What is Anorexia nervosa? Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by abnormally low body weight, an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of weight. Individuals with anorexia place a high value on controlling their weight and shape, using extreme efforts that tend to significantly interfere with their lives. Individuals with this […]

Barber’s itch or folliculitis is a skin condition that occurs when hair follicles become inflamed. This condition is caused by an infection with bacteria. In it’s initial stages, barber’s itch looks like small pimples around the tiny pockets from where each hair grows called hair follicles. It is important to note that the condition is […]

What is a Baker cyst? It is a fluid-filled growth behind the knee that causes a bulge and a feeling of tightness. The other name for a Baker cyst is a popliteal cyst. It is important to note that this condition at times causes pain, which gets worse with activity, when fully straightening, and when […]

Parent-child interaction model is a middle-range nursing theory by Kathryn E. Barnard. The model assesses the behaviors of both children and parents to identify children at risk such as those experiencing a failure to thrive, severely sick newborns, and children who have suffered abuse and neglect. The model by Barnard investigated the environmental factors that […]

The Human to Human Relationship Model of Nursing was developed by Joyce Travelbee and deals with the interpersonal aspects of nursing, focusing especially on mental health. According to Travelbee, human-to-human relationship is the means through which the purpose of nursing is fulfilled. One of the basis for Travelbee’s model is existentialism, which believes that humans constantly […]

The Nursing Need Theory by Virginia Henderson attempts to define the unique focus of nursing practice. The Need theory places key emphasis on the importance of increasing the patient’s independence in care so that progress after hospitalization would not be delayed.  The theory is based on three main assumptions the first one being that nurses […]

Human-to-Human Relationship Model is a nursing theory developed by Joyce Travelbee. The theory is based on Soren Kierkegaard’s philosophy of existentialism and Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy. Kierkegaard’s philosophy that is existentialism places the accountability for people’s choices in life on the people who make those choices. Viktor Frankl’s phylosophy, logotherapy assumes that fulfillment is the best […]

Anne Casey, proposed a nursing theory to try to fulfill all of the needs of the patient. Anne Casey’s nursing theory is a middle-range theory titled Casey’s Model of Nursing. The theory presumed the relationship between the nurse and the patient/family should be a partnership. According to her, this partnership is based on a recognition of […]

Acute kidney failure is a health condition that occurs when the kidneys suddenly become unable to filter waste products from the blood. As a result of inability to filter waste, high levels of wastes may accumulate in the kidneys and the blood’s chemical makeup may get out of balance. This condition develops rapidly, usually in […]

Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a serious condition affecting the spinal cord, mainly affects young children. It is characterized by sudden weakness in the arms or legs, loss of muscle tone, and loss of reflexes. Other possible symptoms of this condition include difficulty moving the eyes or drooping eyelids, facial weakness, difficulty  swallowing, slurred speech, […]

or solar keratosis is a rough, scaly patch on the skin that develops from years of sun exposure. This condition is found on the face, lips, ears, forearms, scalp, neck or back of the hands. An actinic keratosis grows slowly and usually first appears in people above the age of 40. The risk of developing […]

Acoustic neuroma, also known as vestibular schwannoma, is a noncancerous and usually slow-growing tumor that develops on the main (vestibular) nerve leading from your inner ear to your brain. Branches of this nerve directly influence your balance and hearing, and pressure from an acoustic neuroma can cause hearing loss, ringing in your ear and unsteadiness. […]

Achilles tendon rupture is an injury that affects the back of your lower leg. It mainly occurs in people playing recreational sports, but it can happen to anyone. The Achilles tendon is a strong fibrous cord that connects the muscles in the back of your calf to your heel bone. If you overstretch your Achilles […]

Acanthosis nigricans is a condition that causes areas of dark, thick velvety skin in body folds and creases. It typically affects the armpits, groin and neck. Acanthosis nigricans (ak-an-THOE-sis NIE-grih-kuns) tends to affect people with obesity. It is a rare health condition. Rarely, the skin condition can be a sign of cancer in an internal […]

An abdominal aortic aneurysm is an enlarged area in the lower part of the major vessel that supplies blood to the body (aorta). The aorta runs from the heart through the center of the chest and abdomen. The aorta is the largest blood vessel in the body, so a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm can cause […]

Athritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more joints. The main symptoms are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. Osteoarthritis causes cartilage — the hard, slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones where they form a joint — to break down. Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which the immune […]

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder or PMDD, is a cyclic, hormone-based mood disorder, commonly considered a severe and disabling form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). While up to 85% of women experience PMS, only around 5% of women are diagnosed with PMDD, according to a study in the American Journal of Psychiatry. While the core symptoms of PMDD […]

Psychosis is a condition in which a person begins to see and/or hear things that aren’t really there or experience false ideas about reality.  When psychosis occurs alongside depression, it is called psychotic depression. Women are twice as likely as men to develop depression than men. About two-thirds of those who develop severe depression are […]

Constipation is generally described as having fewer than three bowel movements a week. Treatment for chronic constipation depends in part on the underlying cause. The common causes of constipation include tiny tears in the skin around the anus, a blockage in the intestines, Colon cancer, Narrowing of the colon and rectum bulge through the back […]

Diagnosis of PTSD requires exposure to an event that involved the actual or possible threat of death, violence or serious injury. Your exposure can happen in one or more of these ways directly experienced the traumatic event, witnessed, in person, the traumatic event occurring to others, or learned someone close to you experienced or was […]