Treatment of anorexia is difficult, because people with anorexia believe there is nothing wrong with them. Patients in the early stages of anorexia (less than 6 months or with just a small amount of weight loss) may be successfully treated wi

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What is anorexia nervosa? Anorexia nervosa is an illness that usually occurs in teenage girls, but it can also occur in teenage boys, and adult women and men.  People with anorexia are obsessed with being thin. They lose a lot of weight and are

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  It's healthy to watch what you eat and to exercise. What isn't healthy is worrying all the time about your weight and what you eat. People with eating disorders do harmful things to their bodies because of their obsession about their weight.

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What is an eating disorder? An eating disorder is an obsession with food and weight that harms a person's well-being. Although we all worry about our weight sometimes, people with an eating disorder go to extremes to keep from gaining weight. There

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  Your doctor will check your symptoms and the way they relate to your menstrual cycle. You might fill out a symptom chart (like the one below) for several weeks. There is no test that can diagnose PMDD. Daily

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  PMDD is a severe form of a common problem called premenstrual syndrome, or PMS. About 75 percent of women of childbearing age have some PMS problems. About 2 to 10 percent of women in this age group have PMDD.   How do I know if I have

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  Like most medicines, antidepressants can cause side effects. However, not all people taking antidepressants experience side effects. Any side effects you have will depend on which medicine your doctor has chosen for you. If you're taking a t

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  Depression can be treated with counseling, medicine or both. It's also important to take good care of yourself, to exercise regularly and to eat healthy foods. See the list of dos and don'ts later in this handout. Counseling alone may help if

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Is depression common in women? Yes. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 19 million people in the United States -- 1 in 10 adults -- experience depression each year. Women are twice as likely as men to experience depressio

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  If you have given birth recently and are feeling sad, blue, anxious, irritable, tired or have any of the other symptoms mentioned here, remember that many other women have had the same experience. You're not "losing your mind" or &q

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  It's hard to say. Some women feel better within a few weeks, but others feel depressed or "not themselves" for many months. Women who have more severe symptoms of depression or who have had depression in the past may take longer to

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  Postpartum depression is more likely if you had any of the following: Previous postpartum depression Depression not related to pregnancy Severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS) A difficult marriage Few family members

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Are mood changes common after childbirth? After having a baby, many women have mood swings. One minute they feel happy, the next minute they start to cry. They may feel a little depressed, have a hard time concentrating, lose their appetite or find

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Plan to be at the medical center for about one hour on the day(s) of your treatment. You may receive blood tests before the treatment to monitor your complete blood count, sodium, and potassium levels. The nurse will also check your blood pressure a

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What Is a PET Scan? A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is a test used to give doctors and their patients more information about how the cells in your body are functioning. This is done by injecting a small amount of radioactive material kno

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Epilepsy and Women's Issues More than one million women of child-bearing age in the U.S. have seizure disorders. Not only do these women have to cope with seizures, they must also deal with the impact the disorder can have on their reproductive hea

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Different types of seizures may require different responses. See below for a breakdown of the most common types of seizures and what to do for the child in each case. Seizure Type What To Do

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  If someone is having a seizure: Loosen clothing around the person's neck. Do not try to hold the person down or restrain him or her, this can result in injury. Do not insert any objects in the person's mouth; this can also

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If you have been diagnosed with epilepsy, you'll want to know when to call your doctor if you are having problems with symptoms or your medications. In general, you should call your doctor if any new symptoms occur. You should also call your doctor

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A diagnosis of epilepsy will have a large impact on your daily life. As part of your care, you should take steps to make sure your home is safe. It's a good idea to walk through your house and take note of any potential danger areas and correct them.

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Multiple subpial transection (MST) is a relatively new treatment for epilepsy that may be an option when seizures begin in an area of the brain that cannot be removed; for example, areas associated with vital brain functions such as movement, sensati

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The largest part of the brain, the cerebrum, can be divided down the middle lengthwise into two halves, called hemispheres. A deep groove splits the left and right hemispheres, which communicate through a thick band of nerve fibers called the corpus

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A lesionectomy is an operation to remove a lesion -- a damaged or abnormally functioning area -- in the brain. Brain lesions include tumors (masses of cells), scars from a head injury or infection, abnormal blood vessels and hematomas (swellings fill

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The corpus callosum is a band of nerve fibers located deep in the brain that connects the two halves (hemispheres) of the brain. It helps the hemispheres share information, but it also contributes to the spread of seizure impulses from one side of th

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Brain mapping is a technique to create a computer-generated image of how electrical activity is distributed across the brain. It enables the surgeon to "see" which areas of the brain are active during specific tasks, thus allowing the surge

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The specific tests used depend on the type of epilepsy and type of surgery planned, but may include: Electroencephalography (EEG) - An EEG records brain waves through electrodes placed on the scalp. An EEG is helpful in diagnosing brain disord

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Each May, the Better Sleep Council sponsors Better Sleep Month to raise the awareness of the importance of sleep and mattresses to good health and quality of life, and the focus of Better Sleep Month 2005 is Women and Sleep. This year, the Better Sle

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