Hypertension literally means “too much strain,” referring to the pressure against the walls of arteries. People likely have known about it since ancient times, maybe noticing pulses being harder than usual and even noticing things like salt making that worse, but the Western World did not start regularly trea...

While recovering from cervical spine surgery last month, I’ve been contemplating the role of love in healing. I also have been grateful for the scientific prowess and surgical skill required to safely cut through muscle and bone to create space for my spine to breathe. Medical care should be a combination of ...

“Together for health. Stand with science.” On April 7, the World Health Organization (WHO) celebrates World Health Day, marking the founding of WHO in 1948. The focus this April and for the coming year celebrates scientific collaboration as key to good health for all people and the planet. It even has a hasht...

There is no precise definition for being in good health. In allopathic health care, we think of good health as a lack of disease, or perhaps disease that is not significantly impacting someone’s well-being. We can measure blood tests or do imaging studies to search for treatable illness. Then we can offer tre...

If you are a woman of a certain age, you have probably wondered if doctors skipped the lecture on menopause during their schooling. More accurate would be that doctors of a certain age were never given a lecture on menopause. Who knew that half the population might have menopausal issues in their middle and l...

The heart is a muscle. It has four houses, called chambers — which in Greek or Latin refers to something with an arch over it, and in French refers to a private room. In these rooms, we supposedly keep our innermost secrets. Each chamber has a door, called valves, which on their best behavior neatly open and ...