• Featured News

    Housecall: Addiction and intervention

a group of people in a counseling session discussing problems with depression or addictionTHIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES
Intervention: Helping a loved one overcome addiction
People who struggle with addiction often are in denial about their situation and unwilling to seek treatment. And so, it can be challenging to help a loved one with an addiction. An intervention presents your loved one with a structured opportunity to make changes, and it can motivate him or her to seek or accept help. Learn how to conduct an intervention successfully.

Nutrition and pain
Is your diet helping or hurting your pain? Research suggests that there's a link between diet and inflammation, which is your body's response to injury or infection. Inflammation causes heat, redness, swelling and pain in the affected part of the body. While this normal immune system response is important for healing, chronic inflammation is linked to several diseases and conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease. Find out which foods protect against inflammation, and which might be making your pain and inflammation worse.

EXPERT ANSWERS
Can diet help symptoms of an enlarged prostate?
The risk of an enlarged prostate, also called benign prostatic hyperplasia, increases with age. By 60, half of men will have symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia, including increased urinary frequency and urgency. Making healthy changes to your diet and exercise habits may help. Learn more from Jennifer Nelson, a Mayo Clinic specialty editor for food and nutrition.

Is aortic valve calcification a sign I am developing heart disease?
Aortic valve calcification is a condition in which calcium deposits form on the aortic valve in the heart. These deposits can cause narrowing at the opening of the aortic valve, which can become severe enough to reduce blood flow through the aortic valve — a condition called aortic valve stenosis. Aortic valve calcification may be an early sign that you have heart disease — even if you don't have any other heart disease symptoms. Learn more from Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist.

PLUS ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
First aid for a sprain
Sex therapy: What you can expect
Thrombocytopenia (low platelet count)
Preventing rabies

HEALTHY RECIPES
Rustic apple-cranberry tart
Pork chops with black currant jam sauce
Roasted potatoes
Beet and walnut salad

HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK
Feeling faint? Know what to do
If the blood supply to your brain is inadequate, even momentarily, you may feel faint. You may even lose consciousness for a short time. If you feel faint, lie down or sit down, and place your head between your knees. Sometimes fainting has no medical significance. In other cases, fainting can be caused by a serious underlying condition. Discuss it with your health care provider.

Need practical advice on diet and exercise? Want creative solutions for stress and other lifestyle issues? Discover more healthy lifestyle topics at mayoclinic.org.

Receive a free e-subscription to Housecall and other health newsletters.

Related Articles