Excessive fluid buildup around the heart, known as pericardial effusion, can be diagnosed on fetal ultrasound. Pericardial effusion can interfere with the heart's ability to pump blood to the rest of the body. The fetus doesn't receive enough...
Lung cancer can form within the air sacs or within the airways that carry air into the lungs. As the cancer progresses, the cancer eventually spreads throughout the lung tissue and leads to a buildup of fluid around the heart and lungs, called a...
The heart is a muscle surrounded by a fibrous sac containing sheath called the pericardium. There is normally 2 to 3 ccs of fluid between the heart and the pericardial lining. If excessive fluid builds up in the space between the pericardium and...
Heart failure, also called congestive heart failure, is a serious condition that refers to the heart's inability to pump blood effectively. Narrowed arteries from atherosclerosis and long-standing high blood pressure can put stress on the heart...
Uva ursi, also known as bear's grape bearberry, and kinnikinnik, has been used for over 1,000 years both in Chinese and native American traditional medicine. Today, it continues to be used as a treatment to promote kidney and urinary health and as...
Doctors use an echocardiography, or echo, to diagnose heart problems. This procedure is also called a heart ultrasound. There are several different kinds of echocardiography, all of which use a transducer, which looks like a microphone. The...
Excess water in the lungs, also called pulmonary edema, may be caused by several conditions, most of which involve the heart. Symptoms include shortness of breath, wheezing, a feeling of suffocation, chest pain and heart palpitations. Work closely...
Thiamine is also sometimes referred to as thiamin, or as vitamin B-1 -- simply because it was the first B-complex vitamin to be discovered. It is important for the health and for variety of body functions in the body, both individually and in...
Congestive heart failure is a chronic condition that may affect only one side or both sides of the heart. In this condition, the heart is not able to pump enough blood, so the rest of the body does not receive the required amount necessary for its...
The mineral germanium, found in plants that serve as food, is marketed as a dietary supplement that distributors claim will boost your immune system, the American Cancer Society states. Proponents of germanium claim it produces therapeutic...
Ablation is a medical procedure to remove or destroy body tissue or to destroy the function of a specific body part. Methods used in ablation procedures include radiofrequency, heat, drugs and surgery, according to the National Cancer Institute....
Methotrexate is sold under the brand names Rheumatrex Dose Pack, Trexall, Folex PFS and Preservative Free. According to Drugs.com, it is used to treat cancers affecting such parts of your body as the head, breast and lungs. It is also used to...
L-arginine is the supplemental form of arginine, an amino acid produced by your body and obtained by eating certain foods. Dietary sources of arginine include meat, chicken, dairy and fish products. According to Medline Plus – a service of...
Coenzyme Q10 is an enzyme compound that helps facilitate energy production within the cells of the body. CoQ10, as it is commonly known, is also obtained by eating certain foods, including salmon, beef, soybeans, peanuts, liver and spinach. Levels...
Pacemaker warning signs can alert a pacemaker patient to the potential complications or failure of his cardiac device. Pacemakers are small electronic mechanisms that surgeons implant into the upper chest of some cardiac patients. The devices can...
L-arginine is an amino acid that is made in the body as well as obtained from your diet. L-arginine is found in foods that contain protein, such as red meat, fish, chicken, soy products, nuts and beans. You can add an l-arinine supplement to your...
"Barley grass" refers to the young green leaves of the barley plant and reaches its nutritional peak just before the plant begins to produce flowers and seeds. Barley grass is cut and sold commercially in either dried or powdered form or in a...
The heart is a contractile muscle that works to supply blood to your body. It contains blood vessels that carry the oxygen and nutrients that your body needs. Sometimes, these blood vessels are blocked. In some cases, fluid can build around your...
Chemotherapy agents are drugs that specifically target rapidly growing cells. This makes it especially useful in treating cancers, which are diseases caused by abnormally growing and dividing cells. Chemotherapy is administered systemically,...
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to overreact, making it hard for the body to distinguish between foreign invaders and its own tissues and cells. Because of this, the immune system forms antibodies, which causes the...
During a coronary angiogram, a catheter is inserted into the body and threaded towards the heart until it reaches the coronary arteries in the heart, according to the Better Health Channel website. Dye is then injected into the catheter and a...
Cardiac ablation is a procedure performed to correct irregular heart rhythms. Electrodes are used to correct the structural problems that are responsible for the arrhythmia. Ablation is reserved for cases of irregular heart rhythms that have not...
Congestive heart failure effects about 5 million people in the United States and is responsible for more than 300,000 deaths annually, according to the website MedlinePlus. When you have congestive heart failure, your heart can no longer...
A leaky valve in the heart, called valvular insufficiency or regurgitation, occurs when one of the valves becomes weak. This allows blood to flow backward instead of forward. According to Jeffrey R. Bender, M.D., congestive heart failure is a...
Cirrhosis is a disease of the liver. In cirrhosis, normal liver cells are replaced by scar tissue, interfering with the normal functions of the liver. Common causes of cirrhosis include viral hepatitis such as hepatitis B, alcoholism, destruction...
The Rice Diet Program is a complete, comprehensive healthy eating and lifestyle plan that begins in a residential setting. In addition to hypertension, the Rice Diet program is designed to treat those with congestive heart failure, obesity and...
Chest pain that develops at rest is a bad sign. This can be the beginning of a life-threatening emergency. Several things can cause chest pain. A few of them are can be fatal if they go untreated. The sudden onset of pain that is associated with...
Though the term "heart disease" often brings to mind adult disease, children are also susceptible to health conditions that can adversely affect the heart. Although a few of these conditions are benign and can exist in a healthy child, many are...
Jogging up a few flights of stairs or chasing your kids around the backyard can easily cause your heart rate and respiration to increase. In these types of situations, heart rate and respiration changes are typically harmless and often correct...