Moulds are a type of fungi (they’re related to mushrooms and yeasts). They’re made up of long filaments of fused cells known as hyphae. These hyphae grow into their food source to form a network known as mycaelium (yeasts don’t do this). The mycaelium secretes enzymes to digest the food source, and the digested food…
Molluscum is a skin condition that’s caused by the virus Molluscum Contagiosum. It produces benign raised bumps, or lesions on, on the upper skin layers. The small bumps are usually painless. They disappear on their own and they rarely leave scars when they’re left untreated. The length of time the virus lasts varies from one…
Mitochondrial Dysfunction are chronic (long-term), genetic, often inherited disorders that happens when mitochondria fail to produce sufficient energy for the body to function properly (inherited means that the disorder was passed on from one parent to children). Mitochondrial diseases can be present at birth; however, it can also happen at any age. Mitochondrial diseases can…
Migraines are severe, recurring and painful headaches. They can be preceded or accompanied by sensory warning signs and other symptoms. The extreme pain that migraines cause can last for hours maybe even days. According to the American Migraine Association, they affect 36 million Americans, or approximately 12% of the population. Migraines can follow an aura…
Heavy metals, like arsenic, lead, mercury and others, are all around us. They’re in the ground we walk on, in the water we drink, and in the products we use every single day. However, high levels of most metals can make you sick. True heavy metal poisoning is rare in the United States. And professionals…
Stress can be both physical and mental. You may feel physical stress which is the result of too much to do, not enough sleep, a poor diet or the effects of an illness. Stress can also be mental: when you worry too much about money, a loved one’s illness, retirement, or experience an emotionally devastating…
Menstrual cramps are painful sensations that affect a lot of women before and during a menstrual period. The pain, also referred to as dysmenorrhea or period pains, ranges from dull and annoying to severe and extreme. Menstrual cramps tend to start after ovulation when an egg is released from the ovaries and travels down the…
Melaoma is usually, but not always, a cancer of the skin. It starts in the melanocytes — the cells that produce the pigment melanin that colors the skin, hair and eyes. Melanocytes also form moles, where melanoma often develops. Having moles can be a risk factor of melaoma, but it’s important to remember that most…
Mastitis is an infection of the breast tissue that results in breast pain, swelling, warmth and redness. You may also have fever and chills. Mastitis most commonly affects women who are breast-feeding (lactation mastitis), although sometimes this condition can happen in women who aren’t breast feeding. In most cases, lactation mastitis happens within the first…