Too much of a good thing can be bad for your health and heart, including exercise. Hein Heidbuchel, a cardiologist at the University Hospital Gasthuisberg in Belgium discovered that too much endurance training and heavy workouts may lead to health...
High levels of cholesterol can damage your arteries by allowing waxy plaques to build up along their walls, narrowing them. Plaque buildup in the coronary arteries, called atherosclerosis, restricts blood flow and leads to a decrease in oxygen and...
Your body naturally produces creatine in your pancreas, kidneys and liver. This natural substance provides a necessary source of energy for muscle contractions. Eating fish or meat, especially wild game, can increase the amount of creatine in your...
Restricting calories can be a healthy way to lose weight and reduce your risk of health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and heart disease. Cutting your calories too drastically, however, or going on a starvation diet, can...
Yohimbe, commonly used in alternative medicine as a treatment for erectile dysfunction, has been used as an aphrodesiac for centuries in its native West Africa. Containing over 30 pharmacologically active alkaloids, only yohimbine HCl has been...
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...
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the American Heart Association. In healthy people, the four heart valves--consisting of the tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral and aortic valves--regulate blood flow through...
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,...
Prescription and over-the-counter diet pills that work as appetite suppressants have the potential to damage the hearts of some patients, warns the Mayo Clinic. People with pre-existing heart disease or high blood pressure are more likely to...
Potassium is an essential mineral that plays a role in muscle contractions. The different types of contractions range from voluntary, such as with skeletal muscles, to involuntary, such as with cardiac muscles in the heart. Potassium helps conduct...
Gluten intolerance causes a range of symptoms, from digestive upset to loss of mental clarity to skin rashes. The most severe form of this condition is known as celiac disease.The condition manifests itself differently in every person who has it,...
Maintaining optimum lifelong health is a complex task, but the basic guidelines are well established. You need to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet, as well as engage in a suitable level of regular physical activity. However, as simple as that may...
Diet medications that decrease appetite are related to amphetamines, which increase heart rate and blood pressure. These drugs can lead to problems with the heart valves or a condition involving the lungs known as pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary...
Not all heart rate monitors are water-resistant, and those that are must be cared for in a manner that protects the water-resistant properties of the unit. You cannot use your heart rate monitor in water the same way you can on dry ground or you...
Arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, occurs when high cholesterol produces fatty deposits called plaque in arteries, narrowing them and making them less elastic. This interferes with blood flow, a particularly dangerous situation for...
The heart is composed of four chambers that function to pump blood through the body. The heart walls are made of muscles. Electrical impulses cause the muscles to contract, providing the pumping action. Some conditions, such as myocarditis, can...
Rheumatic heart disease results from rheumatic fever that can occur when a strep throat or other Streptococcus bacterial infections worsens and is left untreated or not treated effectively. This disease is most common in children, and can lead to...
The human heart consists of four chambers; the right and left atria---the upper chambers---that receive blood and the right and left ventricles---the lower chambers---that pump blood. Heart valves reside between the atria and the ventricles, as...
Breast cancer is commonly treated with chemotherapy, which are medications used to weaken and kill the cancer cells. Since chemotherapy works systemically, meaning throughout the body, it can kill the cancer cells both at the original tumor site...
A heart attack can occur without typical symptoms. Silent heart attack is also referred to medically as silent ischemia (lack of oxygen) to the heart muscle. Symptoms can be so mild that the heart attack goes unrecognized. There may be no symptoms...
Potassium is vital to a number of body functions, including digestion, metabolism and regulating muscle tissue. However, is it possible for a person to experience hyperkalemia, a condition where a person experiences too-high potassium levels in...
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is only present in a few select foods, such as fish and eggs, though it is added to other foods. Vitamin D is also produced by your body when exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Vitamin D helps...
Cardiovascular diseases are the primary cause of death in developed nations in both men and women. Coronary artery disease, or CAD, causes almost 25 percent of all deaths in women, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal. The...
Rheumatic heart disease is a caused by rheumatic fever and can lead to irreversible damage to the valves of the heart. The Children's Hospital of Wisconsin explains that the disease process typically begins with strep throat infection caused by a...
Kawasaki disease is a disease of unknown cause. It commonly affects children under the age of five and is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children. Boys and children of Asian descent are more likely to get Kawasaki disease. The...
The Mayo Clinic defines congestive heart failure as a condition in which the heart isn't pumping enough blood through the body to meet the body's need for oxygen and nutrition. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that...
Opiates are a class of drugs that includes heroin and morphine, and are narcotic substances derived from opium, which is made from poppy seeds. As medications, they are generally used for pain control. Opiates are also commonly used as potent and...
Grapes have been used for thousands of years to successfully reduce inflammation, stop bleeding and treat eye infections. Most of grapes' benefits are due to their high content of antioxidants called polyphenols. Evidence indicates that drinking...
Breast cancer patients commonly receive radiation therapy as part of their treatment. This treatment may serve as a supplement to breast cancer surgery, or complement breast cancer drug therapies such as chemotherapy. Radiation may be applied in...
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that can cause mental dysfunction. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments for Syphilis in this video.
Strep throat, or streptococcal pharyngitis, is a moderately severe form of sore throat. Learn more about strep throat in this health video.
Omega-3 fatty acids are macronutrients found in fish and flaxseed oils. Try these tips for buying foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids in this healthy shopping video.
