Broken Heart Syndrome: When Acute Shock Meets Chronic Stress
By Dr. Nitza Alvarez, MD, FACC for NITZAMD
The Biological Bridge: How Unprocessed Emotions Actively Damage Your Heart
By Dr. Nitza Alvarez, MD, FACC for NITZAMD
The Power of Patient Autonomy: Why You Should Never Be Afraid of a Second Opinion
By Dr. Nitza Alvarez, MD, FACC for NITZAMD
Red Flags Ignored: Why Emergency Rooms Frequently Miss Women’s Heart Attacks
By Dr. Nitza Alvarez, MD, FACC for NITZAMD
“You’re Having One Healthy Baby”: The Arrogance of a Missed Twin Pregnancy
By Dr. Nitza Alvarez, MD, FACC for NITZAMD
Dismissed as a “Hypochondriac” at 18 How Deb Williams Learned to Stop Treating Doctors Like Gods
By Dr. Nitza Alvarez, MD, FACC for NITZAMD
Knowing Your Numbers: Ejection Fraction and Cardiovascular Ownership
When it comes to managing your heart, there is one critical phrase every woman needs to memorize: know your numbers. While we are taught to keep an eye on our cholesterol and blood pressure, very few women know their "ejection…
Behind the Eight Ball: Why You Must Challenge a Disappointing Prognosis
Imagine being 44 years old, suffering from a severely weakened heart, and being told by your specialist that there is nothing left to be done because your insurance denied a life-saving medical device. That is exactly what happened to Karin…
The Lifetime Risk of Preeclampsia: What Your OBGYN Might Not Tell You
When Karin McNeil was 19 years old and pregnant with her oldest son, she developed preeclampsia—a dangerous condition characterized by high blood pressure during pregnancy. She delivered her baby four weeks early, and a subsequent echocardiogram revealed she had been…
The “Flu” That Was Actually Heart Failure: Karin’s Warning Signs
At NitzaMD, we frequently speak with women who try to balance full-time careers, busy family lives, and civic duties while ignoring their own bodies. In 2018, at just 40 years old, Karin McNeil thought she was simply coming down with…