Heart failure (HF) doesn’t mean your heart has failed, only that it isn’t pumping as well as it should. A weakened heart cannot keep up its workload. It’s not able to pump as much blood and oxygen to support other organs in your body. As a result, you become tired and short of breath; you may even cough. HF, also known as congestive heart failure, makes everyday activities like walking, climbing stairs, or carrying groceries hard to do because of shortness of breath.

Lyme disease is described as a “quiet plague.” It is the fastest growing infectious disease in the United States. There are an estimated 400,000 new cases of Lyme disease and related illnesses every year in this country. That’s more infections that HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, colon cancer or breast cancer. Lyme disease (LD) has the potential to affect everyone who goes outdoors.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) estimates around 54 million Americans have osteoporosis or low bone mass (osteopenia). Osteoporosis is a disease that gradually weakens your bones to the point where they break easily. It is the most common bone disease, affecting people age 50 or older. It robs many people — mainly older women — of their ability to live independently. Thankfully, we can help our patients prevent osteoporosis by encouraging them to look for the warning signs early and to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Most common infections are easily preventable if you take a few commonsense precautions. Follow these top tips to prevent an infection from ruining your summer.

Fungi are everywhere —that moldy loaf of bread you forgot was sitting on your counter, the athlete’s foot you got last summer, and even the microscopic fungi that sneakily hide in your microbiome. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are millions of fungus types, but only a few hundred can make people sick. In March of 2023, the CDC highlighted the threat of a rapidly increasing fungus (Candida auris) that is causing infections and deaths in hospitals across the country. This newly discovered fungus is only part of a larger increase in fungal infections across the U.S.