Let's play a quick game of free association. We say "blood vessel disorder," and you say the first thing that comes to your mind. Whether you are a healthy man or a patient, a primary care physician or a specialist, an epidemiologist or a lab researcher, your answer is likely to focus on the body's arteries. It's no surprise, since arterial diseases account for heart attacks (the coronary arteries), most strokes (the carotid arteries and smaller arteries in the brain), and many amputations (the leg arteries). And there's more: arterial disorders are also the culprits in many cases of kidney ...

About one of every three Americans will develop some form of malignancy during his or her lifetime. This year alone, about 1,437,000 new cases will be diagnosed, and more than 565,000 people will die of the disease. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in America, and as deaths from heart disease decline, it's poised to assume the dubious distinction of becoming our leading killer.

Despite these grim statistics, doctors have made great progress in understanding the biology of cancer cells, and they have already been able to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. But instead of just waiting ...

Medical memo Hearty humor The mind and body are inseparable aspects of the human organism, two sides of the precious coin called mankind. Physical health has a powerful influence on mental outlook. The reverse is also true, but scientists who study the mind-body connection typically focus on the link between negative emotions and cardiovascular illness. They have learned, for example, that stress raises blood pressure and increases cardiac risk, that hostility and anger can be truly heartbreaking, and that depression and social isolation contribute to heart attacks and impair recovery and rehabilitation.

It's easy to see why doctors study illness, ...

I am 76 years old, and I’ve had an enlarged prostate for at least 10 years. I’ve been taking Proscar for about a year, and it seems to be helping quite a bit. I have not noticed any side effects, but I’m worried that if the medicine reduces testosterone levels enough to shrink my prostate, it will also give me osteoporosis. Should I change medications, or take Fosamax like my wife?