By the way, doctor: Emergency care for chest pain
If you have chest pain or discomfort, how do you know if it is serious enough to warrant emergency medical attention?
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Fishing out some answers
Eating fish has clear health benefits, but not all kinds of fish are healthy. Broiled or baked fish is better than breaded, fried fish. And fish is not a healthy choice for everyone. Pregnant women and some heart patients should watch their fish intake.
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Side effects: Minor can add up to major
Many medications have anticholinergic side effects, meaning they block the action of a key nervous system chemical. If a person takes a number of these medications for a period of time, the effects can build up and cause problems with thinking and memory.
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H1N1 and its descendents
The H1N1 flu outbreak is linked to earlier versions of the virus. So far the 2009 pandemic has not been as severe as some health officials expected, but it is still a good idea to take basic precautions.
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Ask the doctor: Is high blood pressure in the morning a problem?
My blood pressure is high when I first get up in the morning, but always drops back to normal by 9 a.m. and stays that way throughout the day. I take Avapro. My doctor says I shouldn’t worry about the temporary high morning pressure. What do you think?
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Artificial joints for the hand and wrist
Arthritis sufferers may find some relief by having wrist joint replacement surgery. In some cases the wrist joints are fused, but this affects dexterity. Certain finger joints can also be replaced, though the success rate for these surgeries is lower.
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By the way, doctor: Should I worry about this irregular heartbeat?
At 86, I’m still competitively racing frostbite dinghies. I’ve noticed that my heartbeat becomes irregular during the races and for hours afterward. It feels like a weak beat after every two normal heartbeats. Is this a normal exercise reaction?
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By the way, doctor: Cancer of the small intestine
We hear a lot about colon cancer, and sometimes about stomach cancer, but hardly ever anything about cancer of the small intestine. Why? Is it rare?
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Regenerating the heart
Researchers from Sweden have demonstrated that the heart is capable of growing new muscle cells, though this process occurs very slowly.
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Heart Beat: Mindfulness helps ease heart failure
Mindfulness is a form of meditation that encourages greater awareness of one’s surroundings and experiences. Volunteers with heart failure who participated in a mindfulness study reported lower levels of anxiety and feelings of better overall health.
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