Articles

Our lungs produce various sounds. What sounds they make depends on what is going on inside your lungs. So, I figured it's time to have a discussion about lung sounds...

Editor's note: This is part 2 of a series. Be sure to read Part 1. After coffee and breakfast the next morning, we set out over Burro Pass for the...

Your heart starts to develop shortly after birth. Just three weeks after fertilization, it is fully formed, and within 21-22 days after fertilization, your heart starts beating. This makes your...

A great cardiologist is more than just the doctor who is the most knowledgeable or the one who has the office that is most convenient to get to. Rather, a...

Intimacy is about creating a genuine connection. It can be intellectual, physical, emotional, and spiritual. Managing intimate relationships is a common problem for heart failure patients. This is especially true...

As I look back over the 26 years I have cared for my child, first in heart failure and then through her heart transplant, I never saw a situation like...

If someone receives group health insurance through an employer, FMLA is the framework in which an employee's job (and their health insurance) is protected if they need to take time...

Across the United States, more than 6 million people have heart failure. Around 20 to 40 percent of those impacted by the condition also have depression. People living with depression...

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is anxiety in the aftermath of a traumatic event. You may think of it happening to a soldier returning from war or a victim of...

About 8 of every 1,000 infants are born with congenital heart disease (CHD) and some of these kids will develop chronic heart failure. So, what is CHD? What are the...

As a child, my parents ingrained in me that most things that a service can provide, I should be able to learn and do myself. The goal was always to...

As the holidays are coming upon, it’s a good time to talk about sodium and fluid retention. Salt is a challenge for anyone with heart failure because it causes the...

Antiarrhythmics are a class of drugs used to treat irregular firing patterns in the heart. The pattern can be too fast, too slow, or erratic. When the heart’s electrical pattern...

Many people with heart failure (HF) have experience with diuretics. Overall, diuretics help reduce some symptoms of heart failure, such as water retention. The most common diuretic used is furosemide...

I recently heard the phrase 'unexpected loss'. This resonated with me and is a good way of explaining why a widowmaker heart attack and sudden heart failure diagnosis at 35...

I was asked a great question by a community member recently. He said, “Does working too much increase my risk for developing heart disease?” This inspired me to do some...

Prescriptions, scent-free laundry detergent, over-the-counter products, special cleaning products - all these items can add up and can make living with or caring for someone with heart failure expensive. There...

As an HR professional, I find that many people do not understand FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act). FMLA is important for people who are in the workforce and use employer-sponsored...

Editor's note: This is part 1 of a series. Read Part 2. When you’re walking around with two stents and one heart attack on record, and when you take baby...

The United States is currently in an epidemic that is often referred to as the “opioid crisis.” This has led to a change in the availability and access of opioid-containing...