Medicine

Nursing is a valuable and vital profession, but it's not for the faint of heart. And once you put aside the TV stereotypes, you'll find there's a lot more to the field than just wearing white.

By Kevin P. Allen

Before the end of the 19th century, most nurses didn't have any formal training. It wasn't until the extraordinary women and men on our list pioneered a path for nurses from bedpan to bachelor's degree that the seeds of modern nursing were born.

By Maria Trimarchi

If your idea of adventure is balancing a snack tray and the remote control, it might be time to get off the couch. But do you know which sports could send you to the ER?

By Joseph Miller

Trips to the emergency room can be scary -- but some can be downright hilarious after the danger has passed. Here are five ER tales for the ages.

By Jennifer Sellers

Trips to the emergency room are all too common -- but so are the dangers that send you there. Most of the objects on this list are in your home right now. Find out what day-to-day dangers we all face.

By Maria Trimarchi

You know what statistics are, but what are biostatistics? They affect your life far more than you'd think.

By Alison Kim Perry

Whether drawn from embryos, placentas or adults, stem cells continue to garner attention. They may help treat a wide range of diseases, but there are caveats.

By Brion O'Connor

Your back pain may be debilitating, but is it bad enough to undergo laser spine surgery? Find out all the facts before you get burned.

By Terri Briseno

They're usually thought of as foul, slimy creatures hungry for blood, but leeches are beneficial in today's medical treatments.

By Chris Opfer

Revascularization surgeries are amazing procedures. They bypass blocked arteries and restore blood flow to major organs, including the heart. But they're complicated and sometimes risky.

By Natalie Kilgore

During a plasmapheresis procedure, plasma, the fluid part of the blood, is removed from blood cells by a cell separator and replaced with other fluids. Why would you do this?

By Sarah Winkler

Can vitamins and minerals in the right amounts really cure what ails you? That's the basic idea behind orthomolecular medicine, a form of alternative medicine that's been around for decades.

By Shanna Freeman

Cornea transplant surgery is one of the successful types of transplant surgery. But there are still a few cautions. We'll explain the procedure and the risks.

By Alison Kim Perry

Transitioning from one gender to another is hardly an overnight process, with many steps from point A to B. What are the stages of gender reassignment?

By Maria Trimarchi & Molly Edmonds

Of those who go under the knife to switch genders, many will opt for a procedure to alter their voice to match their new sex. What is transgender voice surgery?

By Kevin P. Allen

For decades, freak accidents have caused people to lose limbs because surgeons couldn't save them. So have medical procedures really changed that much?

By Tom Scheve

Having your stomach pumped could save your life if you overdose on medication or swallow a poison. But those aren't the only reasons doctors perform this procedure.

By Caitlin Uttley

Emergency rooms aren't first come, first serve. How fast you're seen depends on how severe your injury.

By Maria Trimarchi

Celebrities' lives often have little connection with the general public … until something goes wrong. Here, we'll look at five celebrity ER trips.

By Kevin P. Allen

Emergency rooms on TV dramas seem exciting, but these portrayals overlook a lot of reality. Here, we look at the 10 most common reasons for an ER visit.

By Marianne Spoon

Most of us probably think of the emergency room as a place to get help. But what about all those germs? Here, five infectious diseases you might get in an ER.

By Jennifer Sellers

Acupressure is a simple and safe method of relieving sinus congestion. Learn how acupressure can relieve sinus congestion from this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

Pulmonary function tests measure how well your lungs are working; they are performed in an outpatient setting, usually in a special lab. Learn where you can get a pulmonary function test from this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

Until the turn of the century, soldiers were barely equipped to deal with their wounds. Then came the Army's Individual First Aid Kit. But what's inside?

By Brion O'Connor

You've probably heard the term "medic" at the movies: Something terrible happens on a battlefield, and as the smoke begins to clear, you hear soldiers calling "Medic!" while standing over the wounded. But what exactly does an Army medic do?

By Becky Striepe