The basic pimple is a plugged hair follicle. If this plugged follicle stays under the skin, it is called a whitehead. When it reaches the surface of the skin and opens up, it is called a blackhead because it looks black on the skin's surface.

Acne can be mild or severe. Mild outbreaks can usually be helped with over-the-counter (OTC) ointments or creams. Severe acne may require prescription ointments or antibiotics to stop the bacteria from forming.

There are many different types of allergens: dust, pollen, pets, insect stings, peanuts, soy, and penicillin. Some people get hives and itch from cold weather. Others get a rash and blisters from the metal in jewelry, coins, or keys.

Sometimes all kids have to do is stay away from what makes them wheeze or itch. If they can't avoid allergens, mild symptoms can usually be treated with over-the-counter medicines.

People with serious reactions may have to carry emergency kits or wear bracelets that explain their allergies.

The body's white blood cells attack hair follicles by mistake, which stops the growth. Most often this happens on the scalp, but anywhere that grows hair can be affected. No matter how much hair is lost, the follicles are still alive.

Hair can and does start regrowing without treatment. Doctors also have medicines that can help wake up the follicles.

It is called progressive, because the damage to the motor neurons gets worse. The muscles get fewer messages from the brain and get stiff from not moving. Eventually, the muscles become paralyzed.

ALS, also called Lou Gehrig's disease, does not affect other cells in the brain. People with this disease can still think and, with the help of technology, can often communicate well with others.

A diet that doesn't have enough iron, vitamin B12, and folic acid can cause anemia. An infection can stop bone marrow from making more red blood cells. In some diseases, the red blood cells change shape and are destroyed when they can't move through the body.

Eating a better diet can help. When an infection goes away, anemia usually does, too. Doctors can give blood transfusions if the condition doesn't get better.

Physical symptoms can include shaking, upset stomach, rapid heartbeat, sweating, fainting, trouble breathing, headaches, irritability, and sleep problems.

This inflammation causes sharp pain around the belly button or lower right side. Some other symptoms are a mild fever, nausea, vomiting, and a strong urge to urinate. In little children, the abdomen may look big and bloated.

Doctors use blood tests, x-rays, and a CT scan to check the appendix. Surgery to remove the appendix is the only treatment. If it isn't removed, the appendix can burst. This causes the infection to spread through the abdomen and can even cause death.

This condition doesn't happen only to older people. Kids and teens can also develop types of arthritis.

Often children want to make friends, but have trouble knowing how. They can't always understand body language or facial expressions. Some don't like to make eye contact; others stare intensely.

People with AS like orderly things; doing things the same way, at the same time each day. Changes to routines are difficult for them to handle.

Therapy to teach social and practical skills can help. Anxiety about change can be also treated. Although they have to work harder, people with AS can have relationships, families, happy and productive lives.

Because of this inflammation, the airways are very sensitive to things that affect breathing, like exercise, dust, and smoke. When a person with asthma is around these triggers, it causes the muscles in the airways to tighten and air can't get in.

Doctors think that asthma is inherited, so they ask about family history. They also perform breathing tests and, sometimes, allergy tests and x-rays.

There is no cure, so people with asthma have to avoid what triggers their attacks. Some medications are used to stop the symptoms right away, while others work to keep attacks from happening.

There are three patterns of behavior - hyperactivity, inattentiveness and impulsivity. A child may exhibit some or all of these behaviors.

No single cause has been found, although researchers have found chemical, size, and function differences in the brains of children with ADD and ADHD. Many have a close relative with the disorder.

While there are many different treatments available, including medication and behavioral therapy, there is no cure.

It is common for people with this disorder to not make eye contact, avoid being touched, repeat movements, or insist on the same routine. Some kids are very active; some are very quiet. They may have trouble learning to dress themselves or use a spoon and fork.

Doctors learn about how a child acts to decide if he/she has autism. There are no medical tests, but doctors may do tests to make sure there are no other health problems.

Since people with autism process information differently, special help in school is needed. But they often stay in regular classrooms, go to college, and have jobs when they get older. Some even write books and articles about their disabilities.

Some kids can't feel that their bladder is full and some are very deep sleepers. There are kids who have trouble every night and others who have some dry nights.

Almost all kids outgrow this problem as they get older. There are medicines that can help. But, some doctors think that the best treatment is to teach the brain to think about staying dry or waking up when the bladder is full.

Mania, or a manic episode, is feeling extremely energetic, active, and/or aggressive.

Depression, or a depressive episode, is feeling extremely sad, hopeless, and/or empty.

Mixed episodes have both kinds of feelings; sometimes at the same time, or going up and down during the same day.

Treatment is designed to reduce the symptoms and how often episodes happen. It includes medications, education about the disorder, and psychotherapy.

Acute bronchitis is usually caused by viruses and lasts only a short time. Chronic bronchitis lasts much longer and may also be caused by smoking.

Eating foods with gluten damages the lining of the small intestine. Since this is where food is digested and absorbed, the body doesn't get any nutrients.

A strict, gluten-free diet is the only way to control this condition. Without the special diet, sufferers can develop anemia, bone problems, or even nerve damage.

It is one of the most common disabling conditions of childhood.

There are 4 types of Cerebral Palsy: Spastic Cerebral Palsy characterized by stiff and difficult movement; Athetoid Cerebral Palsy characterized by involuntary and uncontrolled movement; Ataxic Cerebral Palsy characterized by a disturbed sense of balance and depth perception; and Mixed Cerebral Palsy.

It is related to other diseases such as fibromyalgia and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). The cause is unknown, and many treatments have been tried.

When this sticky mucus clogs an organ, bacteria can grow and cause infections. When CF affects the lungs, it creates breathing problems; in the intestines or pancreas, CF makes it hard to digest food.

There is no cure, but kids can learn special breathing to help keep their lungs clear. Exercise makes the lungs stronger. There are medicines to help digestion. Taking extra vitamins and minerals helps, too.

There are many causes of hearing problems. Ear infections can cause fluid in the ears that blocks sound. High fever from mumps or chicken pox can hurt the part of the brain that processes sounds. Loud noise can harm cells or nerves in the inner ear.

There is no cure, but some kinds of hearing loss get better. When fluid from ear infections goes away, hearing can improve. Damage from loud noise may not be permanent. There are also devices, like hearing aids and cochlear implants, that can improve hearing.

Without treatment, kids can have eating or sleeping problems. They may have no energy, feel worthless, and get into trouble in school.

Working with a therapist to change negative thinking and make positive changes is recommended. Doctors also have medicines that can help improve symptoms.

Without enough insulin, glucose stays in the blood and can't get into cells for energy. This high blood sugar makes people feel tired. They also urinate a lot, because the body tries to get rid of extra sugar through the kidneys. Then, they have to drink a lot to make up for going to the bathroom a lot.

There is no cure for diabetes. Kids watch what they eat, exercise regularly, and check their blood sugar often. Some have to take insulin shots; others take pills to help insulin work.

Often, people with this condition have a flatter face and upward-slanting eyes. They may also get infections easily or have heart or stomach problems. Many have difficulty learning. Each person is different, and can have a few or a lot of extra health problems.

There is no cure. But doctors can treat infections and other problems, so that people with this disorder are often able to lead almost normal lives.

People with this condition may have trouble making change, balancing a checkbook, remembering math formulas, or transposing or omitting numbers. Some kids have trouble telling time; others have problems with names and faces, or music.

Dyscalculia, like all learning differences, doesn't mean a kid is dumb or lazy. Memory exercises, modified assignments, using calculators, or special classes in school can help.

It is a difficulty in learning and remembering the muscle movements used to write. Students have trouble putting their thoughts on paper, because they have to focus on forming the letters.

Signs may include cramped fingers after a short time writing, lots of erasing, mixing print and cursive letters, or watching the hand while writing.

Dysgraphia, like all learning differences, doesn't mean a kid is dumb or lazy. Special help with assignments, extra practice, or special classes in school can all help.

People with this condition have problems recognizing words, spelling, and understanding what they read. Some have trouble hearing the differences in letter sounds, like m and n, or seeing the differences in similar letters, like b, d, p, and q.

Dyslexia, like all learning differences, doesn't mean a kid is dumb or lazy. Help with note-taking, extra time for tasks, books-on-tape, and special classes in school can help.

Although not inside the uterus, this tissue responds to the hormonal changes that control menstruation. Like the uterine lining, these fragments build tissue each month, then break down and bleed. Unlike blood from the uterine lining, blood from implants has no way to leave the body. Instead the blood from the implants is absorbed by surrounding tissue which in turn causes pain.

Symptomatic epilepsy has a known cause, such as meningitis, stroke, or brain damage during a difficult birth. Idiopathic epilepsy, which occurs in approximately six out of ten patients, has no known cause.

The tendency to have seizures, a low seizure threshold, may run in families. Some types of epilepsy, such as juvenile myoclonic epilepsy are now believed to be inherited. Additionally, some inherited syndromes have epilepsy as a symptom.

Spread by sneezing, coughing, or sharing drinking glasses, this illness starts with a slight fever, headache, and stuffy or runny nose. In a few days, a bright red rash appears on the face. After several days, it spreads to the rest of the body. The rash can take 1 to 3 weeks to completely disappear.

Because it is caused by a virus, antibiotics don't help. For most people, the symptoms are not bad enough to need medicine. Once someone has had fifth disease, they are immune and can't get it again.

Some types of glaucoma happen when the fluid in the eye doesn't drain quickly enough or when a blockage stops the fluid from draining and pressure builds up in the eye. In some cases, the fluid drains properly, but there is still too much pressure on the optic nerve.

Because there are usually no symptoms, the only way to find out if someone has glaucoma is with a complete eye exam that includes dilating the pupils. There is no cure and vision loss cannot be reversed. But, if it is detected early, further damage can be avoided.

There are many types of heart problems. Some are caused by unhealthy habits, like smoking. Some viruses can cause damage and sometimes babies are born with a defect in a heart valve.

HIV attacks CD4 cells, the white blood cells that fight infections. It uses them to make more HIV cells. This destroys the CD4 cells and puts the body at risk for serious infections or cancers.

Having HIV does not automatically mean a person has AIDS. It becomes AIDS when CD4 cell counts get too low and the patient develops a serious infection or cancer.

There are no cures, but there are treatments to help keep HIV patients healthy and slow down AIDS.

Low blood sugar can be caused by not eating for a long time, too much insulin from the pancreas, not enough glycogen from the liver, or long periods of strenuous exercise.

Symptoms can include dizziness, headaches, confusion, blurry vision, night sweats, nightmares, shaking, mood swings, and hot flashes. Some people have a lot of these symptoms; others have only a few.

While this condition is believed to be rare, many people report symptoms. Doctors ask about diet, when the symptoms happen, and test blood sugar to be sure.

Usually, eating a diet lower in sugars, starches, and caffeine will correct the problem.

Common symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, and weight loss. Children who have not been treated may have poor growth.

Ulcerative Colitis is an illness in which the swelling is limited to the colon.

Common symptoms of ulcerative colitis are also stomach pain and diarrhea, often bloody diarrhea. Weight loss and poor growth occur less often.

Because both disorders cause inflammation of the intestines and have similar symptoms, they are grouped together under the name “Inflammatory Bowel Disease,” or IBD.

Symptoms include high fever, aches and pains, cough, sweating and shivering, and, often, vomiting and/or diarrhea. The worst is usually over in three to five days, but it may take two or three weeks to feel completely well.

People with LD are not "dumb" or "lazy." In fact, many have above-average intelligence. They simply process information differently.

Someone with asthma might have breathing problems, but they still run races and win Olympic medals.

People with vision problems might not be able to read the same magazines that their friends read, but they write and publish their own articles and stories.

Disabilities present challenges and difficulties. Life is how we deal with them.

The body makes cells that attack germs and infections. With lupus, these cells can't tell the difference between the healthy cells and germs, so they attack everything.

There are 3 types of lupus:

Treatment depends on how bad the symptoms are and what parts of the body are affected.

Spread by coughing and sneezing, it starts with a runny nose, red eyes that are sensitive to light, hacking cough, and high fever. Then, spots appear inside the mouth. In 1 to 2 days, the rash starts. The rash can be blotchy and appear in several places at once, or patches can join together, or it can just be on the face and trunk.

Sometimes kids with measles also get ear infections or pneumonia. This virus can cause swelling in the lungs, the heart, or the brain.

There is a vaccine to prevent measles.

Spread by kissing, sharing drinking glasses or utensils, the symptoms include fever, sore throat, and swollen lymph glands. Sometimes the spleen or liver also get inflamed.

There is no treatment for mono and the symptoms eventually go away. Rest, drink plenty of fluids, and gargle with salt water for a sore throat. To avoid damage to the spleen, don't exercise until the doctor approves.

If someone tries to read while riding in a moving car or train, they may get an upset stomach. The eyes focus on the page and tell the brain that nothing is moving. But the inner ear feels the car moving and sends that message to the brain. When the brain gets these messages, it gets confused and sends its own message to the body to slow things down.

While the brain is deciding which message is correct, some people get an upset stomach or headache. Sometimes they start sweating or even throw up.

Symptoms can come and go suddenly. They might be very hard to manage or not so hard. The common ones are feeling really tired, numbness or heaviness in arms or legs, blurry vision, and speech problems.

There is no cure for MS, but there are medicines and treatments that can make the symptoms better.

There is no cure, but doctors are working to find ways to fix the genes that make proteins for the muscles and create medicines that will work like the missing proteins. Muscle exercises, physical therapy, and breathing aids can help.

The first symptoms are like a light cold, with swelling in the lymph nodes in the neck. Then, a rash appears around the ears that spreads all over the body and disappears in two or three days.

A mild disease for children, it can be harmful to a pregnant woman. There is a vaccine to prevent the illness.

Symptoms include a high fever, headache, general discomfort, and body aches. Some people have diarrhea. In 2 to 7 days, a dry cough may start. Most people get pneumonia.

SARS is spread by sneezing, coughing, or touching an infected surface and then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.

Research is being done to find an effective treatment and cure. Some of the medications used to treat AIDS help prevent complications.

Most schools check for this condition by having kids bend over, like getting ready to dive in a pool. This shows the nurse how straight the spine looks.

If there is a curve, the doctor will test how far you can bend and take xrays. When the curve is small or the spine is almost done growing, the doctor might not have to do anything.

For a large curve or a curve that is moving, a brace is the usual treatment. If the brace doesn't fix the problem, doctors can do surgery to help.

Symptoms include joint and bone pain, feeling tired, shortness of breath, rapid heart rate, and sores on the legs. Sickle cell anemia also slows growth and can delay puberty.

Treatments are used to help symptoms. They include folic acid to help build new red blood cells, antibiotics to manage infections, and wound care or surgery for ulcers on the lower legs. There is no cure.

Kids with speech difficulties may also have hearing problems or problems with the lips, teeth, or jaw. When these are corrected, speech may improve quickly.

Treatments include breathing exercises, tips to relax the muscles when speaking, posture control, and voice exercises.

Treatment includes surgery to close the spine, physical therapy to help muscle strength and movement, and braces or crutches to help with balance and posture.

When this happens, tonsils get sore, red, and swollen. It may be hard to swallow and kids may have a fever. Doctors do tests to find out if a virus or bacteria caused the infection.

For bacterial infection, the doctor can give antibiotics to get rid of it. When a virus is the problem, kids just have to take it easy until their tonsils gets better.

Kids who get tonsillitis a lot, or who don't get better after antibiotics, might need surgery to remove the tonsils.

Kids with TS make sudden, repeated movements or sounds that are called motor tics and vocal tics. Eye-blinking and throat-clearing are called simple tics. Repeatedly touching another person or repeating their words are called complex tics.

There is no cure for Tourette Syndrome, but doctors have medicines that can help, if the tics become too bad.

Feelings associated with vertigo include dizziness, whirling, spinning, or unsteadiness. Subjective vertigo is the sensation of spinning; objective vertigo is when objects seem to be moving or spinning.