Mental Health

If someone told you sugar makes kids hyper and cats are after your baby's air supply, you've heard some old wives' tales. Is there any truth in them?

By Shanna Freeman & Christine Venzon

Sucking on a thumb is a normal reflex that soothes children in times of stress; it's essentially a security blanket that's attached to the body. But will this innocent gesture wreck their teeth?

By Molly Edmonds

This expression is repeated about as often apples are eaten. But does it have any truth to it? Should the apple really take credit for keeping people in impeccable health?

By Amy Hunter

No one know what causes autism, and there's no single way to treat it, either. Up and coming is a strict diet free of gluten, casein and all manner of ingredients. Does the cure for autism lie in the gut?

By Shanna Freeman

When you're aboard a ship, you become accustomed to the feeling of the floor tilting and rocking beneath your feet. But what if that sensation stayed with you on dry land -- for years?

By Charles W. Bryant

Another headache? Time to reach for your snake oil -- or maybe your electromagnetic belt. Quacks have pulled the wool over people's eyes for years in the name of medicine. Here are 10 of their more outrageous cons.

By Tom Scheve

Diagnosing an eating disorder is the first step in getting treatment. Learn about the common symptoms of eating disorders and tests used for diagnosis.

By National Women's Health Resource Center

Eating disorders strike more than 7 million American women each year. See 10 important facts to learn more.

By National Women's Health Resource Center

Are you trying to stop snoring, or get someone else to stop snoring? Take a look at these 9 tips to stop snoring for help getting peaceful sleep.

We know that double cheeseburgers can lead to heart disease and a propensity for sugar to diabetes. But does your love of cigarettes have anything to do with the blues?

By Molly Edmonds

The writers that crafted Alice and her wonderland, Tiny Tim and the brothers Karamazov had something in common besides extraordinary talent: epilepsy. Do seizures and novels go hand in hand?

By Jacob Silverman

If you have a friend who's obsessive about cleanliness or organization, you've probably jokingly described him or her as OCD. But obsessive-compulsive disorder is about more than just scrubbing and straightening.

By Jacob Silverman

Boxers, NFL players and plenty of other athletes sustain concussions all the time. But when is a bump on the head more than just a little injury? When a retired athlete's life starts to fall apart, can you blame the brain?

By Jacob Silverman

The thought of losing your most precious memories to dementia is enough to scare anyone. But does it have to be that way, or is there something you can do to save your mind?

By Molly Edmonds

A little forgetfulness is normal, but what about when a person can no longer remember the names of their family members? For those with Alzheimer's and the people who love them, debilitating memory loss is a sad fact of everyday life.

By Jacob Silverman

If a fire headed toward your house, you might be tempted to rescue a precious memento like a photo album or a child's blanket. When dementia heads for the brain, there's no chance of saving your memories.

By Molly Edmonds

You can liken seizures to electrical storms or traffic jams in the brain, but what do those seizures do to the rest of the body? Do epileptics swallow their tongues? Epilepsy affects 50 million people worldwide, but most people don't know much about it.

By Molly Edmonds

People with a condition that affects the brain will most likely see a specialist called a neurologist. Check out what we have found on how to ask the right questions for finding a brain specialist.

By Madeline Roberts Vann, MPH

What's even more depressing than depression itself? The fact that depression could lead to heart attacks. It's more reason you should seek help and start exercising when you get the blues.

By Charles W. Bryant

Go ahead. Take that power nap. Sleep in on Saturday. Snooze through the "Late Show with David Letterman" for a full eight hours of Zs. It's good for your heart.

By Charles W. Bryant

Sometimes an unruly, out-of-control kid isn't just misbehaving. ADHD affects quite a few people, but it's a condition that manages to attract a lot of controversy. Is ADHD a case of too much sugar, bad parenting or something more complex?

By Jacob Silverman

Strokes are the third leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of permanent disability. More than half of all strokes could be prevented. Are you at risk?

By Molly Edmonds

Mental illness affects all kinds of people. With this image gallery, learn about mental illness and its associated problems along with famous people who have struggled with mental disorders.

Maybe you don't like anyone sitting right next to you on the train, but you wouldn't call yourself a claustrophobe. According to some theories, we might all have a touch of claustrophobia -- even if it takes undergoing an MRI scan to provoke it.

By Josh Clark

Let's say the sandman forgets to come by and sprinkle you with some of his slumber dust. How much do you really need that repose?

By Charles W. Bryant