Can Middle Age Cause Your Ankles to Swell?
Have you noticed that lately your ankles appear swollen and you’re wondering if this is due to middle age? “As we get older we may see swelling of our ankles -- usually near the last [...]
Can Statin Drugs Undo a Bad Diet?
Don’t think for a second that taking statins means you can eat lots of junk food and not worry about that causing heart disease. Can statin use counteract the damage caused by bad eating habits? [...]
Why Your White German Shepherd Is Losing Patches of Fur
A common household product may be what's causing your white German shepherd to be losing chunks of its beautiful fur. A veterinarian can overlook this cause, as was the case of our dog! When my [...]
Teen Has Skipped Heartbeat with Breathing Problems
If your teenager has a “skipped” heartbeat and problems breathing, what might this possibly mean? A teen may experience what seems like a skipped heartbeat from anxiety, but trouble with breathing adds a whole new [...]
Heart Rate in 60s BUT You Also Have Heart Disease?
How is it possible for an elderly person (over age 65) to have a low resting heart rate along with severe coronary artery disease (CAD)? Before my mother had CABG x 5, her resting heart [...]
HOW Anxiety Causes PVCs
You already know that PVCs can be caused by anxiety, but just HOW does this mechanism occur? “PVCs, which are extra beats that occur commonly and if they occur in modest frequency are not necessarily [...]
3 PVCs in a Row, but Structurally Normal Heart?
Can a run of three PVCs in someone with a structurally normal heart ever mean something concerning? PVC stands for premature ventricular contraction, and some people experience or “feel” three in a row, as in [...]
Can Stress Cause an Extra Heartbeat?
This is about stress causing an extra heartbeat or the sensation of one, rather than the feeling of a skipped heartbeat. “Studies have shown that stress can cause a sensation of a skipped or extra [...]
The Cause of a Heartbeat in Your Ear
You are not imagining hearing or feeling a heartbeat in your ear, as this is real and has a definite cause. The phenomenon of having a heartbeat in your ear even has a name! “At [...]
Can a 24 Hour Holter Monitor Miss Atrial Fibrillation?
Since atrial fibrillation isn’t guaranteed to occur in any given 24-hour period, isn’t it logical to conclude that a Holder monitor could miss it? What exactly is atrial fibrillation? Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is a heart [...]
The Truth About GAS Causing Heart Palpitations
A cardiologist, not an online thread layperson, answers the question, “Can gas cause heart palpitations?” Is there a true connection between farting and a flip-flopping heart? “There is no clear cause and effect relationship between [...]
PVCs After Exercise: Forerunner of Heart Attack?
Have you been having PVCs right after you stop exercising, as in, you’ve been running on a treadmill or doing the burpees or pushups, and within seconds of ceasing the activity…you feel the premature ventricular [...]
What Bleeding in Between Periods & Missed Periods Might Mean
Bleeding or spotting in between periods CAN mean cancer but also many other benign causes, and missed menstruation has a ton of causes. Have you ever spotted in between periods? Seen blood stains on your [...]
Can Your Bad Cramps Be from Cervical Cancer?
Many disorders can cause bad cramps in the lower abdomen or pelvic area, but what are the odds that your recent-onset cramping is being caused by cervical cancer? Yes, cervical cancer can cause bad cramping, [...]
Can Chronic Cervicitis Lead to Cancer?
Cervicitis is inflammation of the cervix, but can this turn into cancer? This is a question that many women would like to know, so I posed it to Justin Chura, MD, a gynecological oncologist in [...]
Does Cervical Dysplasia Always Turn into Cancer?
“Just because a woman is diagnosed with cervical dysplasia does not mean that she will develop cervical cancer,” says Justin Chura, MD, a gynecological oncologist in Philadelphia, PA. A Pap smear will detect cervical dysplasia, [...]
What’s that Discharge after Colposcopy and Cervical Biopsy?
Here’s reassuring information about your discharge after a colposcopy and cervical biopsy. Just how common is the discharge? “Experiencing discharge after colposcopy and cervical biopsy is common,” says Justin Chura, MD, a gynecological oncologist in [...]
Two Ways Melanoma Can Become Deadly
If melanoma is caught early enough, it’s highly curable, but many people let it slip by, and this is how this deadly skin cancer can get past even health-conscious people. Two ways that this can [...]
Melanoma: How Not to Let This Deadly Skin Cancer Get Past You
There’s a disturbing case of a young woman who let melanoma skin cancer get past her, and as a result, she died. But it didn’t have to be this way. Melanoma kills about 10,000 Americans [...]
Tanning & Teens: Skin Problems from Actinic Keratosis
Yes, that deep bronze or golden tan on your young body looks awesome, but here’s a big question: Why would actinic keratoses ignore you when it’s time to aggravate an adult who used to worship [...]
Are Flat Moles Safer than Raised or Equally Prone to Melanoma?
Have you noticed that some of your moles are raised, that is, clearly higher than the surface of the skin around them? This doesn't refer to moles that used to be flat and are now [...]
Black Area on Big Toenail: Melanoma or ??
A black area or streak on the big toenail can have multiple causes, and one of them is melanoma. What are all the things that a black spot or area on the big toenail can [...]
Atypical Melanocytic Hyperplasia vs. In Situ Melanoma
Are atypical melanocytic hyperplasia and in situ melanoma one and the same? “Yes, I consider them the same thing; it all depends who is reading the slides,” says Dr. David Rahimi, MD, F.A.A.D., board-certified dermatologist [...]
Nodular Melanoma Can Spread in Just Days
A dermatologist says, “Nodular melanoma can spread very quickly; within a matter of days or weeks.” “Melanoma is a very interesting cancer and behaves very differently depending on the age of the person and [...]
Can a Benign Mole Get Bigger, Change Color and Shape?
Warning signs for skin cancer include changing shape and colors in a pre-existing mole, as well as getting bigger. However, can a benign mole undergo such changes? I was motivated to write this article after [...]
Skin Cancer on Scalp: Prevention Tips for Bald Men
Here is the bald man’s complete guide by a dermatologist on skin cancer prevention and detection on his scalp. “Non-melanoma skin cancer is extremely common on the scalp in bald men,” says Dr. Joel Schlessinger, [...]
Are Moles on Toes High Risk for Melanoma?
Many people assume that a mole on a toe is more likely to become melanoma, or, already is this deadly skin cancer. “Moles on toes (and fingers) can be more concerning but aren't usually melanomas,” [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
