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MedlinePlus is a service of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the world's largest medical library, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It was built as an online health information resource for patients and their families and friends.

MedlinePlus presents high-quality, easy to understand, relevant health and wellness information that is trusted.

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Teen Development - National Library of Medicine

As a teenager, you go through many physical, mental, emotional, and social changes. The biggest change is puberty, the ... girls and ages 12 and 16 for boys. As your body changes, you may have questions about ...

Thymus Cancer - National Library of Medicine

The thymus is a small organ in your upper chest, under your breastbone. Before birth and during childhood, the thymus helps the body make a type of white blood cell. These cells help ...

Vegetarian Diet - National Library of Medicine

A vegetarian diet focuses on plants for food. These include fruits, vegetables, dried beans and peas, grains, ... need. However, they must be careful to eat a wide variety of foods to meet their nutritional ...

Wildfires - National Library of Medicine

... are fires that burn out of control in a natural area, like a forest, grassland, or prairie. They often begin unnoticed. ... if you live in an area threatened by a wildfire, you can take actions to protect yourself. ...

Wilson Disease - National Library of Medicine

Wilson disease is a rare inherited disorder that prevents your body from getting rid of extra copper. You need a small amount of copper from food to stay ... Normally, your liver releases extra copper into bile, a digestive fluid. With Wilson disease, the copper builds ...

Zika Virus - National Library of Medicine

Zika is a virus that is spread mostly by mosquitoes. A pregnant mother can pass it to her baby during pregnancy ... five people do get symptoms, which can include a fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (pink eye). ...

Advance Directives - National Library of Medicine

... life care ahead of time. They give you a way to tell your wishes to family, friends, ... care professionals and to avoid confusion later on. A living will tells which treatments you want if ...

Bile Duct Diseases - National Library of Medicine

Your liver makes a digestive juice called bile. Your gallbladder stores it between meals. When you eat, your gallbladder pushes the bile into ... diseases can block the bile ducts and cause a problem with the flow of bile: Gallstones, which ...

Birthmarks - National Library of Medicine

... abnormalities of the skin that are present when a baby is born. There are two types of ... port-wine stains. Pigmented birthmarks are made of a cluster of pigment cells which cause color in ...

Brain Tumors - National Library of Medicine

A brain tumor is a growth of abnormal cells in the tissues of the brain. Brain tumors can be benign, with no cancer cells, or ... behavior Seizures Doctors diagnose brain tumors by doing a neurologic exam and tests including an MRI, CT ...

Bruises - National Library of Medicine

A bruise is a mark on your skin caused by blood trapped under the surface. It happens when an injury crushes small blood ... the most serious. It can take months for a bruise to fade, but most last about two ...

Child Development - National Library of Medicine

As children grow older, they develop in several different ways. Child development includes physical, intellectual, social, and ... problems in children. These problems can get worse as time goes on, so it is important to ...

Child Sexual Abuse - National Library of Medicine

... is one form of child abuse. It includes a wide range of actions between a child and an adult or older child. Often ... pressuring them for sex is sexual abuse. Using a child for pornography is also sexual abuse. Most ...



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