David S. Fieno, Ph.D., M.D. Surgical Cardiologist, Entrepreneur, Professional Engineer COVID-19 has caused devastation around the world and in our communities. We have suffered through the financial burden, uncertainty, and risk of severe illness and even death due to the rapid spread of this virus. About three weeks ago, I noticed that many of the frontline…
Marked decline in youth smoking rates (contrary to what the headlines say)
In recent years, there has been much mention of the marked increase in the use of e-cigarettes by young people, a trend that has recently increased with the arrival of Juul. The often alarmist tone that accompanies the reports of these studies suggests that vaping currently reaches “epidemic” proportions and poses a serious threat to…
Anti-aging effect of a healthy lifestyle
According to recent studies, adopting a healthy lifestyle, i.e., eating well, exercising, managing stress, and not smoking or drinking too much alcohol, has beneficial effects on the aging of our cells. One of the well-documented phenomena that occur during cellular aging is the degradation of telomeres, unique structures found at the ends of each of…
Stroke: What you need to know
What is a stroke? A stroke is a medical emergency. It is similar to a heart attack for the brain. It occurs when the flow of blood to the brain is interrupted, resulting in oxygen starvation to the brain cells which can no longer perform their task whether it is memory, vision or muscle control.…
My Watch Told Me to Go to the Hospital
The role technology plays in our life is rapidly evolving. The rise of wearable technology from fitness trackers to the Apple watch has been possible by the technology getting smaller and faster. Technology is becoming part of us. As these technologies are being developed and tested, there is a need for guidelines to address…
DO vs MD – What’s the Difference?
Why Women’s Hearts are Different
Please visit our additional articles to learn more about Broken Heart Syndrome (Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy): Can You Die from a Broken Heart? Broken Heart Syndrome
What is a murmur?
As a pediatric cardiologist, I often get asked, “What is a murmur?” Simply put, a murmur is only a heart sound occurring between the “lub and dub” sounds of the heart. More importantly, a murmur is not a hole or a heart defect. The bigger question to me is if there is something abnormal…
Treatment of High Blood Pressure: When Medicines Don’t Work
The treatment of high blood pressure can be very challenging, especially when medicines don't work. Normal blood pressure is when the systolic blood pressure is less than 120 mm Hg and the diastolic blood pressure is less than 80 mm Hg. Hypertension is defined as a consistent elevation of blood pressure. Blood pressure is considered elevated when…
Rare Diseases: A New Website for Finding Help
Not only are rare diseases rare but so is the information about them! If you go on Google and try to find “doctors for rare diseases” or “specialist for rare diseases’ the first result is the NIH (National Institute of Health) website. Sadly, NIH states that there is no list of experts in rare diseases…
