Category: harvardhealth_news_UNDEFINED

Common causes of cold feet include clogged arteries in the legs (peripheral artery disease), low body fat, Raynaud’s syndrome, and nerve damage.

Vegetable-rich diets are associated with lower risk for chronic disease. To get the full range of nutrition from plant foods, choose from a variety of colors when you shop and eat, including blue/purple, green, orange/yellow, white/light green, and red.

Aging and a family history can increase the risk for a stroke, but women can lower it by managing factors that are under their control-such as diet, exercise, blood pressure, smoking, and diabetes.

Dietary changes, medications, and a lack of exercise often contribute to constipation in older women. Getting plenty of fiber and drinking four to six glasses of fluid each day are the best ways to prevent-and treat-constipation.

Kidney function declines with age in some people. A heart-healthy diet and lifestyle will protect your kidneys. Once kidney function reaches a certain low level, medication and other steps to protect the kidneys may be necessary.

Experts do not recommend routine cardiac stress testing in otherwise healthy people to check for hidden heart problems. But the procedure is useful for diagnosing chest pain, unexplained fatigue, and other possible signs of heart disease.

The Zostavax vaccine is safe for use by healthy adults to prevent shingles, a painful condition caused by previous infection with the chicken pox virus. It also helps prevents persistent shingles pain, known as post-herpetic neuralgia.

The typical causes of cramps in the hands include dehydration and straining the muscles with repeated motions like typing. Low calcium or magnesium or a compressed nerve in the wrist may also cause cramping. Stretching the fingers may help.

Some men who took finasteride for urinary problems (Proscar) or balding (Propecia) have reported permanent sexual side effects such as low sex drive or ejaculation problems. It is not established for certain that the side effects are caused by the drug.

Women are three times more likely than men to get migraine headaches, in part because of the hormone estrogen. A number of different medications are available to prevent migraine and stop them when they first start.