Peter S Hotvedt MD

Our heart rate is automatically controlled by the autonomic nervous system (ANS) that has two divisions: sympathetic and parasympathetic. The part of the ANS that is responsible for raising a person’s heart rate through the sympathetic plexus is the sympathetic division. The parasympathetic...

Causes of Fainting A person faints or loses consciousness for a brief time when the brain does not get enough oxygen. Fainting or passing out is also medically called syncope. Before fainting, people may experience lightheadedness, dizziness, weakness, and nausea. Others describe fainting as...

Mourning the death of a loved one will increase the risk of heart attack in the days immediately following the death of the loved one. The risk is elevated in the month that follows the loss, according to a new study. According to the researchers, this is the first study to see whether grieving can...

Tachycardia refers to rapid heartbeat, with more than 100 beats per minute. When this fast rhythm starts from the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles) this condition is referred to as ventricular tachycardia. This fast beating heart rate may lead to a condition called ventricular...

Worried about your cholesterol and triglyceride levels? Planning to take another blood test to check on your cholesterol levels? Did you get a warning from your physician regarding elevated levels of triglycerides and LDL (low-density lipoproteins, the ‘bad’ cholesterol) cholesterol in your...

Modern day lifestyle does come with the risk of certain disease that is a result of everyday stress, poor eating habits, lack of exercise, and so on. While we are all aware of these diseases, we fail to take timely steps to prevent them from happening to us, and, by the time these strike, it is...