Digoxin, a prescription medication known by the brand names Lanoxin or Digitek, treats heart failure and dysrhythmias. Because many factors can cause digoxin to accumulate to toxic levels, patients taking this medication need regular check-ups to...
Potassium is one of the important minerals and electrolytes needed by the body, as discussed on MedlinePlus, a website supported by the National Institutes of Health. Potassium is involved in tissue and cellular functions. This mineral has various...
When serum (blood) potassium levels are low, this condition is called hypokalemia. Since the typical Western diet contains plenty of potassium, the chance of having hypokalemia if you are a healthy adult on no medication is less than 1 percent....
Potassium is essential to the proper functioning of all cells, organs, nerves and muscles, including the cardiac muscle. Normal blood potassium ranges from 3.6 to 4.8 mEq/L. Often, hypokalemia occurs not because a person's potassium intake is...
Potassium is one of the electrolytes needed in the body. It plays a role in proper nerve and muscle functioning. Low or decreased potassium levels, known as hypokalemia, can occur as a result of various medical conditions. Although small decreases...
Potassium is an electrolyte that the body requires for muscle and nerve cells to function. We get our potassium from foods we eat. If your potassium level drops too low, a metabolic disorder called hypokalemia develops. A low potassium level has...
Checking the fetal heart rate gives important clues into an unborn baby's health and well being. Even as early as 6 weeks into a pregnancy, assessing the fetal heartbeat can help doctors determine if potential problems with the pregnancy exist....
The electrocardiogram (EKG) is a tool that your physician can use to gauge how your heart is working without actually seeing your heart. According to Net Doctor, the electrocardiogram measures the electrical activity of the heart while it is...
You may know calcium chloride for its ice-melting properties in the winter, but it does more than just keep the sidewalks clear. In fact, you may use it in your everyday life without even realizing it. Not only that, but calcium chloride is used...
Hypokalemia is a low blood potassium level. If your serum potassium level is between 3.6 mEq/L and 4.8 mEq/L, it is normal. However, if your potassium falls below 2.5 mEq/L, you are at risk for life-threatening manifestations of hypokalemia, and...
Potassium is a mineral and electrolyte that works with other electrolytes to control muscle contraction, maintain acid-base balance and control fluid balance. Approximately 98 percent of the potassium in your body is found inside of your cells....
The lemon is a little fruit with a large variety of uses. It flavors myriad foods and drinks, from pound cake to carbonated beverages. And who can resist a tall glass of icy lemonade on a steamy-hot August day? It's clear that Americans like their...
The body relies on proper nutrition to function. People stop eating for various reasons, such as loss of appetite from disease or medication, an attempt to lose weight or an eating disorder. Without food, the body will deteriorate and eventually...
The human body is capable of losing more than 3 lbs. in one day. Physical activity, diet and illness can cause your body weight to fluctuate. A large amount of weight loss in one day is usually temporary. Rapid weight loss is often due to water...
The heart rate, or pulse, is the number of heartbeats that happen per minute. Children, in general, have a faster resting heart rate than adults as heart rate is inversely related to a person's size. Normal heart rate is dependent upon health,...
Profound dehydration is one condition that results in a low serum level of the electrolyte potassium. Your doctor diagnoses hypokalemia if your blood level of potassium falls below the normal expected range of 3.6 to 4.8 mEq/L. Because, in some...
Kidneys are responsible for eliminating wastes from your blood. If your kidney function has declined, waste products will build up in the blood and cause damage to other parts of your body. Diabetes and high blood pressure can cause kidney...
Nonsteroidal anabolic supplements (NAS) are ergogenic dietary supplements that aid in stimulating protein synthesis and muscle growth. Many of these products claim performance enhancing effects despite a lack of scientific evidence to substantiate...
The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute estimates that approximately 5.7 million Americans have heart failure, and about 300,000 people die per year from this condition. Congestive cardiac or heart "failure" does not mean that your heart...
In a society preoccupied with physical perfection, a lot of people are in constant search for that easy "quick fix" for weight loss. Unfortunately, such a remedy does not exist and theories that claim to hold the key are often detrimental to good...
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body. For an average adult there are about 15 g of calcium for every 1 kg of body weight. This adds up to approximately 1 kg of total calcium for an average size adult. Ninety-nine percent of this...
Cod liver oil comes from the liver of cod fish. The popularity of this oil is due to its high omega-3 fatty acid content, specifically eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid which have been linked to a number of health benefits....
While exercising you might have noticed your heart skips a beat on occasion. You might even feel a momentary fluttering sensation in your chest or throat. The feeling may subside as you exercise or you might not feel any sensation at all....
Hypokalemia is the medical term for a lower than normal potassium level in your blood. Hypokalemia can result from certain drugs such as antibiotics and diuretics, vomiting, eating foods rich in glycyrrhetinic acid, diarrhea, diseases affecting...
Effexor (venlafaxine hydrochloride) is a selective serotonin and norepinephrene reuptake inhibitor (SSNRI) used in the treatment of general anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder and as a preventative for major depressive...
Potassium poisoning or toxicity occurs when your blood potassium levels are higher than what your doctor considers normal and safe. The condition of hyperkalemia occurs when your serum potassium is higher than the healthy range of 3.6 to 4.8...
When you're healthy, that morning cup of coffee is a pleasant ritual whose negative effects are nil to negligible. But when you're not healthy, all bets are off. If you're hypocalcemic, the suppressive effect caffeine has on your calcium...
An upset stomach, or gastroenteritis, is an inflammation of the stomach lining and intestines. The condition can cause nausea, vomiting, cramping, diarrhea and dehydration. Ginger ale made with adequate amounts of active ginger compounds can...
If you’ve ever felt as if the world was spinning around you, you’ve probably experienced vertigo, a condition that can be disorienting and frightening. Although some types of vertigo may signal a more serious underlying condition, most...
Fainting, also called syncope, is a loss of consciousness that occurs when there is a reduction of blood to the brain. In this video learn more about this condition and how to prevent it.
