According to the Department of Otolaryngology at UAMS, the normal course of a middle ear infection is for the infection or puss to build up behind the ear drum, causing the ear drum to burst. Then the ear drum will heal. The pressure before the ear drum bursts causes severe discomfort. Antibiotics only decrease the healing […]

Arthritis is a condition that results in deterioration and loss of the joint surface cartilage, where the repair process fails to keep up with the breakdown. Copper bracelets have long been sold as a cure for arthritis. Vendors propose that the metal is absorbed through the skin and helps cartilage regeneration. But there are certain facts […]

Despite what Popeye led a lot of young people to believe, spinach is not particularly rich in iron. In reality, it has about the same iron content as many other green vegetables, according to Dr. Philip Kern, M.D., Department of Endocrinology/ Metabolism at UAMS. “Spinach also contains oxalic acid, which prevents more than 90 percent […]

Not only is it a bad idea to starve a fever, it will hinder your ability to recover from the cold according to Philip Kern, M.D., Department of Endocrinology/Metabolism at UAMS. “Drinking plenty of fluids is important since fever promotes fluid loss from the body and dehydration can result,” Dr. Kern says. While drinking or […]

“You cannot get the flu from a flu shot or the nasal-spray vaccine,” says Dr. Charles Smith, of the Family and Preventive Medicine Department at UAMS. The best way to avoid getting the flu is to get the influenza vaccine, available by shot or by nasal spray, each fall before the flu season starts. “The […]

This is partly true, partly myth. The poison ivy rash itself is not contagious, according to the Dermatology Clinic at UAMS. Neither will fluid from the blisters of a poison ivy rash spread poison ivy. A poison ivy rash is caused by contact with urushiol, the oil from the leaves of the poison ivy plant. […]

In ovarian cancer, the likelihood of developing the disease is reduced with each pregnancy, says Dr. Alexander Burnett, chief of UAMS’ Division of Gynecologic Oncology. “Also, if a woman takes birth control pills for at least five years during her reproductive life, she will have a reduced chance of developing ovarian cancer. It appears that […]

No evidence exists that feeding children a high-sugar diet will induce hyperactivity, despite the common belief that it does, according to Dr. Bryan Burke, an associate professor of General Pediatrics and Neonatology at UAMS. “By the same token I kind of like this old wives’ tale, despite it being wrong, because a high-sugar diet has […]

Infections are transmitted by different types of “germs,” including bacteria and viruses. Some germs can cause asymptomatic infection, which means that the person can have the ‘germ’ in their body, but they don’t have any symptoms of the disease or they have very mild symptoms and don’t really feel sick, according to the Division of Infectious Diseases […]

You sneeze and your body reacts. Your eyes squeeze closed and your heart seems to jump. Did your heart just stop?   According to the UAMS’ Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, your heart doesn’t exactly stop. When you sneeze, the intrathoracic pressure in your body momentarily increases. This will decrease the blood flow back […]