Health through Science

HCM ( Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy ) is a disease caused by mutations in your genes which control the structure of your heart muscle proteins. It causes abnormal growth of these cells, thickening the walls of the heart. When these walls thicken, the functioning of your heart can be impaired due to the change in its structure. Depending on case to case, some people can develop obstruction to blood flow from their left ventricle, and some may experience diastolic dysfunction (when your heart cannot relax properly when it has to be filled with blood to pump out) resulting in a range of uncomfortable and painful symptoms. These symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, and a higher risk of arrhythmias. A targeted cardiac myosin inhibitor , like Mavacamten , is a new medication which has been developed to treat HCM. It works by specifically degenerating the myosin protein in your heart muscles (the protein involved in contraction of your heart muscles). When people have H...

Low-lipodensity proteins (LDL) are a type of lipoprotein in the blood which carry cholesterol from the liver cells throughout your body. Although some level of LDL is needed for our cells to work, LDL usually ends up being high in our bloodstream due to the kind of habits that the modern lifestyle indulges in. That’s why LDL is often called the “bad cholesterol’, because when LDL is too high, it’s known to cause atherosclerosis (clots in your arteries) and heart disease. When there’s excess LDL in the blood, cholesterol deposits form in your arteries, narrowing the diameter of your arteries (called lumen) and making it harder for your blood to reach the rest of your body. What causes high LDL: ·         Diet: A diet high in saturated fat and trans-fat; usually found in red meat, fried foods, and other processed snacks that our modern life is dependent on. ·         Genetics: A genetic predisposition to high LDL...

Vitamin D plays a crucial role in the digestion of calcium. It improves the ability of our body to absorb calcium and phosphate from the villi in our intestines, regulates the rate at which bones release calcium in our bloodstream, and also promotes the reabsorption of it back into the kidneys. This way, calcium levels are constantly maintained in our bodies and ensure that our bones are nice and strong. But, when your vitamin D levels are low due to a lack of sun exposure, a nutritionally deficient diet, or a metabolic syndrome; cholecalciferol is often advised by a healthcare professional or a doctor to help your body get back to normal. Cholecalciferol, more commonly known as vitamin D3, is an inactive form of the biologically useful form of vitamin D in the body. When cholecalciferol is ingested externally through dietary supplements, it is subjected to multiple chemical reactions in the body that finally cause an increase in the Vitamin D levels in our blood. How cholecalciferol...

Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune disorder (when your own immune system thinks part of your body is a foreign substance and attacks it in retaliation) which affects your thyroid gland. Located at the base of your neck, the butterfly-shaped thyroid gland is crucial for metabolic regulation and ensuring your body functions properly.  The autoimmune response in your body (when your immune system thinks your healthy thyroid tissue is a foreign object) results in chronic inflammation of the thyroid gland due to the antibodies and the death of thyroid tissue. This reduces the ability of your thyroid to work normally and produce thyroid hormones like T3 and T4.  Over time, with more and more damage, your body starts to suffer from hypothyroidism, which is when your body doesn't produce enough thyroid hormones (hypo means less). This results in a range of symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, dry flaky skin, constipation, cold intolerance and in some cases, depression.  H...