heart disease

Cancer is now the top cause of death in North Carolina, and in many other states around the country.

This Thursday, people all over the country will sit around the dinner table discussing what they're thankful for. And being grateful may also reduce the risk of heart disease.

Thirteen years after a study on hormone therapy was abruptly halted due to concerns about cancer risk, some doctors say that it's safe for most younger women if they take hormones short term.

A British study that tracked the health of thousands from childhood through midlife finds early distress to be even more potent than adult stress in predicting later diabetes and heart disease.

Too much sleep, too little sleep or disrupted sleep may put people at risk for heart disease. A study finds a link between poor quality sleep patterns and a buildup of calcium in the arteries.

The stethoscope seems so simple — a 19th century tool for listening more closely to the human heart or lungs. It also sparked a culture of listening that is transforming the way scientists learn.

The drugs are proton-pump inhibitors, including Prilosec, Nexium and Prevacid. But the study doesn't show cause and effect. Other factors — diet, drink or tobacco — may play a role.

Doctors long ago noticed that, beyond the usual influences of diet and smoking, short people seem to get heart disease more often than tall people. But why?

Few doctors — and few patients — realize just how profoundly early abuse, neglect and other childhood traumas can damage an adult's physical health.

Noncommunicable diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart disease are now the biggest killers on Earth. They account for 68 percent of deaths — and have an even greater impact in the developing world.