Cholesterol is thought to be important in producing heart disease. Here we look at ways of lowering blood cholesterol levels, and of preventing a high level from arising in the first place.

Prevention:

•     Eat more fibre. This has an effect on cholesterol metabolism. Eating wheat bran produces bile that is less saturated [...]

Description and Possible Medical Problems

One of my patients recently told me a story about the time he first became aware of a rare but puzzling disorder of the ring finger and pinky called Dupuytten’s contracture.

“I was about 11, and I was at one of those tacky country fairs with my family. My sister had already [...]

If the knuckles of your hands swell up and you think you have arthritis, stop a moment. Arthritis is a general term that is used in combination with other words such as “rheumatoid” and “osteo-” to describe your medical condition more fully.

If a part of your hand such as the palm or wrist or your [...]

Whenever a patient tells me he has a fever or chills, the first thing I need to know is if he is in the 40s or 50s or over the age of 80.

Because fever occurs less frequently as a person ages, a high fever in an elderly person is often an indication of a serious [...]

An elevated blood pressure level is a hidden signal that can be detected only by actually measuring the blood pressure, preferably by a medical professional who has expertise and experience. In spite of all the high-tech equipment used today, I recommend that it be taken the old-fashioned way with a stethoscope and mercury sphygmomanometer, which [...]

Description and Possible Medical Problems

If you feel mote tired and look paler than you usually do, there are a number of causes your doctor will look for, but it’s likely that the first one he will check will prove to be the cause. Fortunately, it is also the easiest to treat.

Anemia is a medical condition [...]

“Hypoglycemia” means that the concentration of sugar in the blood has fallen to less than 45 mg per 100 cc. Blood sugar levels this low adversely affect the brain, causing jitteriness, weakness, lightheadedness, bizarre behavior, episodes of memory loss, and if the hypoglycemia is sufficiently severe and long-lasting, convulsions, brain damage, coma, and even death.

Since [...]

Because the delicate skin of the eyelids is only about one quarter as thick as the skin elsewhere, it is unusually sensitive to irritants. Accordingly, it is not uncommon for the eyelids to become itchy, red, and swollen in response to an ingredient of a cosmetic that has been applied to some other part of [...]

Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals are tasty and convenient, but a lot of them are far from “healthy,” according to Consumer Reports (CR) (51#10:628). Although their basic ingredients, such as corn, wheat, oats, raisins, and nuts are nutritious, many breakfast cereals contain excessive and potentially harmful amounts of saturated fat (i.e., in the form of coconut oil) [...]

Yes, but many people mistakenly believe that some degree of high blood pressure is acceptable as they age. Aiding and abetting them, some physicians used to say that the elderly need a higher than normal blood pressure to force an adequate flow of blood through their hardened and narrowed arteries. These beliefs, unfortunately, are sometimes [...]