Taking care of our health should be a priority during any stage of our lives. This will help us to have an excellent quality of life at all levels and ages. According to the definition elaborated by the World Health Organization (WHO), “health is a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being, and not…
Diagnosis To diagnose heart failure, your doctor will carefully review your medical history and symptoms and do a physical exam. Your doctor will also check if you have risk factors for heart failure, such as high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, or diabetes. Your doctor may listen to your lungs for signs of fluid buildup…
You have probably never or infrequently heard of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but it is a condition that strikes without warning and without obvious symptoms and can have very serious health consequences. The condition affects about 100 million Americans, and causes a lot of fat to be stored in the livers of people who…
For some people, the biggest concern about varicose veins is the way they look. But there are possible links between varicose veins and serious health problems involving blood clots in the deeper veins of your legs. Douglas Joseph, DO, Director of Cleveland Clinic’s Vascular Medicine Outpatient Department, offers his best advice on how to limit the…
Atherosclerosis is a condition where the arteries in your heart become partially or fully blocked by a fatty material known as plaque. This can lead to coronary artery disease, which is also known as coronary heart disease or heart disease. Unfortunately, there isn’t a cure for coronary artery disease, and you can’t reverse this condition…
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every 40 seconds, someone has a heart attack in this country. Every year, about 805,000 people have a heart attack. Of that number, 605,000 are first heart attacks. And 1 in 5 heart attacks is a silent one, meaning the person isn’t aware that it’s even happening….
Genetics paint the color of your eyes, assign your blood type and carve out those adorable dimples in your cheeks. But mom and dad may have passed along something else, too: high cholesterol. An inherited condition known as familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) can increase your risk of heart disease at an early age. For some, that…
With so much information out there about cholesterol, it can get confusing trying to figure out what’s what — and how to actually get a handle on yours. One thing is clear, though: High levels of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL (sometimes known as “bad” cholesterol), can increase your risk of heart attack, stroke and other health…
Can you really toast to your health with a daily glass of red wine or a beer? Eye-grabbing headlines often make the claim that moderate alcohol consumption can lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. But before you pop the top on a bottle to celebrate, a word of caution: The relationship…
Learning you have a health condition can be upsetting and frightening, especially if it’s something permanent like coronary artery disease. It’s estimated that 20.1 million Americans over the age of 20 have coronary artery disease. In other words, if you’re diagnosed, you’re not alone — and chances are good you’ll know someone else with this condition. …
Just say the word “cholesterol” and faces crease with worry. Given cholesterol’s connection to heart attacks and strokes, this waxy type of fat in your body carries a well-deserved bad reputation. But there’s a form of cholesterol that’s actually good for you … and you can use that to your advantage. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is…
You can have no blood clot risk factors and still develop one — which is one reason why it’s important to know the warning signs. Blood clots affect everyone differently, but there usually are definite symptoms, says vascular medicine specialist Michael Tran, DO. To help unravel the mystery surrounding blood clots, Dr. Tran shares six…