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POP QUIZ: Chest Pain: What Is Your Body Telling You?

Did you know that of the millions of Americans who visit the emergency room with chest every year, only 20 percent are actually diagnosed with a heart attack or other serious heart condition—like unstable angina—and the other 80 percent are suffering with something different? While some instances of chest pain that are unrelated to a…
Keep It Moving

Exercise Is a Must for Good Heart Health by GRACE BOGGESS HIRDES Do you have a health goal for 2020? Maybe you want to lose a few pounds or to eat fewer fatty foods. Have you considered making a health goal to improve your heart’s health? Only one in five Americans gets enough exercise on…
True Transformation

Doctor and Patient Explain Why Bariatric Surgery Is So Much More Than Weight Loss by Matthew Norman The new year often brings thoughts of weight loss. It seems that there are endless numbers of weight loss methods. Everything from the tried and true methods to schemes that seem too good to be true, and probably…

Antiplatelet and Anticoagulation Therapy

With the increase in longevity and improvement in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, a sizable proportion of Americans are on either an antiplatelet agent or full anticoagulation. These are commonly known as blood thinners. In the next two columns, I’ll talk about the most commonly used blood thinners. Common indications for requiring antiplatelet agents are…
Celebrating Glaucoma Awareness Month

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month. What is Glaucoma? Glaucoma is a disease where the optic nerve in the eye becomes damaged over time. Each eye has an optic nerve. This nerve acts like a cable sending information about what you see to the brain. This is just like a cable to your television. Without treatment,…
Smoking Hurts More Than Your Lungs

I cannot really believe that the holidays are upon us already. This year has been like no other with its usual mix of pain and pleasure. I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize the role of lifestyle in the management of vascular disease that can lend a sense of control in its otherwise…