Calcium channel blockers are typically prescribed to treat high blood pressure, chest pain and irregular heart rhythm. They may be used to treat cardiomyopathy, which is a disease that causes the heart muscles to become weak and inflamed. Common...
Calcium is necessary for the heart to function properly. Special channels allow calcium to flow into heart muscle cells to help it operate. Blood vessel walls also transport calcium, but calcium in these vessels can constrict them, reducing their...
Physicians prescribe calcium channel blockers to treat hypertension and disorders that affect the blood supply to the heart. They also help prevent angina and are effective in the treatment of irregular heartbeats. There are few risks associated...
If you have high cholesterol and are taking statin drugs to lower your cholesterol, you should be sure to avoid grapefruit, which can create an adverse reaction with statin drugs. It is important to remember this if you have high cholesterol and...
There is nothing inherently bad about grapefruit. Virtually fat-free, this fruit provides potassium, vitamin A and vitamin C for just 53 calories in half a medium grapefruit. And not all versions of the grapefruit diet, a regimen that calls for...
Jane Wilson, a nutritionist from the British Dietetic Association, praises grapefruit for its high vitamin C content and says that "one half of grapefruit a day provides one of your five-a-day recommended portions." If you are taking cholesterol...
Grapefruit has been advertised to women as a get-thin food since the 1930s. Women have been told that if they eat grapefruit with every meal, they will lose weight. The grapefruit diet has even been studied -- on mice, not women -- and a flavonoid...
Grapefruit and cactus each have its own weight-loss diet. The grapefruit diet made its debut in the 1930s, became trendy in the 1970s and continues to be promoted today. The cactus diet first became a marketable pound-shedding plan in the 21st...
If you want to lose weight without giving up bread, potatoes and lots of other feel-good carbohydrates, Audrey Eyton's F2 Diet may be right for you. But if you're taking certain medications, including oral contraceptives, the recommended...
Malignant hypertension is the medical term used when blood pressure becomes extremely high, very quickly. The diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) can rise up to 130 mmHg. This condition can cause blurred vision, numbness and weakness in...
Many prescription drugs are available to reduce blood pressure. While these drugs do not cure hypertension, they control it until the underlying health problem is cured or until lifestyle modifications start displaying their beneficial effects....
Prescription medications are generally safe and effective, but many of them can interact poorly with certain foods. Blood pressure medications are one example of drugs that can be affected by the food you eat. Speak to your physician or pharmacist...
Blood pressure is the force of the blood as it circulates through the body. It is affected by blood volume, the width of the blood vessels, and how hard the heart is pumping. When any of these elements experiences a problem, blood pressure can...
In most cases, you can treat your irregular heartbeat very effectively with a variety of prescription medications. Your doctor will evaluate your overall health, as well as the risk of side effects, to determine the best combination of drugs for...
"Human Physiology: From Cells to Systems" by Lauralee Sherwood notes that stroke volume and heart rate determine the amount of blood the heart pumps to the rest of the body. Stroke volume is the amount of blood the left ventricle pumps out during...
How you take medication affects how your body absorbs the active ingredients and influences how well the medication works. While some medications should be taken with food, you should heed your doctor's instructions about foods to avoid. If you...
Grapefruit juice has been promoted as a weight loss aid since the 1930s --- it became all the rage in the 1970s and 1980s as a dietary aid and continues to be talked about today, in the 21st century, as a drink that could help women fit into their...
The grapefruit cardiac diet carries both irony and controversy. On the one hand, eating grapefruit has been said to be able to help fight against heart disease, making it seem very fitting for a healthy cardiac diet; on the other hand, grapefruit...
Asthma refers to a chronic and potentially life-threatening condition in which the airway passages are narrowed and inflamed. The Mayo Clinic says that some symptoms of asthma include shortness of breath, chest tightness, whistling and wheezing....
Hypertension is the medical terminology for high blood pressure. This is a condition where your blood pressure exceeds 140/90 mm/dl. When you have hypertension, blood is pumping through your arteries at an elevated pace. This can raise your risk...
Calcium channel blockers are a medication used to control high blood pressure, also called hypertension. When arteries and blood vessels carry blood from your heart to the rest of your body, it creates pressure in the artery and vessel walls. High...
While several citrus fruits can interact with medications, grapefruit is probably the best known. Grapefruit and grapefruit juice can interfere with a number of medications, including several used to treat hypertension, the medical term for high...
Calcium channel blockers belong to a class of medications that are used to treat a variety of illnesses and conditions. These drugs, also known as calcium antagonists, prevent calcium from infiltrating the cells of the heart and blood vessel...
Ambien, the brand of zolpidem, is a prescription medication indicated for the treatment of insomnia on a short-term basis. It belongs to the class of medications called the nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics. Ambien is able to reduce the amount of time...
Vitamin D works with calcium to keep your bones strong and your immune system healthy, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMMC. Vitamin D is used to prevent osteoporosis, heart disease, some cancers and many other diseases....
Vitamin D is essential to maintaining a healthy immune system and strong bones. It might also be useful in preventing many chronic diseases including cancer. Vitamin D regulates the amount of minerals such as calcium in the body. Because of this,...
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is referred to as a "silent killer" because it usually shows no symptoms. It is defined as a diastolic blood pressure that is greater than 90 mmHg or a systolic blood pressure greater than 140 mmHg. Blood...
Calcium-channel blockers (CCBs) are drugs used to treat high blood pressure, angina, and an irregular heartbeat, according to the Mayo Clinic. This class of drugs works by preventing calcium from entering cells. Through various complex biochemical...
Citalopram is a prescription drug used for the treatment of depression. Other uses of citalopram include treatment of dementia, smoking cessation, alcohol abuse, obsessive compulsive disorder in children and diabetic neuropathy; these indications...
