If a middle-aged man starts clutching his chest, sweating profusely, and gasping for air, everyone knows he’s probably having a heart attack. It’s the “Bollywood drama” depiction of heart problems, says Dr. Basel Ramlawi, a cardiothoracic surgeon with Main Line Health in Philadelphia. “It’s the most dramatic way – but not the most common way – in which patients present.”

Heart problems can actually be quite subtle, he clarifies, and they tend to show up differently in everyone. While someone having a heart attack might, in fact, grab their chest, others – especially women and people with diabetes, who often have nerve damage that prevents them from feeling pain – won’t necessarily experience any chest discomfort at all. Other heart conditions can appear in equally varied ways. Continue reading →

“I wanna be loved by you – Poop-Boop-a`-Do!”

A new study published recently in Cell Reports Medicine reveals that bowel movement frequency significantly influences physiology and long-term health, with the best outcomes linked with passing stools once or twice a day.

Previous research has suggested associations between constipation and diarrhea with higher risks of infections and neurodegenerative conditions, respectively.

But since these findings were observed in sick patients, it remained unclear whether irregular bathroom visits were the cause or result of their conditions.

“I do hope that this work will kind of open clinicians’ minds a bit to the potential risks of not managing bowel movement frequencies,” senior author Sean Gibbons at the Institute for Systems Biology told AFP, explaining that doctors often view irregular movements as merely a “nuisance.” Continue reading →