(rustyl3599/iStock via Getty Images) Lea en español The fall harvests usher in loads of pumpkins into grocery stores. But a smooth-skinned tropical fruit also vies for a consumer’s attention: papaya. The orange and green fruit is originally from Central America and southern Mexico, but papaya now grows in several tropical and subtropical countries, such as…
Musician and cardiac arrest survivor Sal Italiano. (Photo courtesy of the Italiano family) Heavy metal bass guitarist Sal Italiano spent the day at the casino with his wife, Christine, and her 93-year-old aunt, then they all grabbed a bite to eat on the way back to the couple’s home in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Sal watched TV…
(vm/E+ via Getty Images) Lea en español The responsibility of understanding what a health care professional is saying during a visit to the doctor’s office falls on more than just the patient. That obligation to ensure individuals can access and comprehend basic health information in order to make health-related decisions is shared by the doctor,…
Fitness instructor and heart attack survivor Angie Mayo. (Photo courtesy of Josie Porter Photography) A few months before her 50th birthday, Angie Mayo and her husband, Carl, headed to Key West, Florida, for an early celebration. She could use the break from the 12-hour shifts at her factory production job and all the time she…
(shaunl/iStock via Getty Images) Lea en español In some ways, the link between viruses, vaccines and heart health is simple. Think of your heart as a house, said Dr. Jorge Alvarez, an interventional cardiologist at Methodist Cardiology Clinic of San Antonio. “You have the walls of your house, which are like the walls of your…
Personal trainer and weightlifter Alfonso Moretti was faced with open-heart surgery to fix his aortic valve. (Photo courtesy of Alfonso Moretti) Alfonso Moretti was about to have surgery for a torn tendon in his calf muscle. At 45, and having been a personal trainer since his late teens, surgeries to repair injuries were nothing new….
(paci77/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images) Lea en español Esteban Rios never planned on going to college, let alone pursue a career in medicine. His grandmother planted the idea in his head. “She really encouraged me to become a doctor, but I didn’t see myself as one,” he said. Rios grew up in the San Joaquin…
Chrissy Gaffney is passionate about advocating for women’s heart health after decades of heart problems that began in childhood. (Photo courtesy of Chrissy Gaffney) As a young girl, Chrissy Gaffney endured occasional fevers and body aches that made her struggle to walk. Although the family doctor diagnosed her with arthritis, her parents weren’t convinced. Then,…