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Our bodies were built to make good use of the sun. Sunlight helps keep our sleeping patterns on track so we can stay awake by day and sleep soundly at night. Getting too little sun, especially in winter months, can leave some people prone to a form of depression known as seasonal affective disorder. Sunlight also helps our skin make vitamin D, which is needed for normal bone function and health.…

Middle ear infections are common in kids. The illness is often caused by bacteria, and can be treated with antibiotics. But bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics. That’s why it’s important to take these medications as directed. Scientists have wondered if shorter treatments might reduce the risk of bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics. Shorter treatments might also reduce other side…

A carefully structured, moderate physical activity program helped vulnerable older people maintain their mobility. The new study shows that many frail older people can reap rewards from regular physical activity. As you get older, reduced mobility can raise the risk for disease, disability, and even death. Regular physical activity offers known health benefits to a variety of people. But…

*Editor’s Note: The publications mentioned in this article are no longer available. Learn more about kidney failure on this website . Or contact healthinfo@niddk.nih.gov  or 1-800-860-8747 for more information about kidney health., Your kidneys help keep you healthy by maintaining the right balance of water and other substances inside your body. But if your kidneys start to malfunction, you might not realize it for a long while. Kidney disease usually doesn’t make you feel sick until the problem is serious and irreversible—a condition known as kidney failure. The leading causes of kidney failure are diabetes and high blood…, What I Need To Know About Kidney Failure and How It’s Treated *, . It explains therapies such as kidney transplant, different types of dialysis, and conservative management. You’ll also find tips for healthy eating as well as questions to ask your doctor. The publication is available online *, along with a printable PDF of the 32-page booklet. To order a free printed booklet, call toll-free 1-800-891-5390, or e-mail nkudic@info.niddk.nih.gov . You can find…

When warm weather arrives, you might get the urge to walk barefoot through the grass. But before you stroll through your lawn or head out on a hiking trail, you’ll want to protect yourself and your loved ones from ticks that often lurk in tall grass, thick brush, and wooded areas. Many ticks carry disease, so do what you can to keep ticks from taking a bite out of you. Tick-borne diseases are…, Borrelia burgdorfer, i, , the bacterium that causes Lyme disease—are especially small. The young “nymphs” are only the size of poppy seeds. Adult deer ticks aren’t much larger—about the size of a sesame seed. If an infected deer tick chooses you for its next blood meal, that bite can transmit Lyme disease or another infection to you. “Ticks can be so tiny that most people who get Lyme disease don’t recall a tick bite,”…

Your liver works hard to protect your health. It’s a rugged, strong organ. But certain things—like alcohol, drugs, viruses, and excess weight—can damage it. You may not even realize when your liver is struggling, because liver disease usually has no symptoms until the problem becomes severe. Help your liver to guard your health by avoiding the things that might cause it harm. The liver is the…

You know that physical activity can help you live a longer, healthier life. But did you know you don’t need to join a gym or use costly equipment to be physically active? No matter where you live, work, or go to school, you can find ways to move more and sit less throughout your day. In addition to helping your health, you might have fun without spending a lot of money. Moving more and sitting…

Most of us get headaches from time to time. Some are mild. Others cause throbbing pain. They can last for minutes or days. There are many different types of headaches. How you treat yours depends on which kind you have. Headaches might arise because of another medical condition, such as swollen sinuses or head injury. In these cases, treating the underlying problem usually relieves headache pain…

Heart disease is the leading cause of death nationwide, and it’s a major cause of disability. Finding heart problems early can help prevent more serious troubles later and save lives. Doctors have many techniques for diagnosing heart disease. Among these are imaging tests that take “pictures” of your heart. A new NIH Web page called “ Picturing the Heart ” gives a simple overview of 6 imaging…

For nearly a century, bacteria-fighting drugs known as antibiotics have helped to control and destroy many of the harmful bacteria that can make us sick. But in recent decades, antibiotics have been losing their punch against some types of bacteria. In fact, certain bacteria are now unbeatable with today’s medicines. Sadly, the way we’ve been using antibiotics is helping to create new drug-…, Staphylococcus aureus, (MRSA). These bacteria don’t respond to methicillin and related antibiotics. MRSA can cause skin infections and, in more serious cases, pneumonia or bloodstream infections. A MRSA skin infection can appear as one or more pimples or boils that are swollen, painful, or hot to the touch. The infection can spread through even a tiny cut or scrape that comes into contact with these bacteria. Many…, Enterococci, bacteria, remain unaffected by even this antibiotic of last resort. “We rely on antibiotics to deliver modern health care,” Segre says. But with the rise of drug-resistant bacteria, “we’re running out of new antibiotics to treat bacterial infections,” and some of the more potent ones aren’t working as well. Ideally, doctors would be able to quickly identify the right antibiotic to treat a…