Allen E. Atchley M.D.

Trans fats can be classified as natural and man-made. Natural trans fats are found in beef, pork, lamb, and dairy products. Man-made trans fats are used to increase the shelf life of many products, and these fats are found to increase the risk of heart disease and clogging the arteries. According to...

What is a persistent cough?It can be annoying to have a cough that lasts for more than a couple of weeks. A cough is considered chronic or persistent if it does not go away after four weeks in children and eight weeks in adults. However, most persistent coughs are due to colds, flu, infection, or...

Triglycerides are produced as a product of breakdown of fats. It is also produced from carbohydrates to be stored as energy. Triglycerides are generally stored in fat cells and released when needed.The healthy range or normal level of triglycerides in the body is less than 150 milligrams per...

The New England Journal of Medicine recently published research linking height and coronary artery disease through the study of genetics. Doctors have known since the 1950s about the link between short stature and coronary artery disease, “but the reason behind this really hasn’t been completely...

What is muscular dystrophy?Muscular dystrophy is a group of disorders that cause skeletal muscle degeneration, decreased flexibility, and progressive weakness. In muscular dystrophy, the abnormal mutation of genes interferes with the production of proteins, which are needed for healthy muscle...

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...