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Medicine Facts

What's So Bad About Cholesterol?

Cholesterol has a worse reputation than it deserves. This waxy lipid (a kind of fat) is essential to good health. It builds the membranes that hold cells together. It's used in making certain hormones ... Continue reading

Cholesterol build-up diagram.

Is Heartburn a Heart Burn?

Heartburn is a bad name for a complaint that has nothing to do with the heart. TV ads call it acid indigestion. It's a burning sensation that begins under the breastbone and moves up into the throat. ... Continue reading

Upper digestive tract.

Smallpox, Chickenpox . . . Monkeypox?

This past summer a few people in the midwest came down with monkeypox, a viral disease related to smallpox but less infectious and a lot less deadly to humans. Oddly they all seem to have caught the ... Continue reading

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is caused by tiny bacteria called rickettsiae that live inside the cells of infected individuals. It has been reported throughout the United States, but is most ... Continue reading