Your heart is an incredibly dynamic organ. Capable of recognizing and responding to changes in your behavior and physical activity, a healthy heart can adjust its function to meet most demands placed upon it. As we age, damage to your heart lead...
Caffeine is a popular stimulant commonly consumed in tea, coffee and cola beverages. Scientific studies have looked into potential health risks that may accompany the stimulant effects of caffeine, including heart disease. Many studies have found...
The sinoatrial node regulates each heartbeat by sending an electrical impulse that spreads through the right and left atria, or chambers in the heart, causing them to contract and force blood into the ventricles. The ventricles then contract and...
Powered by a synchronized electrical system, the heart normally beats about 60 to 100 times a minute. In atrial fibrillation, however, this electrical system becomes chaotic, causing the heart to beat up to 500 times a minute, increasing the...
Atrial fibrillation is an irregular, rapid heartbeat that prevents your heart from pumping adequate amounts of blood to your body. According to the American Heart Association, 2.2 million Americans have this heart disorder. Because atrial...
Your body needs coenzyme Q10 to fuel cell function. CoQ10 has been studied for its effects on chronic conditions including cancer, high blood pressure and heart disorders. It may improve your overall heart health, though it may not necessarily...
If you have a rapid, racing heartbeat and feelings of weakness, you may have atrial fibrillation. The most common arrhythmia originating in the atria, the upper chambers of the heart, atrial fibrillation has many causes. Abnormal electrical...
According to the American Heart Association, every year about 36,000 children are born with heart disease in the United States. These conditions, which are referred to as "congenital" defects, meaning present at birth, usually involve the...
Infant heart problems, often presenting as congenital heart defects, are anatomical abnormalities caused by the defective growth of the heart during fetal development. Septal defects, misplacement of the major vessels, single ventricles and...
Those with heart disease, particularly conditions that can cause what's known as atrial fibrillation, are at a greatly increased risk for an embolus formation. An embolus is a blood clot that forms somewhere in a blood vessel and is known as a...
Coronary heart disease affects blood pressure. Heart disease leads to narrowing of the arteries that supply blood flow to the heart. Blood pressure control using medication and lifestyle approaches becomes essential for patients diagnosed with...
Atrial fibrillation, or a-fib, is an abnormal rhythm of the heart. When the heart is in a-fib, the top two chambers of the heart beat chaotically and independently from the bottom two chambers. This causes the heart to be less efficient in pumping...
An elaborate network of cells and tissues comprise the immune system, allowing it to efficiently recognize and neutralize pathogens and tumor cells. One of the ways the immune system accomplishes this task is by memorizing the identity of specific...
The 10 deadliest diseases in the U.S. in 2007 were heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases, unintentional injuries, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, flu and pneumonia, kidney disease and septicemia, according to the...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death in both American men and women. There are many types of heart disease that include irregular heart rhythm, atrial fibrillation, congenital...
Atrial fibrillation is an abnormal heart rhythm in which the upper heart chambers, or atria, quiver in a disorganized, chaotic fashion. This makes the heart pump inefficiently, which in turn increases the risk of blood clots. The rhythm tends to...
In this fast-paced world of stress, fast food and sleep deprivation, health is the last thing on the minds of many men. Meanwhile, physical and psychological disease poses a constant threat to men of every age, ethnicity and economic background....
Life Line Screening is a company located in Independence, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. The firm began performing cardiac and other types of ultrasound screening for preventative health purposes in 1993. To date, Life Line has screened more than 6...
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, with coronary artery disease being the common most type, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Individuals who have a family history or suspect they may have...
Cardiac ultrasonography, more commonly known as an echocardiogram, is a test that uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart, according to Medline Plus. Medline Plus states an echocardiogram allows doctors to see the heart beating...
Normally, the heart's "pacemaker" initiates a heart beat. The pacemaker is a collection of cells lying between the heart's upper chambers, the atria, and its lower chambers, the ventricles. In the case of atrial fibrillation, instead of the...
The brainstem describes the area at the base of the brain that connects the brain to the spinal cord. All signals traveling to and from the brain must pass through the brain stem. Cells of the brain require a constant supply of oxygenated blood in...
Valve replacement or repair is the mainstay of therapy in patients with symptomatic heart valve disease. But for those patients who are not candidates for surgery or who refuse surgery, medical management of their valve disease symptoms is...
Atrial fibrillation causes the heart to flutter abnormally, increasing your risk for blood clots and leading to 15 percent of all strokes in the United States, according to the American Heart Association. Treatment may include medications or...
Between the high social premium placed on sexual potency and the increasing popular attention to herbal remedies, a supplement called "horny goat weed" is sure to sell like hot cakes. Unfortunately, not only is the herb's efficacy in restoring...
Atrial fibrillation is a type of arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, that occurs when the heart's two upper chambers--the left and right atria--beat erratically and out of sync with its two lower chambers--the left and right ventricle. The...
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Physicians, atrial fibrillation is the most common form of arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rate, in adults. Furthermore, according to the Centers for Disease Control...
A stroke is the disruption of blood supply to a part of the brain. It occurs when the blood vessels in brain rupture or when they are blocked by fat, cholesterol and other substances. High blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and atrial...
The heart is the strongest muscle in the human body. Hardwired to beat automatically, the heart is a sophisticated combination of muscles and nerves that control and modulate your heart rate. According to the Yale University School of Medicine,...
