Heart Health – Page 15

Do Your Grandkids Play Sports? What You Should Know about Concussions

With spring sports like baseball, softball, and soccer coming up, parents and grandparents need to be aware of why concussions are such serious injuries and how they can be treated. Concussions have traditionally been associated with high-impact sports like football, and even in this setting, knocks on the head that don’t “seem” serious have often… Continue reading Do Your Grandkids Play Sports? What You Should Know about Concussions

Hypertension and Dementia: A Frightening Connection

According to the National Institutes of Health, a growing body of scientific evidence indicates that uncontrolled high blood pressure is not only the leading cause of stroke but may also be linked to cognitive decline and dementia. As a result, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), one of the institutes of NIH,… Continue reading Hypertension and Dementia: A Frightening Connection

The Five-Point Plan for a Healthier Heart

Heart disease is the number one killer of people of most ethnicities in the United States. (It’s the second biggest killer for American Indians, Alaska Natives and Asians or Pacific Islanders.) So it’s crucial to do as much as you can to keep this vital organ healthy. Here, from the experts at Labdoor, a dietary-supplement… Continue reading The Five-Point Plan for a Healthier Heart

Medical Information and the Web

Medical researchers who evaluated content on almost 200 websites of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis found that the information on IPF from these sites was often incomplete, inaccurate and outdated. The study, “Accuracy and Reliability of Internet Resources for Information on Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis” highlights the need for the medical community to continually reassess the accuracy of… Continue reading Medical Information and the Web

Minorities Have Lower Risk of Coronary Heart Disease Than Whites

In a study of more than 1.3 million Kaiser Permanente members in Northern California that stretched over 10 years, researchers found that blacks, Latinos and Asians generally had lower risk of coronary heart disease compared to whites. The study was published January 26th 2016 in American Journal of Preventive Medicine. A release from Kaiser quotes… Continue reading Minorities Have Lower Risk of Coronary Heart Disease Than Whites

Researchers: Drinking Coffee Doesn’t Lead to Extra Heartbeats

Regular caffeine consumption does not lead to extra heartbeats and possible heart disease, according to UC San Francisco researchers. The finding is in contrast to current clinical trend of discouraging consumption of the beverage. The study, which measured the chronic consumption of caffeinated products over a 12-month period, rather than acute consumption, appears in the… Continue reading Researchers: Drinking Coffee Doesn’t Lead to Extra Heartbeats

Hypertension Drug May Help Treat Alzheimer’s

An FDA-approved drug that’s used to treat hypertension also reduces cell damage that’s often linked to Alzheimer’s disease, a new study has found. Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) and the National Institutes of Health used laboratory neuronal cultures to reach that conclusion. They say their work, published in the journal Alzheimer’s Research and… Continue reading Hypertension Drug May Help Treat Alzheimer’s

Can Garlic Help Fight Heart Disease?

According to a new study, a kind of garlic available in health food stores may control or even reverse heart disease. Although previous studies have focused on garlic’s effect on cholesterol, this research done by Dr. Matthew Budoff, of LABiomed at Harbor General Hospital in Carson, is the first to look at its direct effect… Continue reading Can Garlic Help Fight Heart Disease?

Survey Finds 73% of Those Under 45 Are Unaware of Stroke Symptoms

ThirdAGERS, alert your younger loved ones and friends to this important finding! A 2016 national survey by Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles showed that patients under the age of 45 may underestimate the urgency of stroke symptoms and most say they would likely delay going to the hospital for help. Yet the… Continue reading Survey Finds 73% of Those Under 45 Are Unaware of Stroke Symptoms

New Drug Could Improve Treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

An oral medication for pulmonary arterial hypertension led to a substantial reduction in patients’ hospitalization and worsening symptoms, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The drug, Selexipag, gained U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in December. It is now available for patients. The data, from the largest study ever… Continue reading New Drug Could Improve Treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Programmed Pacemaker Treats Heart Failure

Researchers have demonstrated in animals that applying a pacemaker’s mild electrical shocks to push the heart in and out of normal synchronized contraction may be an effective way to slow down the progression of heart failure, a disorder that afflicts millions of Americans. In the study published online in Science Translational Medicine, the researchers, from… Continue reading Programmed Pacemaker Treats Heart Failure

7 Healthy Heart Measures May Reduce Heart Failure Risk

People scoring well on the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 checklist for a healthy heart are less likely to develop heart failure, a condition that reduces blood and oxygen flow to the body, according to new research published in December 2015 in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation: Heart Failure. A release from the… Continue reading 7 Healthy Heart Measures May Reduce Heart Failure Risk

Heart Drug May Raise Risk of Alzheimer’s and Macular Degeneration

A drug that can halt the progression of heart failure and reduce cardiovascular-related deaths may have serious side effects, including increased risk of Alzheimer’s and macular degeneration, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The drug — a tablet that combines the agents valsartan and sacubitril, sold under the… Continue reading Heart Drug May Raise Risk of Alzheimer’s and Macular Degeneration

Mind-Body Medicine Can Ward Off Heart Attacks

Mind-body medicine (MBM) is a holistic approach that has the potential to ward off more heart attacks than conventional prevention programs. That is the conclusion reached by Holger Cramer and colleagues in a systematic review and meta-analysis presented in the November 2015 ssue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt. The team showed that MBM in cardiac patients has… Continue reading Mind-Body Medicine Can Ward Off Heart Attacks

Even When Heart Attack Patients Are in a Coma, Reducing Body Temperature Saves Brain Functions

Survivors of cardiac arrest who remain in comas have better survival and neurological outcomes when their body temperatures are lowered, according to research done in November 2015 by Dr. Sarah Perman at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and published the journal Circulation. It was funded by the National Institutes of Health. A release… Continue reading Even When Heart Attack Patients Are in a Coma, Reducing Body Temperature Saves Brain Functions

Comparing Old and New Drugs for AFib in People Age 65+

When it comes to preventing stroke, millions of Americans with irregular heartbeats (atrial fibrilation or AFib) face a choice: Take one of the powerful but pricey new pills they see advertised on TV, or a much cheaper 60-year-old drug that can be a hassle to take, and doesn’t prevent stroke as well. It doesn’t seem… Continue reading Comparing Old and New Drugs for AFib in People Age 65+

Update for Older People on the New Blood Pressure Recommendations

On November 10th 2015, thirdAGE published the breaking news about the new, lower blood pressure guidelines. Now the University of Utah has since issued an release that highlights the fact that for older people, there may be both benefits and drawbacks to lowering systolic blood pressure from the previous gold standard of 140 mmHG to… Continue reading Update for Older People on the New Blood Pressure Recommendations

Breaking News: Lower Blood Pressure Target Recommended

A study presented at the American Heart Association meeting and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine on November 9th 2015 found that at least 16.8 million Americans could potentially benefit from lowering their systolic blood pressure (SBP) to 120 mmHg, much lower than current guidelines of 140 or 150 mmHg. The collaborative… Continue reading Breaking News: Lower Blood Pressure Target Recommended