Harvard Health Content API

My calcium levels are high. I was told that this may affect my heart and kidneys. What should I do?

I have been diagnosed with inflamed saliva glands. I've lived with this condition for almost five years and it is driving me crazy. I have seen numerous doctors and none of them has been able to get rid of the problem. I have had some glands removed and have been tested for everything you can imagine. Please give me some advice on where I can turn next.

I recently had my first experience with gout. I had blood work done, which showed high levels of uric acid. I was given a list of many foods I should avoid, but the list is so extensive! I?m not sure what to eat besides fruits, and vegetables. What do you recommend to balance my diet? I want to be strict with my intake and get better results in my next blood work in 3 months.

When I sweat, it's really painful. It feels like I'm being stabbed into my back and upper chest with needles. There is no rash, only an occasional itch. Sometimes the sweating comes on quickly and out of nowhere, as if it were a hot flash. But I've gone through menopause and I don't get hot flashes any more.

For the last year or so, I’ve been suffering from serious pain in my Achilles tendon anytime I run or walk at a fast pace. I’ve been to a podiatrist, whose only advice after x-rays and several appointments was to stay off my feet and wear a boot to bed. Isn’t there anything more I can do, or am I doomed to sit on the sidelines at the ripe old age of 37?

I have an 8-month-old son and a 4-year-old daughter and they both have asthma. My husband wants to enroll them in swimming lessons this summer. He said someone told him that swimming is good for kids with asthma, that it’s supposed to exercise their lungs and make them stronger. I think the opposite — it’s a lot of exercise for little kids and would only trigger their asthma and make them start coughing again. Does swimming really help kids with asthma?

I’m considering pregnancy at the age of 51. What are the health risks – both for me and for the baby?

I am a 45-year-old female. I recently noticed dark greenish discharge from both breasts. What could be causing this?

I have been diagnosed with gallstones. What foods can I eat to help them dissolve so I don't have to have surgery?

I occasionally see flashing lights, like lightening, that other people don’t see. What could cause this?