffer a loss of function from inherited, dietary, infectious or other causes, pain might be the first symptom you notice. Kidney pain comes on quickly and may be prompted by consuming certain foods or beverages, such as sweets or coffee. The most common conditions that create kidney pain are bacterial infections and kidney stones, which sometimes occur together....

Piriformis syndrome pain is often worse when walking. Image Credit: Dirima/iStock/GettyImages Piriformis syndrome is a pain in the butt — literally. This condition is caused by compression of the sciatic nerve, which leads to pain and numbness in the buttocks and backs of the legs. The pain may be made worse by walking. Advertisement What Is the Piriformis? The piriformis is a small muscle that runs from your sacrum at the bottom of your spine to the top of your femur bone in your thigh....

A healthy looking chicken sandwich. Image Credit: olgna/iStock/Getty Images Eating healthy can help you sustain wellness, achieve longevity and prevent chronic diseases that are costly to treat. Despite public health promotion to eat healthy foods, only 23 percent of Americans consume the daily recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, according to the 2010 Annual Status Report of the National Prevention, Health Promotion and Public Health Council. Healthy food choices abound in most cities, yet they can be hard to find in restaurants and may be perceived to be costlier than processed foods....

GArlic for sale at a market. Image Credit: Alyson Doria/iStock/Getty Images You’ve likely heard that garlic has health benefits, including the ability to lower cholesterol and reduce high blood pressure. What you may not know is that how garlic is prepared matters. Raw garlic is the best source of the antioxidants responsible for the vegetable’s health benefits. However, raw garlic can also cause digestive problems, including bloating, for some people....

An overstretching injury, specifically of the shoulders can occur for a variety of different reasons that include shoulder instability, a torn rotator cuff, as well as sprains and strains. Image Credit: yulkapopkova/E+/GettyImages Perhaps you were overstretching in yoga, or maybe you reached a little too high to get to that cabinet. An overstretching injury, specifically of the shoulders, can occur for a number of reasons, including shoulder instability, torn rotator cuff or sprains and strains....

Evaluating for symptoms of a hernia after gastric bypass is the key to less pain and fast treatment. Image Credit: Wavebreakmedia Ltd/Wavebreak Media/Getty Images A hernia – any abnormal opening in the stomach wall – can occur after gastric bypass surgery. If the abdominal wall gets damaged during this procedure, a weakness in the stomach lining may occur, creating an internal hernia. An incisional hernia is seen when an incision does not heal properly, allowing the abdominal muscles to separate and push a sac-like membrane out of the open incision....

Keeping your head in a neutral position while you sleep can help improve your cervical spondylosis. Image Credit: fotostorm/E+/GettyImages While it sounds like a scary diagnosis, cervical spondylosis is essentially wear and tear in the neck. This degenerative condition can affect the joints, discs and ligaments in the cervical portion of your spine and is extremely common. In fact, according to the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 50 percent of individuals over age 40 and 85 percent of those over age 60 have cervical spondylosis....

Cheese steaks can be high in calories, fat and sodium. Image Credit: MSPhotographic/iStock/Getty Images The basic ingredients in a south Philly cheese steak sandwich are bread, thinly sliced beef and cheese with the option of onions, bell peppers or mushrooms. A cheese steak can be high in calories and fat, but it is possible to include it in a healthy diet. The sandwich should be eaten in moderation as part of a diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and lean proteins....

Nausea is just one common symptom of alkalosis. All chemicals, natural and otherwise, have a pH level, which is a measurement of hydrogen. The pH scale ranges from zero to 14, with zero being purely acidic, 14 being purely alkaline and seven being neutral. According to "The Complete Book of Enzyme Therapy" by Anthony J. Cichoke, the human body's optimal pH range is between 7.35 and 7.45, only slightly alkaline. While the kidneys and other organs work to maintain a healthy pH, some circumstances can lead to too-high alkalinity levels, a condition called alkalosis....

When you're performing a unilateral chest press, keep your body flat against the bench to stay injury-free. Image Credit: Ibrakovic/iStock/GettyImages For some exercises or workouts, two dumbbells are better than one. After all, it’s double the weight when you’re squatting or lunging. But where your chest muscles are concerned, you can get an excellent strength workout with a single dumbbell. Advertisement Whether you only have a single weight lying around or just want to try some new chest exercises, these moves are by far the hardest you can do with one dumbbell....

references International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: "Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods" Journal Strength and Conditioning Research: "Influence of Rest Interval Length on Acute Testosterone and Cortisol Responses to Volume-Load Equated Total Body Hypertrophic and Strength Protocols" Journal of Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscles: "Muscular responses to testosterone replacement vary by administration route: a systematic review and meta-analysis" The World Journal of Men's Health: "‘Testosterone Boosting’ Supplements Composition and Claims Are not Supported by the Academic Literature" Can't gain muscle?...

While getting enough vitamin D is tied to a healthy immune system, the jury is still out on whether D can protect us from pathogens. Image Credit: Zbynek Pospisil/iStock/GettyImages Roughly 35 percent of American adults are considered deficient in vitamin D, according to a report in ​StatPearls​. Advertisement Vitamin D has been linked to having effects — both good and bad — on the immune system. Video of the Day And during a time when everyone wants to fortify their immune systems, it's important to understand the role vitamin D plays....

Doctor examing man's knee. Image Credit: Wavebreakmedia Ltd/Lightwavemedia/Getty Images The supplement methylsulfonylmethane, sometimes called MSM, is a sulfur compound promoted as useful for health conditions involving pain and inflammation. A 2006 study involving 50 men and women with knee osteoarthritis indicates that 6,000 mg of MSM improved symptoms of pain and physical function without major side effects, according to Arthritis Today; however, more well-controlled human studies are needed to confirm its use for this condition....

Perform a complete exercise program for the best results. Image Credit: IvanJekic/iStock/GettyImages Designing a proper workout can feel overwhelming with the different types of exercises available. To break down the confusion, you should begin by incorporating the three components of a workout into your exercise regimen: cardiovascular, resistance and flexibility training. Advertisement Tip The three parts of an exercise session are cardio for raising your heart rate, resistance for building muscle mass and flexibility for injury prevention....

Baking flour and plain flour aren't exactly the same. Image Credit: StephanieFrey/iStock/GettyImages All flours are not alike. There’s all-purpose flour, bakers flour, bread flour, whole wheat flour, cake flour and even gluten-free flour. The trick is to figure out which is best for your recipe. Advertisement Tip All-purpose flour is how most manufacturers refer to plain flour. It is the go-to choice when you just want to buy one type of flour....

Don't let the news about the new COVID-19 variants deter you from getting vaccinated. Image Credit: Halfpoint Images/Moment/GettyImages Just as you’re starting to feel a little more hopeful about the pandemic, thanks to the widespread rollout of three vaccines, there’s a new boogeyman in town. We’re talking about the variants of the novel coronavirus. Advertisement A variant means that the virus has mutated, or changed. This may then affect how contagious the virus is or its severity....

Sometimes, mucus in stool is nothing. But other times it may indicate a serious health condition. Image Credit: Demkat/iStock/GettyImages While finding mucus in your stool can be alarming, a small amount of mucus is normal. However, even though it’s something that the human body naturally produces, when an excess of mucus is found in the stool, it can indicate an underlying health condition or disease. Advertisement Disease causes inflammation, which then causes the body to produce excess mucus as a way of healing itself....

Fit couple enjoying salads and smiling. Image Credit: Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images Did your doctor recently advise that you take serious steps to shed some pounds? You’re not alone. Whether it’s to improve health or quality of life, boost their mood, change their appearance or a combination of all three, millions of people are working hard to lose weight and reach their goals. The good news is that losing 25 pounds in three months is an ambitious but realistic goal if you’re committed to succeed....

Use proper form when doing ab exercises. Image Credit: stockfour/iStock/GettyImages The rectus abdominis and obliques are the abdominal muscles in your stomach. The rectus abdominis runs from the chest to the pelvis and the obliques are on the sides. If your stomach lacks definition and you want to build big abdominal muscles fast, you need to go about it the right way. Performing ab exercises is definitely part of the game plan, but you also have to involve other body parts....

Running with dumbbells is a great way to increase intensity. Image Credit: kali9/E+/GettyImages When you’ve been running for a while, you may start to look for ways to up your game and make the runs more challenging. Adding time and intensity are the classic ways to do this. You can simply run longer or find hills that can make your runs more difficult. Advertisement Another way to add intensity is to add weight — though if you're thinking of carrying dumbbells while you run, take a few important things into consideration before you head out....