In addition, excessive alcohol can directly damage the heart muscle, a condition called cardiomyopathy. Once the heart is injured this way, it may beat dangerously fast and can cause a heart attack or heart failure, Lange says. A recent study reported that deaths from heart disease rise dramatically after Thanksgiving and peak around New Year's Day. Researchers believe that this may be at least partially due to overindulgence in all the holiday goodies, including alcoholic beverages. Sudden and unusually intense headaches or an increase in the frequency of headaches may mean it's time to visit your doctor, says Dr. Dion Graybeal, an assistant professor of neurology at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas specializing in headache pain.
Most headaches start gradually and have a throbbing or pulsating sensation.
These could indicate an aneurysm, stroke or disease such as meningitis. Migraine headaches, which usually start with intense pain on one side of the head and move around, can include nausea, vomiting or an aversion to light, sounds or certain smells. Most women overestimate their risk of breast cancer, but an annual mammogram for women age 40 and older, and monthly breast self exams for all women can alleviate unnecessary anxiety. For women with symptoms such as a breast mass or nipple discharge or who have an abnormal screening mammogram, we may do a diagnostic mammogram with magnified images and coned views to make a small area of altered breast tissue easier to evaluate. Women with a higher risk should begin screenings at an earlier age, but that decision should be based on a formal risk-assessment evaluation by a physician.