Heart stents are a potentially lifesaving treatment in preventing heart damage during and after a heart attack. The procedure opens arteries that are causing the heart attack and can relieve other blockages that may be causing chest discomfort called “angina.”
But before getting stents in your heart, you’ll want to consider both the risks of heart stent treatment and how it benefits your cardiac health.
Life changes quickly with a diagnosis of heart disease. Whether the doctor says your coronary artery is filled with plaque or your heart muscle isn’t pumping as well as it should, your survival will require treatment. And it’s more than just taking a pill—living with heart disease requires lifestyle changes not just today, but for a lifetime.
While you can’t change your genetics, age or family history of heart disease, there are a number of easy-to-incorporate lifestyle changes that can keep you healthy for years to come.
A dense breast tissue diagnosis is an opportunity to review your breast cancer risk factors with your doctor and decide together whether additional screening tests are right for you.
Here’s what to know about recognizing and treating heart valve disease, and what to expect if you’ve just been diagnosed.
Did you know that nearly half of all adults in the US have high blood pressure? As a practicing interventional cardiologist, I see patients with high blood pressure, or hypertension, every day and can verify this statistic. The good news I give to those who do have high blood pressure is this—they have the ability to improve their blood pressure with certain lifestyle choices. And so do you. Here’s how.
You may benefit from participating in a high-risk breast screening program. Specifically for people who face a higher risk for breast cancer, this program offers advanced screening, surveillance, diagnostic and preventive methods to help you take charge of your health.
Let’s talk about who qualifies as “high risk” and what steps to take if you do.
Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in both men and women in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every 36 seconds, an American dies from cardiovascular disease. But there’s good news—lifestyle modifications, like diet and exercise, can make a world of a difference in reducing your risk for heart disease and improving your overall health.
Based on the results of the assessment and tests, your doctor may order further tests. Let’s talk about four of the most common diagnostic tests for heart disease.
Scoliosis, a condition that causes the spine to curve, is often thought of as something that only happens in children. But the diagnosis isn’t just for kids: scoliosis can also happen in adults, who may live with it for years without developing symptoms. Others keep it at bay with regular exercise and healthy living. For some, the condition can generate severe pain and disability, eventually requiring surgery, but for most, scoliosis is treatable without surgery.
Here are a few things to know if you’ve been diagnosed with or think you might have adult scoliosis.
Recognizable by its sideways curvature, scoliosis arcs and twists the spine’s vertical column into an “s” or “c” shape. Mild cases of scoliosis may be hardly noticeable, while the most severe cases may require corrective surgery.
The good news: even without surgery, there are many home-based treatment options to help you thrive with scoliosis.
Scoliosis, the medical term for curvature of the spine, affects millions of Americans, an estimated 2 to 3% of the population. For the most severe cases—curves that exceed 45 degrees—surgical intervention may be necessary.
But for the majority of people diagnosed with scoliosis, your doctor will advise non-invasive treatments, each clinically proven to forestall the need for surgery. Here are a few.
