The Dawn Phenomenon: Why Blood Sugar Rises Before Breakfast
The dawn phenomenon is a natural early-morning rise in blood sugar, usually between about 3 and 8 a.m., driven by overnight surges in cortisol,…
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Blog Category
Heart & Metabolism
Articles on the heart and metabolism: blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, heart rhythm and the risk factors that link them. Chest pain, breathlessness or fainting need urgent care, not reading.
Heart Valve Surgery Recovery Milestones: Wound Care, Walking, Rehab and Return to Work
A typical heart valve surgery recovery timeline runs from about a week in hospital to two or three months of steady healing at home.…
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CABG or Stents: How Does the Heart Team Choose for Coronary Artery Disease?
A heart team, usually an interventional cardiologist and a cardiac surgeon working with the patient's own cardiologist, weighs how many coronary arteries are narrowed,…
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Cardiomyopathy and Other Myocardial Diseases: How Heart Muscle Conditions Are Treated
Treatment for cardiomyopathy depends on its type. Dilated cardiomyopathy is usually managed with heart failure medicines that ease the heart's workload, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with…
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How Do Follow-Up Tests Change Pulmonary Hypertension Treatment Over Time?
Follow-up tests for pulmonary hypertension, usually an echocardiogram, a six-minute walk test, BNP blood tests and a functional class assessment, are repeated every few…
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The Portfolio Diet: The Cholesterol-Lowering Eating Pattern With Trial Evidence
The portfolio diet is a plant-forward eating pattern that combines four cholesterol-lowering food groups, viscous fiber from oats, barley and psyllium, plant sterols, soy…
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What Happens During Coronary CT Angiography, From Contrast Injection to the Scan Itself
During coronary CT angiography, you lie on a narrow table while a small cannula in an arm vein delivers iodine-based contrast that briefly feels…
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Living With Cardiorenal Syndrome: Daily Weight, Fluid Limits and the Kidney-Friendly Plate
Living well with cardiorenal syndrome usually rests on three daily habits: weighing yourself each morning to catch fluid gain early, keeping to the fluid…
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High Ferritin and Iron Overload: When Stored Iron Becomes a Problem
A high ferritin result means the body is storing more iron than usual or, just as often, that inflammation, liver strain, alcohol, obesity or…
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Wrist or Groin Access for Coronary Angiography: What Changes for Your Recovery
For a coronary angiogram, wrist (radial) access usually means less bleeding, no hours of lying flat, and an earlier walk to the car, while…
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Is It Safe to Fly After a Pulmonary Embolism? Timing and Preparation for the Journey Home
Most people can fly again after a pulmonary embolism once they are stable on anticoagulant treatment, breathing comfortably at rest and cleared by their…
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How Often Can You Donate Blood? Rules, Recovery and Benefits
In the United States, most healthy adults can donate whole blood every 56 days, up to six times a year. Platelet donations can be…
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What Is Inflammation? Friend, Foe and the Chronic Middle
Inflammation is the immune system's built-in response to injury and infection, marked by redness, heat, swelling, pain, and loss of function. Short-term (acute) inflammation…
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Why CT Angiography Comes Before TAVI: Planning Valve Size and the Access Route
CT angiography comes before TAVI because the scan gives the heart team millimeter-level measurements that an echocardiogram alone cannot: the exact size and shape…
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When Will You Hear Your Echocardiogram Results, and Who Explains Them?
Echocardiogram results are usually not final on the day of the scan. The sonographer records the images, a cardiologist or trained physician reviews and…
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Groin Bruising After Valvuloplasty: What Is Normal and When to Call Your Cardiologist
Some groin bruising after balloon valvuloplasty is normal. The catheter sheath used is wider than for a routine angiogram, and blood-thinning medicine given during…
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Angina Treatment in Older Adults and People With Diabetes: What Changes in the Plan
Angina treatment in older adults and people with diabetes uses the same building blocks as for anyone else: quick-relief medicines, daily preventive medicines, risk-factor…
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Cardiac Amyloidosis Follow-Up: What Is Monitored and When to Contact Your Team Early
Cardiac amyloidosis follow up combines regular blood tests (NT-proBNP, troponin, kidney function and, for the AL type, free light chains) with repeat echocardiograms, ECGs…
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