Roberta Ballard

Recommended Articles

• How Oxytocin, a Natural Hormone, Could Improve Social Skills in Children with Autism

  Ocytocin is often called the 'love hormone' or the 'cuddle hormone.' It has many effects, from appetite suppression to inhibiting the release of cortisol. More famously, it is important for every kind of relationship.Basically, this hormone is released by any loving physical contact, including...

• Is Pleurisy Contagious?

  Our lungs are separated from the chest cavity by a very thin membrane that folds onto itself, forming a two-layered membrane known as the pleura. Between the two layers is a small cavity known as the pleural membrane.This cavity is filled with a small quantity of lubricating fluid, the primary...

• Teen Finds Strength to Give Back After Battling Lymphoma

  Ayden Mills is a 14-year-old middle school student residing in Vancouver, Washington. It’s easy to wonder how someone could be an inspiration at such a young age, but what Mills has gone fought through is nothing short of amazing. Mills’s story shows how it is possible to fight through even the...

• For Children with Crohn's, New Approach Is Safer than Steroids, Study Finds

  Steroids are the standard of therapy when treating Crohn’s flares. Unfortunately, steroids also come with many nasty side effects. For example, bone demineralization and slow growth are just some of the side effects of steroids that are especially concerning for a growing child. Corticosteroids...

• What Is an Antitussive?

  A cough is described as a sudden explosive exhalation of air. It is basically a body's defense mechanism to protect and clear the airways from inhaled foreign materials. People may also voluntarily or spontaneously cough. Coughs often vary and may be characterized by productive (chesty or wet) or...

• The Effects of AIDS on Families

   IntroductionAIDS negatively affects not only the person suffering from it but also their families. It affects the relationships of the patients' family members. One major effect of HIV on families is the stress on children. Children often feel stress just knowing one of their family members has an...