General Health

Body maintenance | Colds, aches, pains, and other ailments | Flu | Stomach and other gastrointestinal grumblings | Injuries | Cancer | Complementary medicine | Skin conditions | Hair | Oral health | Eyes | Sleep | Body decoration | Miscellaneous

	Body maintenance
		Health care providers
		Choosing a gyno: Do I want a man or woman? Health insurance options after college Health care providers providing sex education? Dental care in NYC Should I tell my gyn I'm having lesbian sex? Doctor visit delayed by shaved pubic hair Go to a health care provider, not Alice! Are doctors turned on by their patients? Whom to see for an STI? What is an HMO? After graduation, how do I find a doctor? Doctor's wrongs, patient's rights
		Environmental health
		Geese feces health risks? Will living in New York City make my asthma worse? Asbestos in the ceiling: Am I in danger? Heating blanket safety Fear of Teflon flakes found in frying pan Does a shampoo additive (sodium lauryl sulfate) cause cancer? Is reusing water bottles safe? Toxic mold around the house Tap or bottled water: Which is better for you? Do cockroaches carry contagion? Breathing easier in the big city Lead in stoneware and crystal — Harmful? Can tampons cause cancer? Is cellular phone radiation harmful? Power lines — Radiation? Loud music and ear ringing? Tinnitus research and treatment Noise in ears Indoor air quality Microwave safety Carpal tunnel syndrome Mercury in dental fillings How drinkable is New York City’s tap water? Prevention of carpal tunnel syndrome Computer hazards
		Habits
		OK to reuse bath towels? Tips for vocal health How can I boost my immune system? Snap, crackle, pop — Scoliosis and back cracking The health of a couch potato Son picks nose, gets teased: How can I help him stop? Okay, but how do you sit on a bidet? Hey, what's a bidet? Is neck and back cracking all it's cracked up to be? Bathing — how often? Knuckle cracking Nose picking
		Vitality
		Meditation, yoga, tai-chi — how do I begin? Low body temperature — cause for concern? Blood transfusion changes my DNA? How can I boost my immune system? Meditation Energy boosters Always tired How to become a bone marrow donor? Fatigue and serotonin?
		Immunizations and tests
		HIV+ and wondering about flu shots Avian flu — what is it? Is there a vaccine? What's up with FluMist? What's with the lumps in my underarm area? Afraid of shots Who's the father of my child? Bone density tests Meningitis vaccine decision-making The Lyme disease vaccine Immunizations needed for travel abroad? Free flu shots at Columbia? Do I have a learning disability? What are CT scans and MRIs? Cut by rusty metal! Do I need a tetanus shot? PET scan How to become a bone marrow donor? What do blood pressure numbers mean? Should I get a flu shot? Positive TB test — am I sick? Immunization for pneumonia? MMR versus TB
		Body emissions
		Colon Cleanse What can I do about my strong body odor? How often do I need to urinate? Stools cause a stink in the bathroom Why does my urine stink? The meaning of sweat Help for adult bedwetting Why do people fart? Yearnin' for safe urine Much ado about mucus More on bad breath (Halitosis) Could you explode from excess gas? Foot odor Body Aroma Morning breath Bad breath and stomach Flatulence
	Diabetes: No risk factors, so why do I have symptoms? Nalgene water bottles and BPA leaching?
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	Colds, aches, pains, and other ailments
	H1N1 influenza (swine flu) Whooping cough (pertussis) care? Stroke information, please! MRSA (staph infection) and breast feeding? Exercise-induced asthma Diabetes: No risk factors, so why do I have symptoms? Fishy body odor (trimethylaminuria) Sarcoidosis "Silent" heart attack? Bunion surgery — heels a thing of the past? I am always freezing Bones ache when weather changes? Consequences of holding your pee? Avian flu — what is it? Is there a vaccine? My knees hurt! Help with pain management? Restless legs syndrome (RLS) Appendicitis Geese feces health risks? Do I have a cold or the flu? Hiatal hernia Can you get staph from being around someone with it? Wake up with morning throat aches BSE (Mad cow disease) from gelatin? Water retention in the big city? Snap, crackle, pop — Scoliosis and back cracking What can be done for an irregular heartbeat? Will living in New York City make my asthma worse? My husband's speech patterns have changed -- What's going on here? A stroke? What's up with FluMist? Am I having a heart attack or what? I'm vomiting and can't keep anything down -- Help! Do I have thrush? Can I give it to my lover? Help - I am a woman with a hairy chest! Porphyria What to do about my partner who's allergic to my pets? Help! I was stung by a jellyfish! Bruxism bites: I'm grinding my teeth in my sleep Prickly feeling feet from standing all day Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) Head pain when I bend over Are washcloths and other body scrubbers bacteria factories? Constant coughing keeps me up at night "Wet head": Can going out with one make you sick? Motion sickness Lipoma Wasp stings Freaking out about getting tonsils and adenoid removed Allergies appear after relocation TB hee-bee-gee-bees: Tuberculosis causes and concerns Gangrene Pinched nerve What is a staph infection? Strep throat Treatment for gout Addicted to nasal spray? Scarlet fever Heart attack symptoms — Different for men and women? Allergic to exercise? Foot and mouth disease — Does it affect humans? What is Tourette's syndrome? Measles Nausea: Causes and treatments Airplane earaches Help for urinary incontinence (leakage) in women What is hemochromatosis? Swollen uvula (The little thing that hangs in the back of your throat) Okay to fly with ruptured eardrum? No taste when I have a cold Multiple chemical sensitivity Meningitis: Should I get the vaccine? Iron deficiency Anemia effects I was bitten by a mosquito — West Nile virus? Highly sensitive hearing Pain-in-the- ...er, rear. Proctalgia Fugax? Common cold causes Handwashing do's and don'ts Nose won't stop running Free flu shots at Columbia? Latex allergies Reye's syndrome Naive nose-blower What causes bunions? Pinworms!!! Facial paralysis Bursitis Shingles without the shingles? Could it be... hemorrhoids? Glaucoma — Blindness? Bronchitis — causes and effects? Plantar fasciitis Hearing loss and ear tubes Cold sores Nephrotic syndrome Frequent urination Swollen feet Unexplained bruises Kidney stones Desensitization for allergies (immunotherapy) Symptoms of pneumonia Leukemia Heel spur syndrome Altitude sickness When are colds contagious? Mucus buildup Migraine headaches Itching throat Shingles Sprained ankle Diabetes mellitus Nasal spray junkie Should I get a flu shot? Bleeding nose and gums Meningitis Soaking in sweat and seeking solutions Boyfriend's steroid medication ruining our relationship! Sores in mouth — worry? Strep that eats flesh scares me! Tense back Hemorrhoid prevention? What to do for headaches? Copier allergy? Chronic bursitis Does my coworker have Alzheimer's? Mouth sores — canker sores from food? Hives? Just under the weather, or mono? Inflamed nose? Stinging pain in abdomen Mono? Pneumonia? Something else?
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	Flu
	H1N1 influenza (swine flu) Whooping cough (pertussis) care? HIV+ and wondering about flu shots Avian flu — what is it? Is there a vaccine? Do I have a cold or the flu? What's up with FluMist? Handwashing do's and don'ts Free flu shots at Columbia? Should I get a flu shot?
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	Stomach and other gastrointestinal grumblings
	Floating stools — what do they say about my health? Anti-depressant causes depressing constipation Treatment for hemorrhoids Mucus in stool harmful? What is E. coli? Remedies for gas pain? Monthly diarrhea — associated with my period? Chronically constipated — are my intestines blocked? Bowel movement 1 time a week Hot sauce: Appetizing, but anally aggravating? Geese feces health risks? Constipation relief for toddlers Help - My stomach rumbles and grumbles to no end Stress and the stomach — how do I avoid getting an ulcer? Campylobacteriosis: Attack of the meaty bacteria! Bloody stools: Should I worry about them? What medicine is there to treat food poisoning? Traveler's diarrhea: Preventing and treating runs on the road More on irritable bowel syndrome Ulcers Crohn's disease information Spastic colon Ulcer or tapeworm? Gastric reflux Gas, bloating, fiber?
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	Injuries
	Thumbs down to nail injuries My knees hurt! Help with pain management? Shoulder pain Disk is slipped, bulging, and herniated... Help! How do wounds, cuts, scrapes, lacerations heal? Proper ice pack application for injuries Concussions Unexplained bruises
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	Cancer
	Effects of breast cancer on pregnancy I'm too young to have colon cancer How do you prepare your body for chemotherapy? Colorectal cancer How valid are alternative and complementary medical tests and treatments for cancer? Does a shampoo additive (sodium lauryl sulfate) cause cancer? You need an answer on vulvar cancer! Male breast cancer fear Alcohol in mouthwash - Does it cause cancer? Can tampons cause cancer? Antiperspirant use and breast cancer development — The facts and the fiction Paternal grandmother — Breast cancer link? Male breast cancer Breast cancer gene? Prostate problems - enlargement and cancer Uterine cancer? What does a melanoma look like?
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	Complementary medicine
	Colon Cleanse Does aromatherapy work? How valid are alternative and complementary medical tests and treatments for cancer? What's the point of acupuncture and acupressure? Seeking massage therapist Meditation What is Rolfing?
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	Skin conditions
	MRSA (staph infection) and breast feeding? Moles suddenly appearing everywhere Fingernails as health indicator Tanning bed Microdermibrasion for stubborn acne Peeling skin after using a tanning bed What do I do about all these ingrown hairs? Sunless tanning products What can I do for the stye on my eye? ''Backne'' (Acne on my back) Ow! How do I deal with red ant bites? Why is my toenail falling off? Embarrassing scars — how can I get rid of them? What can I do to take care of my very oily hair and skin? Help! I was stung by a jellyfish! Moisturizers = Super smooth skin or a slick scam? How can I have acne at thirty?!? What are these white spots around my eyes? Are washcloths and other body scrubbers bacteria factories? In a pickle over prickle — why does wearing wool make me itch? Hung up over painful hangnail Hair dye burned my scalp — help! Help me heal my dry, cracked, sore, and ugly feet Indoor testicle tanning: Do they need protection, too? Red bumps on my butt keep rearing their ugly heads No sweat: Could it be anhidrosis? The corners of my mouth are cracking up Toenail Fungus Allergic to exercise? Freckles Stretch marks What to use on clogged pores — Salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide? Chapped lips just won't quit Athlete's foot prevention — do sandals do anything? Do cosmetics containing sunscreen provide adequate sun protection? Goosebumps and the shivers Wrinkle remedies Do nude sunbathers need extra sun protection? Sunburn cures? Poison ivy, oak, and sumac Latex allergies Antibiotics and acne Ringworm Pityriasis Rosea Nickel Allergy More about Athlete's Foot Growing purple mole: Should I be concerned? Removing moles? Scarring? Under-eye circles — how can I get rid of them? Lip balms/moisturizers — addictive? "Cure" for cellulite? What is a sebaceous cyst? More sun protection Mole — melanoma? Summer tan peeling Plantar warts Athlete's foot Getting rid of acne scars? Dermatitis Dry skin and eczema help Plant based sun protection Poison ivy Acne treatment Strep that eats flesh scares me! Cure for psoriasis? Hives? Dry skin? Skin tag removal? What does a melanoma look like?
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	Hair
	Chemical hair treatments - Bad for baby-on-the-way? Side effects of laser hair removal Shaving pubic hair — avoiding razor burn and ingrown hairs Brazilian waxing What do I do about all these ingrown hairs? Shaving head — Hair grows back thicker and healthier? Help - I am a woman with a hairy chest! Why do blond kids go brown? Patchy hair loss (Alopecia areata) What can I do to take care of my very oily hair and skin? Hair dye burned my scalp — help! Razor bumps and barber's rash Will dye damage my hair and turn it prematurely gray? Do-it-yourself potion for inexpensive hair removal My hairless face is holding me back — I look too young! What's the point of pubic hair? The swimming and green hair connection? Long hair at the office Hair woes To shave or not to shave Hairless models: What's their secret? Dandruff Shampoos -- Addiction? Men's legs and shaving Hair condition: oily or dry? How often to wash hair? Premature gray Stress leads to hair loss? Losing hair and Rogaine Proper way to shave a beard? Wife losing hair Pre-mature hair loss
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	Oral health
	Tips for vocal health Hacking up strange clumps — why? Wisdom teeth — must I get them removed? Clean mouth = good health? The cold, hard truth: Chewing ice and teeth Wisdom teeth removed: What do I do now? Pop versus Coffee What should I look for in mouthwash? Antiseptic vs. antibacterial mouthwashes Alcohol in mouthwash - Does it cause cancer? Electric vs. manual toothbrushes Relief for burnt and injured tongues? A temporary fix for my broken tooth? Tongue brushing White stuff on gums? Receding gums
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	Eyes
	Are darker sunglasses worse for your eyes? Eye exercises for improved vision? Is worsening of nearsightedness (myopia) preventable? What can I do for the stye on my eye? Ouch -- I have a scratched cornea! Floating eye spots Is it okay to sleep with my contact lenses - even if it's just a one night stand? What's up with eye drops for newborns? Why do we blink? Contact lenses: Which type is better? Black eye cure? Can chronic eyestrain cause blindness? Herpes eye infection and blindness? Contact lens lost in eye Eye mucus Under-eye circles — how can I get rid of them? Herpes and eye infection Color Vision Impairment And Careers Allergy eye relief?
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	Sleep
	Sleepy from oversleeping All night, done right: Getting the most out of an all-nighter Narcolepsy Sleepwalking associated with drinking? Restless legs syndrome (RLS) Sleep talking Ear plugs Decreasing amount of sleep needed I can't fall asleep when my boyfriend stays the night Short sleep + long naps = healthy? Why can't I stay awake in class? Why can't I move when I wake up? Am I in danger? What position is best... for sleeping? Snoozing and losing The downsides of sleep deprivation Heating blanket safety Jolt on the way to dreamland — hypnic jerk Losing sleep over sleeping pills — will I become dependent on them? A wake up call for drowsy drivers Can't stay awake in bed Wake up, it's time to go to school again When cuddling and sleeping don't mix Fall asleep faster Sleep apnea Insomnia — a disturbing sleep disturbance! Stop snoring!
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	Body decoration
	UV tattoo for you? Prince Albert piercing Nipple piercings Tired of my tattoo: Where do I go to get it off? What to do about discharge from nipple piercing? Coloring pubic hair? What to do with pubic hair? Pubic hairdressers Adverse effects of tattoo ink? How do Tattoos Work? Pierced clit Nose piercing
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	Miscellaneous
		Especially for Columbians
		Safety in the city... and everywhere else Temporary health insurance at Columbia? Free condoms — and other health care at Columbia? Join Health Services at Columbia? Forgotten Health Sciences campus
		Go Ask Alice! stuff
		Where are the new questions and answers posted, where do I ask my questions, and how do I increase my chances of getting an answer? ''Vulva'' on my chest brings passersby unrest Yo, Alice, lighten up It's Friday, so where are the new questions and answers? Getting The Go Ask Alice Book of Answers Alice's reading habits Alice's writing habits Why do you answer dumb questions? Librarian likes Go Ask Alice!, Parent is concerned Alice annoys former adult video actor with important questions Does Alice respond directly to inquirers? Answer my questions, Alice! Kudos to Alice! Does Alice provide personal email responses? Don't 'Go Ask Alice!' — get medical attention immediately Will you answer my question? Alice Q&A links change color How Go Ask Alice! works Go Ask Alice! navigation tips
		Other
		Getting in touch during an emergency Can't process spoken speech — which makes school difficult! "Silent" heart attack? OK to reuse bath towels? Steam room vs. sauna Narcolepsy I am always freezing Selling plasma: Fattens my wallet, but what about my health? Bags under the eyes: How? Why? Pleurisy Crooked legs — "outtoeing"? Chemical hair treatments - Bad for baby-on-the-way? Swallowing gum Bell in the back of throat Dairy products suddenly taste bad Am I done growing? Can holding a sneeze cause damage? What is a mitral valve prolapse? Fleas, fleas everywhere, and I don't have pets — What happened and what can I do? I can't stop hiccupping -- Help! Lactating but not nursing Deodorant down below? Sitting water = Petri dish? Women with Adam's apples? Do I have dyslexia? Secrets of singers who shout their brains out? Perspiration polka dots: Sweat stain sources and solutions? Hot and bothered by static electric shocks My ear is bleeding! Bloody greenish discharge from my nipples — Should I be concerned? Will a healthy dog's bite make me sick? I was diagnosed with thalassemia, but I don't know what it is Friend considers organ donation Why Cry? Belly button lint How common is sickle cell anemia? Bed bugs go ''chomp'' in the night Tap or bottled water: Which is better for you? Biological and chemical terrorism: Questions and answers with links to informative resources Klinefelter's syndrome Who can be a blood donor? Attack of the contagious yawns Does soap kill germs? Swallowed a quarter Yearnin' for safe urine Rat scratch fever? Underwear ''laws''? Why do we yawn? Should I treat my toilet seat? No taste when I have a cold Air travel before and after baby is born Health information on-line: Whom can you trust? Adam's got an apple... Why not Eve? Fingernails fray and chip all the time Much ado about mucus Pain-in-the- ...er, rear. Proctalgia Fugax? Dark nail polish and discolored nails dilemma Best ear protection when swimming? Handwashing do's and don'ts Safety in the city... and everywhere else CPR and First Aid Training Referral Should I smash my cyst with a hammer? Interested in being a bone marrow donor Beauty salon health risks? Do I have a learning disability? The ABOs of blood types Under-eye circles — how can I get rid of them? Where do hiccups come from? Why Promote Health Care? Nipple tissue? How to become a bone marrow donor? Infrared heat lamps Baby colic Varicose veins Fingernails misshapen Golf nodule? Benefits of sauna
	Stroke information, please! Lead poisoning from crystal? Nalgene water bottles and BPA leaching? I’m melting inhaling carbon dioxide Low body temperature — cause for concern? Sarcoidosis Constant fatigue — dietary or nutritional causes?
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