Can Itching Be the ONLY Symptom of Melanoma?
Perhaps you already know that an itching mole is a possible symptom of melanoma. But what most medical sites do not say is whether or not this itching is almost always, or usually, or sometimes [...]
Does Melanoma Risk Disappear After a Certain Age?
Can you be too old to get melanoma? Is it true that if you have never gotten melanoma by a certain age…you’ll probably never get it? If this is true, how is it that advancing [...]
Raising Ejection Fraction: Exercise & Other Lifestyle Changes
How effective can exercise be at raising ejection fraction? What else can raise ejection fraction other than exercise? “There are some patient populations where ejection fraction is modestly increased with regular exercise,” says Norman E. [...]
How Much Will Mild Chronic Heart Failure Affect Exercise?
Suppose a person has been exercising for years, but then gradually develops chronic heart failure. How noticeable or rapid will the decline be in this person’s ability to exercise? “The decline in function will depend [...]
How Low Can Ejection Fraction Be without Congestive HF?
Is it possible to have a really low ejection fraction and still not have congestive heart failure? “There are two major types of congestive heart failure (CHF),” begins Norman E. Lepor, MD, cardiologist and internal [...]
Can Heart Problems Cause Sudden Weight Gain?
The kind of weight gain that heart problems can cause is not the same that's caused by eating too much. In fact, weight gain from chronic heart failure has absolutely nothing to do with body [...]
Can Heart Bypass Surgery Prevent Congestive Heart Failure?
Are you wondering if coronary bypass surgery, aka CABG, can prevent the development of chronic heart failure? Heart failure may involve fluid buildup in the legs that needs to be controlled with medication. In other [...]
Can an MRA Detect Congestive Heart Failure?
An MRA (magnetic resonance angiogram) is often used to see if there’s anything wrong with the heart and associated structures. If someone has an MRA, the report will include what the ejection fractions are for [...]
Statins vs. High Doses of Niacin: Why Not Take B3?
Why are statins pushed when instead, it seems that the safer route is to just take high doses of niacin (vitamin B3) to lower cholesterol? You may have read that niacin or niacinamide has a [...]
Lower Bad Cholesterol, Raise Good Cholesterol with Supplements
Why settle for drugs when you can lower your bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol with natural supplements, minus side effects? Don't be fooled by brilliant ad campaigns for drugs -- drugs that are among the best [...]
Is Female Pattern Baldness the Same As Male Mechanism?
Is there actually a difference in the mechanism that causes hair loss in women when compared to that which causes male pattern baldness? Well, they are not the same, but the mechanisms can be similar, [...]
What It Means to Feel Your Pulse Everywhere
“Feeling of the pulse at different locations in the body can be completely normal,” says Chester M. Hedgepeth, III, MD, PhD, Executive Chief of Cardiology at Care New England. “Importantly, all the arteries in the [...]
Pain in Chest when Leaning Forward & Backward
A cardiologist explains the possible causes of chest pain when you lean forward and backward. “Pain in the chest with leaning forward or backward is a symptom commonly associated with pericarditis,” says Chester M. Hedgepeth, [...]
Always Feeling Heartbeat in Chest: Benign or Serious?
A cardiologist explains what it means to often feel your heartbeat in your chest. This doesn’t refer to feeling your heart beating in your chest after you just did 20 squat jumps or ran hard [...]
When Bed Elevation Won’t Prevent Acid Reflux
“My bed is elevated and I STILL get acid reflux overnight! Help!” Does that describe you? Overnight acid reflux can cause upper abdominal and/or chest discomfort, a bad taste in the mouth and coughing. A [...]
My 600 Pound Life: Pauline Is Another Penny
Penny from “My 600 Pound Life” now has a twin sister, Pauline, who’s in denial and refuses to take responsibility. An episode of “My 600 Pound Life” in 2015 was viewers’ first exposure to Pauline, [...]
How to Elevate Sofa 9 Inches to Prevent Acid Reflux
If you sleep on a sofa, here’s a safe, easy way to elevate it 9 inches to help prevent acid reflux overnight. I sleep on a sofa (not a pull-out sofa, but the actual sofa). [...]
Sensation of Pill Stuck in Throat But No Pills Swallowed
A GI doctor tells why you may feel that pills are stuck in your throat when you didn’t even swallow any. Ever have that sensation that you can only describe as, “It feels like a [...]
Why Acid Reflux Can Cause Pepper Taste in Mouth
Have you been experiencing a peppery taste in your mouth, particularly upon awakening in the morning or even in the middle of the night? Where is this coming from if you haven’t been eating peppers [...]
Can Exercise-Induced Acid Reflux Cause LPR?
LPR can make it difficult to breathe, but can acid reflux from exercise cause this scary situation? “Acid reflux is when normal stomach acid regurgitates into the esophagus and causes symptoms," says Jay Desai, MD, [...]
Acid Reflux Comes and Goes: Causes
What can make acid reflux come and go if the patient avoids food triggers? “Acid reflux is when the normal stomach acid regurgitates up into the esophagus,” says Jay Desai, MD, who specializes in colon [...]
Where to Get the Instruction Manual for Raising Children
But kids DO come with instruction manuals! Why do we keep hearing “Children don’t come with instruction manuals,” especially in this day and age of online parent communities, tons of websites and blogs about how [...]
Can a Pacemaker Implant Damage the Vagal Nerve?
If a person has recently had a pacemaker implant, but is also suffering from blackouts or fainting spells, one may wonder if the vagal nerve is somehow getting adversely affected by the pacemaker. Pacemakers Are [...]
Why Isn’t the Corus CAD Test Part of Routine Physical?
Have you been wondering why a routine physical or even routine cardiologist exam doesn’t include the Corus CAD test? This blood test uses “gene expression” to quickly and safely determine when chest pain is due [...]
Why Don’t CABG Patients Get the Corus CAD Test?
Why isn’t the Corus CAD test given to people who’ve had coronary bypass surgery? This test uses “gene expression” to safely and quickly determine whose chest pain or shortness of breath is the result of [...]
Is IBS a Real Disease & Diagnosis or just Symptom Collection?
“IBS by definition is not a true disease,” says Dr. Saad Habba, MD, a board certified gastroenterologist at Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ. One of Dr. Habba’s areas of interest is irritable bowel syndrome. He [...]
When Your Child’s Hamster Dies: Guide for Parents
If your child's hamster is very sick or seems to be dying, here are clear instructions on what you, the parent, should do and NOT do. In your mind, the hamster might be nothing more [...]
Can GERD Cause Constant Chest and Back Pain?
Are you wondering (hoping) that your constant chest and back pain is being caused by GERD rather than a heart problem? GERD stands for gastroesophageal reflux disease and is notorious for causing chest pain. “Acid [...]
Can Acid Reflux Cause a Heavy Pounding Heart?
Can the acid that’s refluxing up from your stomach and into your esophagus actually trigger a pounding heartbeat? “Acid reflux is when the normal stomach acid regurgitates up into the esophagus,” says Jay Desai, MD, [...]
Parenting Mistakes that Make Child Bully Younger Sibling
One mistake parents can make is to blow off the bullying as normal sibling rivalry. Sibling bullying isn’t “normal” or “healthy” just because the parents experienced it with their own siblings or just because it [...]
Popular Articles on Diarrhea
One day I began noticing oddly shaped and colored bowel movements that were loose enough to be considered mild diarrhea. I thought this was related to my period, which was due in several days. Very [...]
Dent in Thigh: One of the Most Feared Symptoms
Let’s get to the bottom of whether or not a dent in your quadriceps muscle means you might have ALS. The “quad dent” evokes fear in tens of thousands of people. Are you one of [...]
Why Zumba Classes Should Not Be So Crazy Loud
You will damage your hearing if you keep attending Zumba classes unless you wear significant ear protection. Has it ever occurred to you, the Zumba enthusiast (either as a participant or instructor), that the volume [...]
Does Popeye’s Elbow Always Hurt?
As funny and goofy as Popeye's elbow looks, one has to wonder if this bizarre condition always comes with pain. Though Popeye’s elbow (olecranon bursitis) is associated with pain, it can also be painless — [...]
If You’re Dizzy Should You Get a CT Scan in the ER?
When is dizziness serious enough to warrant a head CT scan, being that this procedure emits radiation to the brain? Many people go to the ER for feeling dizzy. The sudden onset of what the [...]
Suicide Attempt by Bullied Teen: Shall We Blame the Parents?
Is it possible that a bullied teen could feel helpless enough to try suicide because their parents have shamed them for their troubles? Maybe the parents have always been critical, and that certainly would not [...]
Acid Reflux in Nose (LPR): Cause, Solutions, Long-Term Effects
An ENT doctor explains all about acid reflux burning in the nose as part of LPR, plus cause, how to prevent and long-term effects if it keeps happening. Acid reflux can shoot up into the [...]
Child Says Fidgeting Burns Calories Years Before Research
A teacher blew off a 13-year-old’s proposition that fidgeting burns calories, which, many years later, was proven by research to be true. When I was 13, I was a freshman at a Catholic high school. [...]
Why a Bullied Child’s Suicide May Be Rational vs. Mental Illness
Perhaps the bullied teen or adolescent who dies by suicide was thinking rationally rather than suffering from clinical depression or mental illness. When yet another story breaks of a child who dies by suicide as [...]
Child Bullying Younger Sibling: How Mom Should NEVER Respond
Find out what parents should never do in response to a child bullying a younger sibling; the way the parents respond in an attempt to “fix” the problem can make the situation far worse. This [...]
