Unsuspecting Stroke Risk: Getting Hit in the Head
There's yet one more reason why you should try not to get hit hard in the head: It may increase your risk of a stroke. The stroke at issue here is the ischemic type, in [...]
Do Minor TIA Symptoms Mean No Treatment Necessary?
A very brief transient ischemic attack is as much a medical emergency as is a full-blown stroke. Sometimes, people who have experienced a transient ischemic attack (TIA) are not given clot busting drugs because their [...]
Best Exercise to Lower Stroke Risk in Stressed People
Are you constantly under stress and worried about getting a stroke? The good news is there's a certain kind of exercise that will dramatically lower your chance of getting a stroke. This type of exercise [...]
Does Stress Change the Brain to Cause a Stroke?
Could it be that chronic stress creates adverse changes in the brain that eventually lead to a stroke? An ischemic stroke is a blood clot in the brain that shuts off oxygen supply to the [...]
What Happens in the ER for a Chronic Subdural Hematoma?
The diagnosis of a chronic subdural hematoma in the emergency room is easy to make: A CT scan easily reveals the collection of blood. But what happens once this diagnosis is made? My mother went into [...]
Chronic Subdural Hematoma: tPA plus Blood Thinners in Stroke Patients
Here’s information concerning risk of chronic subdural hematoma resulting from tPA combined with blood thinners in stroke patients. Many men and women take blood thinning drugs to help prevent stroke. Thicker blood is more likely [...]
Most Common Symptoms of Chronic Subdural Hematoma in Elderly
The most common symptoms of a chronic subdural hematoma in the elderly differ from those in younger patients. “A chronic subdural hematoma is a collection of blood on the brain’s surface, under the outer covering [...]
Doctor Didn’t Warn of Future Brain Bleed when CT Scan Was Normal
My elderly mother's doctor didn't warn her that she could get a chronic subdural hematoma even though her head CT scan was normal. Elderly age plus head trauma = fair chance of developing a chronic [...]
Recurrence of Chronic Subdural Hematoma Missed by Doctor?
Seemed the neurosurgeon was wrong and the layperson was right about recurrence of chronic subdural hematoma. A neurosurgeon didn’t think my mother’s new symptoms were the result of a recurring chronic subdural hematoma. My mother [...]
Is Leg Swelling After Knee Replacement Always DVT?
Have you had knee replacement surgery, and have noticed that the other leg seems to be getting bigger or swollen in appearance, even though after the first several days following the operation, it looked as [...]
Barbell Squat vs. Dumbbell Squat for Building Mass: Pros & Cons
Barbell squats or dumbbell squats: which is better for building muscle mass? The barbell squat and dumbbell squat both have plenty to offer fitness enthusiasts. When I was a personal trainer at a gym, I'd [...]
10 Reasons Never to Hold onto the Treadmill
Do you know the 10 reasons it's wrong to hold onto the treadmill while walking or jogging? As a former personal trainer, I have observed -- with a lot of interest -- how people use [...]
Fat Burning Zone vs. Cardio Training Zone: Which Burns More Calories?
Fat burning zone vs. cardio training zone for burning fat? Do you ever wonder what the difference is between the "fat burning zone" and the "cardio training zone"? Surely you've seen these diagrammed in some [...]
Why Old Men Have Skinny Arms & Legs but Big Bellies
It's common to see old men with thin arms and legs, but fat bellies... Ever notice how many old men have skinny legs and arms, but plenty of fat in their bellies? In fact, as they [...]
How to Lose Weight Before Your Total Knee Replacement
Here is a guide on how to lose weight with exercise even if you can’t do aerobics or leg workouts and need a total knee replacement. A person who needs a total knee replacement can [...]
Pedal Backward on Elliptical Trainer for Knee Pain Treatment
If you have knee pain, try pedaling backwards on the elliptical machine and see if this doesn’t alleviate your joint discomfort. Most people don’t pedal backwards on the elliptical trainer, but this may actually alleviate [...]
How Important Is Weight Loss Before Total Knee Replacement Surgery?
If you have a total knee replacement surgery planned, you’d be doing yourself a huge favor by losing weight before having this procedure done. A report in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (Oct. [...]
Why You Have Pain Soon After Revision Knee Replacement
Is your knee pain worse after revision surgery even though at first it wasn’t so bad? A knee revision surgery is when a failed or loosened implant is replaced in part or whole by new [...]
New Pain After Epidural Steroid Injection: Cause, Solution
Perhaps you’ve had an epidural steroid injection for a herniated disc which solved the sciatica pain, but now you have a new kind of discomfort. Have you recently had an epidural steroid injection to relieve [...]
Herniated Disc Treatment: Conservative or Decompression?
The big question is: At what point does conservative treatment for a herniated disc switch over to decompression treatment? A herniated disc can be treated with conservative means or with a technique called percutaneous disc [...]
How to Handle Menopausal Hot Flashes when Strength Training
Oddly, I couldn’t find any online information about having a menopausal hot flash while strength training, so I decided to be (apparently) the first to write on this subject. I have had many hot flashes [...]
Cause of Irregular Periods, Weight Gain in Teens
Are you a teen who's very worried about irregular periods and unexplained weight gain despite no change in diet? There can be a medical cause to this. It's called polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). “PCOS and [...]
Breast Cancer Risk in Pear vs. Apple Shaped Women
Cancer.gov Researchers have revealed that the breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women is a function of waist circumference, independent of body mass index (BMI). And that means that whether or not a woman's [...]
Zero Calcium Score Possible with Major Soft Plaque Buildup
Does a zero calcium score automaticlly mean you're off the hook for dangerous soft plaque buildup in your arteries? Though coronary calcium scoring is an accurate indicator of the presence of heart disease (varying degrees [...]
Why Isn’t a CT Angiogram Commonly Used in ER for Chest Pain?
Why isn't the CT angiogram used commonly in emergency rooms to evaluate chest pain? Studies have shown the value of the CT angiogram in distinguishing ER patients with cardiac chest pain from those with non-heart [...]
Why Excess Fat Around the Heart Is So Dangerous
Emory University School of Medicine cardiologists note that X-ray via CT scan can measure the size of the fat layer surrounding the heart. The fat layer around the heart is called epicardial adipose tissue. Knowing [...]
What a Calcium Score Means in Low Heart Disease Risk People
If you're at low risk for heart disease but have a calcium score above zero, just what does this mean for you? Though the calcium score has been shown to be a strong predictor of [...]
Can the Heart Be Damaged by a Fast Resting Pulse?
Is your resting pulse fast and you're worried that this will eventually cause harm to your heart? And can this damage the heart if you're otherwise healthy? Can a fast resting pulse, in and of [...]
How Long Should Chest Pain Last Before Going to the ER?
How long should you wait with chest pain before deciding it's time to visit the ER? After all, you could be in that 15-30% of patients who end up having a heart attack. “It’s important [...]
High Calcium in Arteries Linked to High Heart Attack Risk
The higher the calcium in your arteries (shown by a calcium score test), the likelier you'll suffer a heart attack. Maybe it's time to get your calcium score! Researchers may be able to predict future [...]
Women’s Heart Disease: Stress, Stiff Heart, High Blood Pressure
Don't kid yourself: Women's heart disease is very different from men's in more ways than you may be thinking, and that includes the effect that stress has on the heart. Dr. Gordon A. Ewy, MD, explains [...]
CT Angiography vs. Stress Test for Heart Disease Detection
New research shows that the stress test is not effective at detecting obstructive heart disease, and that the CT angiogram wins considerably. The CT angiogram wins out over the cardiac stress test when it comes [...]
Calcium Score Getting Higher Means Big Heart Attack Risk
If your coronary calcium score gets higher with each subsequent test, you have every reason to be very alarmed. How many coronary calcium tests have you had, and has your score gotten higher each time? [...]
Chest Pain, ER Visit: Follow-Up within 30 Days Is Critical
You’re not out of the woods if a doctor discharges you from the emergency room after you reported chest pain. It may be a matter of life or death that you follow up within 30 [...]
Thumping Heart, Chest Pain, Dizziness, Fatigue: Serious Cause
The following symptoms together strongly indicate a serious heart problem: "thumping" heartbeat, dizziness, chest pain and fatigue. Even three out of the four can suggest this serious problem with the heart: aortic stenosis. Though these [...]
Can Too Much Milk Raise Your Calcium Score?
Find out what the latest research says about calcium intake and heart disease. Milk is rich in calcium, and calcium deposits correlate to degree of heart disease, says Mayoclinic.com. A calcium score of zero means [...]
Can Cozaar Drug Shrink Aortic Aneurysm in Non-Marfan Patients?
Since the Cozaar drug significantly shrinks rate of aortic aneurysm growth in Marfan’s patients, how well could it work for patients who do not have Marfan syndrome? An aortic aneurysm is an abnormal enlargement of [...]
Can Exercise Cut Esophageal Cancer Risk?
Esophageal cancer has a very poor prognosis; certainly there HAS to be a way of lowering the risk: could exercise be one? A meta-analysis of four studies shows an association between a reduced risk of [...]
Teaching Your Child to Refuse Candy from Strangers
Pedophiles often use candy to lure their child victims. Here's how to teach young children to refuse candy being offered by a "nice" stranger! A predator with half a brain will always have a bag [...]
How Effective Is Calcium Score Test at Heart Disease Prevention?
Knowing your calcium score just might save yourself from death by heart disease. But it’s not as simple as an absolute number that applies to every single individual in the same way. There are multiple [...]