Magnesium is a mineral with central importance in the normal function of your heart. It also helps form your bones and teeth, and plays a vital role in other organs throughout your body, including your kidneys and muscles. However, if you take too...
While minerals such as calcium and zinc may top a person's list of important dietary requirements not to be excluded, she also should not forget potassium. This mineral helps to maintain the balance of fluids and minerals in the body, meaning...
The thyroid is a small gland in the neck that is shaped like a butterfly and is located above the collarbone. This gland is part of the endocrine system, which generates a number of hormones necessary for a variety of functions throughout the...
Feeling as if your heart is going out of rhythm is symptomatic of heart palpitations, a condition sometimes caused by strenuous exercise. While extremely common and usually harmless, heart palpitations could be indicative of an underlying medical...
Xopenex is a bronchodilator inhaler used to treat reversible obstructive airway conditions, including as bronchitis, asthma or emphysema. Although individuals suffering from these conditions may benefit from treatment with Xopenex, others may...
Aorta stenosis, also called aorta valve stenosis, occurs when your aorta, the main valve carrying blood out of your heart, constricts. This constriction prevents your aorta from openly completely, which restricts the blood flow from your heart to...
Heart damage leads to heart disease, which is the number one killer worldwide of both men and women. Heart disease is responsible for 40 percent of deaths in the U.S. Types of heart damage include arrhythmias, heart defects you are born with,...
A number of companies sell vitamin B complex in "super" formulas. Generally, this means that the supplement contains high amounts of one or more B vitamins, usually including B-1, B-2, B-3, B-5, B-6 and B-12. Some super B complex formulas contain...
Phentermine is an amphetamine-like stimulant that is commonly used as an appetite suppressant. According to Drugs.com, it is generally prescribed to help overweight individuals lose weight, especially in individuals who have other weight-related...
Cardiomyopathy is a condition where the heart cannot pump effectively. There are three main types of cardiomyopathy: hypertrophic, restrictive and dilated. Signs of cardiomyopathy are usually the same regardless of the type you have. Because the...
Quinine is a drug used to treat malaria. Malaria is a disease that spreads through mosquitoes and quinine is either given alone or with other anti-malarial medications to kill the organisms that cause malaria. The drug may also be used to treat an...
Food additives are regularly part of commercial products. Ingredient listings will include these additives on the label. Additives function to improve safety and freshness, maintain the nutrition value and improve the taste, texture and...
A miscarriage is defined as a loss of pregnancy before 20 weeks have passed. Epigee.org, a site devoted to women's health, points out that up to 25 percent of women experience one miscarriage during their childbearing years. A miscarriage can be...
Regular aerobic activity -- like brisk walking and swimming -- increases your fitness level and capacity for exercise, promotes heart health and helps to prevent cardiovascular disease. Exercise and any kind of physical exertion will cause your...
Urispas (flavoxate) is a medication used to manage symptoms of an enlarged prostate, overactive bladder and bladder infections. According to Drugs.com, Urispas loosens the muscles in the bladder and decreases frequent urination, bladder pain and...
Green tea is a beverage made by steeping unfermented, or unoxidized, leaves of the species Camellia sinensis in water. In its natural form, green tea contains the central nervous system stimulant caffeine. Heart palpitations are unusual...
Energy drinks are consumed by people from all walks of life. They are common among the physically active, among busy professionals and among those with an active social life. Many energy drink brands cater to these various groups by promising more...
The heart is an important cardiac muscle that beats within the center of the chest. It contains such major blood vessels as the coronary arteries and aorta. The heart also consists of an electrical pathway that determines the heart's exact rhythm....
The heart contains four valves---the mitral valve, the tricuspid valve, the aortic valve and the pulmonary valve---that direct the flow of blood through the four chambers of the heart. The valves consist of leaflets, or cusps, connected to fibrous...
The risk of diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer's will eventually cause concern for anyone at some point in their lifetime. Those who are at risk can develop these diseases through heredity, poor diet, unhealthy lifestyles, and simply by aging....
Heart disease, a general term used to describe conditions and diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels, remains the number one killer of both men and women in the United States, according to MayoClinic.com. Heart disease includes diseases of...
High serum potassium, or hyperkalemia, is dangerous, and it can become fatal if you ignore signs and symptoms of the electrolyte imbalance. Normal serum potassium levels range from 3.6 to 4.8 mEq/L. Hyperkalemia is associated with potassium levels...
Your heart rate, or pulse, determines the strength of your heart. It is the number of times your heart beats per minute and it measures how hard your heart is working. A fluctuating heart rate is considered abnormal and could indicate an...
Blood pressure refers to the force of blood that pushes against blood vessel walls. Sometimes this pressure can be high, and this is medically known as high blood pressure (hypertension). In some instances, the blood pressure can be low...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, kills more Americans every year than all cancers combined. Heart disease is a blanket term that describes many...
Coronary heart disease, also known as coronary artery disease, results from the buildup of fatty and other substances that form plaque on the walls of the arteries. The condition, called atherosclerosis, causes the narrowing of the arteries and...
It's normal to experience an increase in your heart rate while jogging, but heart palpitations are another matter. Although most cases of jogging-related palpitations are minor, in some instances palpitations could be a sign of a serious...
Heart rate is a term that describes the average number of times your heart pumps blood to your body in a single minute. Your body naturally tries to keep this rate within a certain range, and the consistent presence of an abnormally low or high...
An uneven heart rate might be slightly annoying, yet harmless. It might also be completely symptom-free, yet slightly dangerous. In other cases, an irregular heart rate could be fatal. Medically referred to as an arrhythmia or dysrhythmia, an...