Heartburn is a burning sensation in the stomach.  It often occurs when some of the digestive juices normally found in the stomach back up into the esophagus, the pipe between your stomach and your mouth.  Digestive juices include hydrochloric acid, a substance so corrosive that it is used industrially to clean metal.  Unlike the stomach, the esophagus has no protective lining.  That’s why upwardly mobile stomach acid burns so badly.  The symptoms of a so-called “acid stomach” may include severe chest pains similar to those that occur during a heart attack.  In most cases, this pain is the result of acid reflux....

Hemorrhoids are swollen veins around the anus that may protrude out of the rectum.  These swollen veins are classified as either external or internal hemorrhoids.  Internal hemorrhoids occur above the anus and are non-painful.  External hemorrhoids, on the other hand, occur in the lining of the anus and are painful....

Hyperactivity is a disorder of certain mechanisms in the central nervous system.  It is often a component of Attention Deficit Disorder or “ADD.”  ADD is the current classification of a common learning disorder that can occur with or without hyperactivity.  If it occurs with hyperactivity, it is called Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD.

Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure.  We measure blood pressure with two numbers--a top one and a bottom one.  They are called the “systolic” and “diastolic” pressures, respectively.  The systolic pressure is always higher since it is the pressure at the instant the heart pumps the blood into the arteries.  The diastolic is lower and represents the pressure in the arteries between pumps.  Normal blood pressure should be below 140/90....

Hypoglycemia refers to symptoms that occur when your blood sugar level drops too low. Keeping your blood sugar at normal levels requires quite a balancing act, making diabetics particularly prone to hypoglycemia.  People with “adult-onset diabetes” usually get hypoglycemia from skipping meals, delaying meals, or from strenuous exercise....