Heart Valve Disorders

The heart has four chambers two small upper chambers (atria) and two larger lower chambers (ventricles). Each chamber is closed by a one-way valve. For various reasons these valves can malfunction, causing leakage (regurgitation) or failure to open properly (stenosis). The mitral valve, which allows blood to flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle...

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Preventing High Blood Pressure

Anyone, regardless of age, sex, race, or heredity, can lower his or her risk of developing high blood pressure or lower existing high blood pressure by taking the steps described here. Maintain a healthy weight. As your body weight increases, your blood pressure rises. In fact, being overweight can make you two to six times more likely to develop...

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High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, or hypertension, increases your chances of developing heart disease or kidney disease and of having a stroke. About one in every four American adults has high blood pressure but may not be aware of it. It is often called “the silent killer” because it usually causes no symptoms. However, high blood pressure is easy to diagnose,...

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Dealing with End-of-Life Decisions

Over the course of a lifetime, men face a variety of inevitable stresses that create emotional responses. Dealing with death and dying presents some of life’s greatest emotional stress. There are two ways in which a man finds himself confronting the issues surrounding death and dying: as someone caring for a dying person, most often a parent, and as...

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Relationships

People have a strong need to connect with others, and the central task of adulthood involves the ability to master relationships. Both men and women have a similar need to be close. But the way in which many boys are raised and socialized in our society sometimes makes it difficult for them to recognize and acknowledge this. Boys want to be like their...

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Stress Management

Doctors don’t know all of the ways that stress and illness are connected, but they do know that the central nervous system (the brain and the spinal cord) and the immune system can influence one another during stress. Short-term positive stress can be invigorating, stimulating us to respond positively to meaningful challenges and opportunities. Short-term...

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Physical and Emotional Health: How They Interact

Doctors are not sure exactly how physical and mental health influence each other, but growing scientific evidence suggests that the mind/body connection is real. For example, the so-called fight or flight response, in which the nervous system and the adrenal glands flood the body with the hormone adrenaline when you are frightened, increases both heart...

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Emotional Health and Well-being

As a boy, you were probably taught not to cry, but to act tough and “be a man.” Although attitudes are changing in our society, many males are still brought up not to express their emotions, learning that any display of feeling (other than anger) is a sign of weakness. While living up to the traditional, aggressive masculine identity may give a man certain advantages in a competitive society, it also can explain why the rates of substance abuse, domestic violence, homicide, suicide, sexual abuse, automobile accidents,...

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Addictive Gambling

Compulsive gambling is an addiction, like alcohol dependence or other drug addiction. Because no physical substance is ingested, gambling has been called the purest form of addiction. Although it is strictly psychological, the uncontrollable impulse to gamble can become overwhelming and eventually cause major disruption in a person’s life—including loss...

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Unsafe Driving Habits

Risky behavior is involved in the traffic accidents that kill more than 40,000 Americans each year. Driving while drunk accounts for the majority of serious traffic accidents, and more than half of all road-related fatalities are automobile passengers who might have lived had they used seat belts. Never drive under the influence of alcohol. It slows...

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How to Quit Alcohol, Drugs and Smoking

If you are a smoker, kicking the habit could be the single most important thing you do for your health and your family’s health. It’s not easy, but millions of people have quit smoking on their own. Many programs are now available to help. The American Cancer Society (800-227-2345) and the American Lung Association (800-LUNG-USA) offer excellent support...

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