"We can take care of you better if you understand your disease" - Cleveland Clinic's project for visual learners

In this White Board Series, Cleveland Clinic cardiothoracic surgeon Eric Roselli, MD, takes us on a tour of the heart that simply illustrates complex problems so everyone can understand. He says, "We can take care of you better if you understand your disease", and I could not agree more. The videos are below:

Rosacea - NHS Choices video

From NHS Choices YouTube channel: Rosacea is a common but poorly understood long-term skin condition that mainly affects the face. It most commonly affects fair-skinned people from northern Europe and is estimated to affect up to 1 in 10 people. In this video, an expert explains what rosacea is, the symptoms to look out for and the various treatments.



Cathelicidin dysfunction may be a central factor in the pathogenesis of several cutaneous diseases, including rosacea.

Cathelicidins are antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that protect the skin through 2 pathways:

- antimicrobial activity
- cytokine release, inflammation, angiogenesis, and reepithelialization

Varicose veins: an animation

From NHSChoices YouTube channel: This animation explains in detail what varicose veins are, their causes, symptoms and the various treatment options.

Cirrhosis: Phil's story

From NHSChoices: Many people enjoy a drink in the pub after work without realising how social drinking can damage health. Phil didn't realise the harm his alcohol intake was doing until he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. He talks about his experience and the shock he felt at being diagnosed.

Related reading:

Cirrhosis - JAMA Patient Page, 2012.

Heart numbers to know - by Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic has been ranked the number one hospital in the U.S. for heart disease and heart surgery for the last 19 years. They must know what they are talking about when selecting the "heart numbers to know". This is the list by the cardiologist Dr. Richard Krasuski and the Clinic Twitter account.

Knowing your risk for heart disease depends on knowing and understanding some important numbers:

- Blood pressure should be less than 120/80 mm Hg

- Fasting blood sugar should be less than 100 mg/dL

- Total cholesterol less than 200 mg/dL

- LDL (bad cholesterol) less than 100 mg/dL, HDL (good) greater than 40 mg/dL

- Waist circumference should be less than 40 inches for men and less then 35 inches for women

- Body Mass Index (BMI) should be between 18.5 and 25. Calculate your BMI here: http://bit.ly/glMJE5

I worked at the Cleveland Clinic until 2008 and at that time the imposing building of the Heart & Vascular Institute was just getting completed:

Cleveland Clinic Heart & Vascular Institute

Image source: Cleveland Clinic logo.