Your heart is a powerful pump. Disease can result in plumbing, wiring, structure and/or muscle problems. Our experts explain the four major types of heart disease and how they are treated.
Coffee, Tea, Energy Drinks: Can You Overdose on Caffeine?
Although caffeine is safe, it can be harmful or even fatal when too much is consumed within a short period of time. Discover how much caffeine you’re getting from coffee, tea, soda or energy drinks, and learn how to stay within safe limits.
Heart Palpitations Can Be Scary, But Don’t Always Signal a Problem
If you’ve ever felt as though your heart is beating too fast, you know it can be scary. But these sensations don’t automatically signal something serious
Do You Snore? How Sleep Apnea Can Hurt Your Heart
If you suffer from untreated sleep apnea, a momentary stop of breathing occurring repeatedly while you sleep, you could be causing serious damage to your heart. “It’s likely that sleep apnea can cause arrhythmias and heart failure because if you have sleep apnea, you tend to have higher blood pressure,” explains molecular cardiologist David Van … Read More
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How Cancer Treatments Can Damage Your Heart
Some people beat cancer, only to learn that the powerful chemotherapy drugs or radiation treatments that saved their life caused lasting damage to their heart. Why you need a cardio-oncologist if you have cancer The anthracyclines—doxorubicin in particular—are among the most common cardiotoxic chemotherapy agents. Cumulative doses can cause heart failure or cardiomyopathy any time … Read More
Heart Disorder May No Longer Keep Kids Out of Sports
For kids with a heart rhythm disorder called long Q-T syndrome, or LQTS, sports are not usually an option. That may change soon. A new study finds playing competitive, organized sports may be safer for these children than originally thought. Researchers studied more than 100 children with LQTS, a rare inherited arrhythmia disorder that affects … Read More
Lower Your Risk of Arrhythmia: Don’t Put Food in Plastic
Bisphenol-A (BPA) is one chemical many Americans don’t want in their plastic bottles and food packaging. But the alternative, found in many “BPA-free” products, may not be much safer. What’s so bad about BPA? Research shows that BPA from plastic containers can leach into food and beverages (and then into human bodies). That’s bad because … Read More
Sports Beat: Is Your Heart Murmur Serious?
It’s your physical and your doctor is coming at you with a cold stethoscope, ready to listen to your heart. But what does your heart have to say? Potentially, a lot. Comprised of four chambers and four valves, one of the heart’s most important jobs is to keep blood flowing in one direction. The valves … Read More
Abnormally Rapid Heartbeats May Be Present at Birth (Video)
The heart’s electrical system conducts electrical impulses between the upper and lower chamber to keep the heart beating regularly and pump blood through our bodies. However, as with any electrical system, sometimes things don’t work exactly as they should. Occasionally a pathway that isn’t normally there is formed, which basically creates an electrical “short circuit” … Read More
Why Black Licorice Can Make Your Heart Jump
If your heart skips a beat every time you treat yourself to black licorice — it may know something you don’t. In rare cases, black licorice can cause an irregular heartbeat. Find out how much is too much.