I get mail promoting the great benefits of chelation therapy. The claim is that it removes calcium and other metals from the walls of arteries. The key element appears to be EDTA, a type of acetic acid. Since vinegar is also primarily acetic acid, could it have the same effect?
I have a circular area of small blisters on my right buttock. I had this about four months ago, but now it’s painful, not only where the blisters are, but also all around the area. Any ideas?
People with stable heart disease do just as well with medicines as with stenting to open clogged arteries, a new evidence review finds. The study focused on stable angina. This is chest pain that occurs during exercise or stress, but not at other times. It is caused by deposits in coronary arteries that limit blood flow. Many Americans are treated with angioplasty. A tiny balloon is blown up inside the artery to crush the blockage. Usually a tube called a stent is put in to keep the artery open. The new review put together results from 8 prior studies. They included 7,229 people with stable angina. They were randomly assigned to receive stenting plus standard heart medicines or medicines alone. Researchers kept track of them for an average of 4 years. About 9% of each group died. About 8.9% of the stent group and 8.1% of the medicine group had nonfatal heart attacks.
My daughter has schizophrenia. The psychiatrist at her mental health center prescribed an antipsychotic. I know some of these drugs increase risk of diabetes and heart disease. What sort of clinical monitoring do you advise?
Deviation from the normal yellow color of urine can indicate a number of possible conditions, some serious, but most harmless.
Why is heart disease still on the rise despite the incredible increase in the number of people taking cholesterol-lowering drugs and the more than 30 years of “low-fat” propaganda?
After a heart attack my doctor put me on amiodarone. Three years ago, I started cutting back on it because of side effects. My latest electrocardiogram showed no signs of tachycardia, and my doctor wants me to stop taking amiodarone. What should I do?
I like sports, and now that I am in my 60s and have had some trouble with my heart, I mainly enjoy them on television. My family sees how excited I sometimes get watching a game and they worry that it is bad for my heart. Can you tell them to relax?
From time to time, my eyelids twitch. What causes this, and is there anything I can do about it?