For people who faint because their heart rates suddenly plummet (a condition called cardioinhibitory syncope), a dual-chamber pacemaker has been shown to reduce fainting episodes by 57%.
Kidney disease and some medications, like ACE inhibitors and NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, can cause potassium levels to be high. It is almost impossible to achieve high potassium levels simply by eating foods rich in potassium.
The United States Preventive Services Task Force advises that everyone be checked for colon cancer from age 50 to age 75, and that testing should stop after age 85. It’s a more individual decision for those ages 76 to 85.
The recent FDA approvals of new medications to treat obesity may make it seem like a cure is at hand. But there’s no magic bullet for shedding excess weight-diet pills promote modest weight provided you’re a good candidate for drug therapy and you use the
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer among men and women. Several tests can find hidden colorectal cancer while it is still small and treatable.
Genetic testing is useful for determining if someone has inherited a condition caused by a problem with a single gene, like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. But it can’t yet add much to predicting who will have a heart attack.
Daily physical activity reduces a woman’s chances of developing breast cancer. Women who work out between 10 and 19 hours a week have a breast cancer risk about 30% lower than that of inactive women.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension occurs when arteries that supply the lungs become stiff and thick. New treatments are extending life for people with this chronic condition.
Adding an investigational new drug called AMD 145 to a statin dramatically lowers levels of harmful LDL cholesterol.