Doctor Column

How Does the Healthy Heart Work?

Have you ever run to catch a bus, worked on a strenuous job, played sports or run up a flight of steps? Whether you’re exercising, stressed-out or working hard, the heart needs to adjust to the added physical or emotional stress. It does so, in part, by beating much faster than normal to get more blood circulating around the body. The lungs also adjust by breathing faster than normal to get more oxygen to the heart.

Floaters and Flashes of Light in Your Eye: “When Should You Worry?”

We recognize people and the world around us when light passes into the eye, travels across the vitreous material of the eye on its way to the retina. The vitreous is a clear, jelly-like substance that occupies about 80% of the space within the eye and is normally attached to the retina. The retina has light sensitive nerve cells in the back of the eye that relays signals to the brain so we can see.

Dizziness and Vertigo: How Do We Keep Our Balance?

Dizziness is an imprecise word people use to describe symptoms of feeling lightheaded, the sensation that the room is spinning or unsteadiness. Most of the time the problem is not serious or long lasting but it can make your life miserable. Less frequently, it can lead to a permanent loss of hearing or the diagnosis of a life threatening disease.