As the old adage goes, you are what you eat, and when it comes to hypertension, your diet is a major driver of your blood pressure. If salty foods have a familiar place on your dinner plate, chances are you’ll see your blood pressure numbers rise. Conversely, a low-sodium diet … Read More
Change is inevitable, especially in medicine. As new evidence emerges, clinicians often must respond in kind by adjusting their recommendations for treatment and altering the advice they give to patients. Sometimes these shifts in direction are slight, while other times they mark a sea change. And so it goes for … Read More
Looking for a diet that might help you preserve your brain function as you get older? You might consider the so-called MIND diet. "MIND" stands for "Mediterranean-DASH-diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay." Scientists developed it by combining features from those healthy dietary patterns—the Mediterranean-style diet and DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to … Read More
Your heart is part of your cardiovascular system, which also includes all of the arteries that transport oxygenated blood from your heart throughout your body, and the veins that transport blood back to your heart. Many cardiovascular diseases and events—including coronary artery disease (CAD), peripheral artery disease (PAD), heart attack, … Read More
Most people associate gout with pain in the big toe, but this extremely painful type of arthritis can affect other parts of the body, too. Gout in ankles, hands, knees, and other joints might be less common but it warrants treatment just the same. Gout is caused by excessive amounts of … Read More
You feel fatigued, and you tire out more easily, unable to do some of the things you used to do. You might attribute your symptoms to any number of health problems, but then you notice a fluttering sensation in your chest. You have atrial fibrillation. Fatigue, heart palpitations, progressive weakness, … Read More
The combination of that bulging muffin-top, those sore joints, and your lack of energy signals the pressing need to lose weight. Turning yourself into a calorie counter might help, but wouldn’t a respected weight-loss diet get you there more easily? So shouldn't you adopt one of those "best diet" plans? … Read More
The term “nutrition” has a variety of definitions, some more scientific than others. For the purposes of this blog, my answer to “What is nutrition?” is simple: the foods and beverages you consume to keep your body healthy and functioning. The nutrients in those foods and beverages are what provide you … Read More
What causes heart attacks is the stoppage of blood flow through a coronary artery. The heart muscle that normally keeps pumping blood out to the body and the lungs becomes starved for oxygen. Without a steady supply of oxygenated blood, heart muscle tissue becomes damaged. If blood flow remains blocked … Read More
The link between diet and blood pressure is undeniable. Maintaining a healthy weight can help you better control your blood pressure. And following a low-sodium diet may be particularly important if you have, or are at risk of developing, hypertension. To learn more about foods that lower blood pressure, you … Read More
