Weight loss: Ready to change your habits? 
Are you motivated to lose weight? Is your goal realistic? Your weight-loss success depends largely on your readiness to take on the challenge. Knowing that you need to make changes in your life and actually doing it are two different things. Answer these questions to see if you're ready to start a weight-loss plan. Learn what steps to take if you aren't quite there.

EXPERT ANSWERS
Is there a medication for longer, thicker eyelashes? 
Bimatoprost, a medication marketed under the brand name Latisse, is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat inadequate eyelashes. Regular application of Latisse along the lash line of the upper eyelid gradually encourages growth of longer, thicker and darker eyelashes. But there can be side effects. Learn more from Dr. Alaina Softing Hataye, a Mayo Clinic optometrist.

Can people with atrial fibrillation participate in physical activity?
Regular physical activity is an important way to live a healthy life. Exercise can help you feel better and decrease symptoms of heart conditions, such as atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder. Getting active also can help prevent other heart diseases or strokes. However, there is conflicting research regarding the effects of vigorous physical activity in people with atrial fibrillation. Learn more from Dr. Rekha Mankad, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist.

PLUS ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Resilience: Build skills to endure hardship
Sprained ankle
Hyperparathyroidism
Oral cancer screening

HEALTHY RECIPES
Whole-wheat blueberry pancakes
Pasta with spinach, garbanzos and raisins
Quinoa risotto with arugula and Parmesan
Savory buckwheat pilaf with toasted spices

HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK
Mold on your cheddar? Don't despair
If you spot mold on a wedge of hard cheese, such as cheddar or Parmesan, you may be able to salvage the cheese. Cut away the moldy part and at least 1 inch of the surrounding cheese, keeping the knife out of the mold. Moldy shredded or crumbled cheese can't be saved, however, and should be discarded.

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

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The post Housecall: 10 ways to control high blood pressure without medication appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Deep vein thrombosis
If vacation plans are in your future, stay safe as you travel. Sitting for long stretches in a car or plane raises your risk for blood clots forming in one or more of the deep veins in your body, usually in the legs — a condition called deep vein thrombosis. These clots can break loose, travel through your bloodstream and lodge in your lungs, blocking blood. This is called a pulmonary embolism, which can be life-threatening. Read about the symptoms of deep vein thrombosis and what you can do to prevent it.

EXPERT ANSWERS
Is constantly craving and chewing ice a sign of anemia?
Health care providers use the term "pica" to describe craving and chewing substances that have no nutritional value, such as ice, clay, soil or paper. Craving and chewing ice (pagophagia) often is associated with iron deficiency — with or without anemia — although the reason is unclear. Learn more from Dr. Rajiv Pruthi, a Mayo Clinic hematologist.

Can fish oil supplements improve psoriasis symptoms?
Psoriasis is less common in populations whose dietary staples include cold-water fish containing omega-3 fatty acids. But study results have been mixed as to whether fish oil supplements can reduce inflammation and improve psoriasis signs and symptoms, such as itching and scaling. Learn more from Dr. Brent Bauer, director of Mayo Clinic's Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program.

PLUS ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Sprained ankle
Autism spectrum disorder
Hyperparathyroidism
Tinnitus

HEALTHY RECIPES
Polenta with fresh vegetables
Pasta with spinach, garbanzos and raisins
Orange-rosemary roasted chicken
Fava beans with garlic

HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK
Is your diet hurting your heart?
When you eat, your body converts any calories it doesn't need right away into triglycerides, which are stored in your fat cells. If you regularly eat more calories than you burn, you may have high triglycerides. The higher your triglycerides, the higher your risk for heart disease. The solution is healthier habits. Choose nutritious foods, such as fruits and vegetables; scale back your portion sizes; and include physical activity in your daily routine.

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

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The post Housecall: High blood pressure and healthy lifestyle choices appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES
Napping: Do's and don'ts for healthy adults
Naps aren't just for kids. Catching 40 winks may help you feel more alert and improve your mood. Here's how to make the most of your snooze.

Herbal supplements may not mix with heart medicines 
Herbal supplements are natural, so they must be safe, right? Not necessarily. Some can interact with prescription drugs — and even aspirin — to cause dangerous problems. Get the facts.

EXPERT ANSWERS
Water exercise: Does pool temperature matter? 
Should you opt for warm or cool pool water? It depends on your age and the type of exercise you're doing.

Dental floss or water pick: Which is better? 
Discover why you may not want to toss your floss in favor of a water pick for a healthy smile.

PLUS ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Dry eyes
Blood donation
Hyperparathyroidism
Slideshow: Guide to gourmet salt

HEALTHY RECIPES
Creole shrimp
Roasted red pepper hummus
Ham and farro salad
Portobello and blue cheese salad

HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK
Watch what you drink when dieting
When you're dieting, pay attention to what you drink, too. For instance, although juice and milk have important nutrients, they contain a lot of calories. Drink reduced-calorie juice or dilute juice with plain or sparkling water to help lower the calorie count. To help cut calories in milk yet still get your calcium, switch to fat-free milk. Water is still the best choice when it comes to satisfying thirst, though. And if you're hungry, snack on fresh fruit, not fruit juice.

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

NOW BLOGGING
Physical activity is key to healthy aging
Only a few lifestyle choices have as big an impact on your health and longevity as physical activity. So get off the couch and get moving with these tips.

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The post Housecall: Naps Aren’t Just for Kids appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: After a routine blood test my doctor called and said that I have higher than normal levels of calcium in my blood. He wants me to come back for another appointment to test for something called primary hyperparathyroidism. What causes this condition, and is it treatable? I am 60 and always have been very healthy.

ANSWER: Primary hyperparathyroidism is a condition that affects your parathyroid glands and the hormone those glands make. The disorder usually develops because one of the parathyroid glands is enlarged and makes too much parathyroid hormone (PTH). In most cases, removing the diseased gland cures hyperparathyroidism. Sometimes more than one parathyroid gland is overactive. In that case, more than one of the glands may be removed.

Your body usually has four parathyroid glands. These tiny glands, each about the size of a grain of rice, are located near your thyroid gland, a butterfly-shaped structure that sits at the front and center of your neck. Despite their location and name, the parathyroid glands have nothing to do with the thyroid gland. Instead they make PTH, a hormone that tightly controls the level of calcium in your blood. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body.

If the parathyroid glands make too much PTH, the result can be too much calcium in your blood. That’s a problem. because, although your body uses the vast majority of its calcium to maintain healthy bones, calcium also is critically important for keeping your nerves, muscles, heart and blood vessels working the way they should. When you have too much or too little calcium in your blood, it can lead to problems in all those areas.

Primary hyperparathyroidism typically doesn’t cause any symptoms, especially in its early stages. As in your situation, high levels of calcium often are found on a routine blood test that’s done for another reason. To confirm the diagnosis, your doctor likely will run another blood test to recheck your calcium and to see if the level of PTH in your blood is also too high. If it is, then you have primary hyperparathyroidism.

In primary hyperparathyroidism, the problem comes from within a parathyroid gland. It could be the result of a noncancerous enlargement of one of the parathyroid glands, enlargement of more than one of the parathyroid glands or, rarely, cancer of a parathyroid gland.

Another type of the disease, called secondary hyperparathyroidism, can happen as a result of other medical problems, such as kidney disorders, digestive disorders or vitamin D deficiency, that cause your level of blood calcium to drop. Your parathyroid glands then make extra PTH to try to increase the amount of calcium in the blood. This is the body’s protective response to keep critical minerals, such as calcium and phosphorus, at a healthy level. If your doctor suspects secondary hyperparathyroidism, he or she may recommend additional testing to investigate the possible cause.

Treatment may be recommended for those who are young or who have complications related to primary hyperparathyroidism, such as osteoporosis or kidney stones. If your disease is uncomplicated and mild, your doctor may recommend simply keeping an eye on it with yearly follow-up appointments.

Treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism typically involves surgery to remove the gland that’s abnormal. In about 85 percent of cases, only one gland is malfunctioning, and removing that gland cures the disease. If two or three glands are affected, they also can be removed. The remaining glands pick up the work of those that are gone. If all four glands are affected, the surgeon likely will remove only three glands and a portion of the fourth — leaving some functioning parathyroid tissue.

If secondary hyperparathyroidism is the cause of your elevated PTH, then effectively treating the underlying medical condition that’s causing the PTH level to rise usually improves the hyperparathyroidism. — Dr. Robert Wermers, Endocrinology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

The post Mayo Clinic Q and A: Primary Hyperparathyroidism Typically Doesn’t Cause Early Symptoms appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Myth or Matter-of-Fact: Lack of sleep can increase the chances that you'll have a seizure if you have epilepsy.

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Myth or Matter-of-Fact: Lack of sleep can increase the chances that you'll have a seizure if you have epilepsy.

Listen to the program at 9:05 a.m. CT, Saturday, January 30.

Miss the show?  Here's the Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

Follow #MayoClinicRadio and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is available on iHeartRadio.

Mayo Clinic Radio is a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

Access archived shows.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Epilepsy/Improving Health Care Outcomes/Parathyroid Disorders appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.