A cardiac stent is a small tube that is used to enlarge arteries that have narrowed due to artherosclerosis, the fatty buildup within artery walls, or to improve the function of a weakened artery. Stents are often used during angioplasty, a...
Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae that is rich in protein, B vitamins, iron and antioxidants. It is often used as a nutritional supplement, as well as medicinally to treat many conditions, including cancer, immune problems, diabetes and mood...
Lactobacillus acidophilus is one type of "friendly" bacteria that normally lives in the small intestine, where it produces vitamin K and fights off harmful bacteria. Acidophilus is used to treat diarrhea and other digestive ailments as well as...
Gardasil, the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine, protects people against specific strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV. People receive Gardasil over three visits. Drugs.com explains that after the first shot, the person receives the...
Probiotics have healing effects for many diseases and bacteria overgrowth issues in your body. There are some people who may be susceptible to negative effects when consuming probiotics. Knowing the recommendations of who should avoid these...
Determining the number of white blood cells present in a blood sample can give medical professionals important clues about what is causing a patient's symptoms. Leukopenia, or low white blood cell count, can indicate a number of medical...
Renal artery stents are treatment options when the blood vessels that feed the kidney are narrowed or have a clot. This reduces the ability of the kidneys to clear the blood stream of waste products and toxins. Renal artery stenosis or renal...
Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a contagious upper respiratory tract condition. According to the Mayo Clinic, three types of influenza viruses exist: Types A, B or C. Type A is the cause of pandemics while type B causes smaller outbreaks....
Fresh grapefruit and grapefruit juice are refreshing, nutritious additions to any diet, but they can also result in potentially serious and harmful interactions with some drugs. If you're taking any prescription medications, it's worth learning...
Echinacea is a medicinal herb first used by Native Americans to treat infections. Today, it is most often used to treat the common cold. It is unclear if echinacea works, as the research evidence is conflicting. Echinacea is also used to treat...
Stents are small metal tubes implanted in the heart's arteries to improve the flow of blood to the muscle. A stent is implanted after a balloon angioplasty. Stents have been used widely in cardiovascular diseases in the last decade but in the last...
Grapefruit and grapefruit juice are known to have interactions with many different drugs. In the intestinal wall, components in grapefruit called furanocoumarins inhibit a certain enzyme system, known as cytochrome P450 3A4. Suppression leads to...
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, affects roughly one in three American adults, and can cause significant health problems for the person with the condition. Hypertension can also occur in children. Along with beneficial lifestyle...
French Maritime Pine Bark Extract, also simply known as pine bark extract and marketed under the trade name Pycnogenol, is a medicinal substance derived from the Pinus pinaster tree. Pine bark extract contains a class of compounds called...
Prescription medications enter the body and work on a specific location, depending on the disease or condition. After a certain period of time, the medication is broken down, or metabolized, and eliminated from the body. The process of metabolism...
Lisinopril is a prescription mediation used to treat conditions such as high blood pressure and heart failure. Doctors also prescribe it to help improve the odds of survival after someone suffers a heart attack, MedlinePlus reports. Although...
Grapefruit is an excellent source of vitamin C, folic acid, potassium, antioxidants, pectin and lycopene. It has been touted as a dietary aid for people who want to lose weight, a claim that was reinforced in a 2006 "Journal of Medicinal Food"...
Eating grapefruit may be able to help you lose weight, as long as you burn more calories than you consume. Talk to a health care provider before beginning a diet. Be sure your health care provider knows any medications you are taking, as some can...
Influenza B is one of two types of the influenza virus implicated in the seasonal flu epidemics that occur each year between October and March and sometimes during other times of the year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and...
Renal cancer, medically known as renal cell carcinoma or transitional cell carcinoma, is an overgrowth of cells in the kidneys. Specific symptoms of kidney cancer include weight loss, fatigue, bloody urine, fever and pain below the ribs. Some risk...
Chemicals in grapefruit can interact with a surprising number of medications, a fact discovered only in 1989. Grapefruit interferes with medications by blocking the action of an enzyme, CYP3A4, which reduces medication absorption. Blocking the...
