Pulse Oximeter: What Your Reading Means and Its Limits
A pulse oximeter estimates the oxygen saturation of your blood (SpO2) and shows your pulse rate. For most healthy adults, a normal SpO2 falls…
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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.
Is Type 1 Diabetes Genetic? Family Risk, Triggers and What Science Shows
Type 1 diabetes is partly genetic but not directly inherited. Certain gene variants, especially in the HLA immune-recognition genes, raise the odds that the…
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Pulmonary Hypertension Is Not High Blood Pressure: Myths About the Lung Arteries Corrected
Pulmonary hypertension is not the same as high blood pressure. Ordinary hypertension is raised pressure in the body's main arteries, measured with an arm…
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Is Type 2 Diabetes Genetic? Family Risk, Lifestyle Factors and How to Lower Your Odds
Type 2 diabetes is partly genetic. Having a parent or sibling with the condition raises your risk, and researchers have linked hundreds of common…
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How Is a Pulmonary Embolism Treated? Anticoagulants, Thrombolysis and Catheter Options
A pulmonary embolism is treated mainly with anticoagulant medicines, which stop the clot from growing and prevent new ones while the body gradually dissolves…
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Stroke Volume Explained: The Heart’s Output per Beat
Stroke volume is the amount of blood the heart's left ventricle pumps out with a single contraction, roughly 70 milliliters in a healthy…
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Does Insulin Cause Weight Gain? Why It Happens and How to Manage It
Insulin therapy can contribute to modest weight gain, in long-term trials, roughly 4 kilograms (about 9 pounds) over several years, with most of…
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What Happens During an Echocardiogram, and How Long Does the Scan Usually Take?
A standard echocardiogram, the ultrasound scan of the heart done through the chest wall, usually takes 15 to 60 minutes according to the NHS,…
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Type 1 vs Type 2 Diabetes: The Difference, and Which Is More Serious
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system destroys the pancreas's insulin-producing cells, so insulin must be replaced from diagnosis…
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How to Lower Cholesterol Naturally: What Moves LDL Without a Prescription
You can lower LDL cholesterol meaningfully without medication by replacing saturated fats with unsaturated ones, eating 5 to 10 grams of soluble fiber daily…
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ECG Explained: What It Shows, How Long It Takes and What Happens
An ECG (electrocardiogram) records your heart's electrical activity through sticky skin electrodes, showing heart rate, rhythm, and patterns that can suggest arrhythmias, reduced blood…
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Stable vs Unstable Angina: What the Difference Means for Your Treatment Plan
Stable angina is chest discomfort that follows a predictable pattern, arrives with exertion or stress, and eases within minutes of rest; it is usually…
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How to Read an ECG and Work Out the Heart Rate from It
To read an ECG, first check the paper speed (usually 25 mm per second), then identify the P wave, QRS complex, and T wave,…
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Lymphatic Drainage: The Massage Trend vs the Physiology
Lymphatic drainage refers both to the body's normal process of returning excess tissue fluid to the bloodstream and to a gentle massage technique meant…
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Alcohol and Type 2 Diabetes: What Is Safe, What to Avoid and How Drinks Affect Blood Sugar
Most adults with type 2 diabetes can drink alcohol in moderation, if their blood sugar is well managed and their care team agrees. The…
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Is AF Hereditary, How Serious Is Paroxysmal AF, and Can You Fly with It?
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is partly hereditary: having a parent or sibling with AF raises your own risk, and a small subset of families carry…
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Heart Rate Zones: Training by Effort, Explained Simply
Heart rate zones divide exercise effort into bands based on a percentage of your estimated maximum heart rate, often figured as 220 minus your…
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Parasite Cleanse: The Viral Claim vs Actual Parasitology
A parasite cleanse, an herbal supplement regimen marketed to expel intestinal parasites, is unnecessary for most people and unsupported by clinical evidence.…
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