Heart Health 6 Heart-Healthy Habits for February, American Heart MonthΓÇ¿ By article Despite decades of medical research and public campaigns to ease the problem, heart disease is the No. 1 killer in … Read More→
_ Medical Research The Feds Under-Fund Chronic Disease Prevention Research By article Investigators at The Vitality Institute, a research organization working to strengthen the evidence base for health promotion and chronic disease … Read More→
Know the Heart Attack Symptoms in Women By blog The medical community has placed a great deal of emphasis on heart health, from preventive measures such as exercise and […]
Is the PSA Test Worse Than the Disease? By blog Like most men concerned about their health, IΓÇÖve followed my doctorΓÇÖs recommendations to get a regular P.S.A. (Prostate Specific Antigen) […]
_ Heart Health A New Understanding of Cardiovascular Disease Risk By Jane Farrell article Researchers appear to have found an improved way of diagnosing cardiovascular disease risk. An investigation at the University of Texas … Read More→
HRT and Your Heart: Friends At Last By blog Menopause is not for weaklings. Dealing with symptoms is at the top of the list, especially with hormones sending you […]
_ Digestive Health Coping with Crohn's Disease By article EditorΓÇÖs Note: CrohnΓÇÖs disease, a chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, affects up to 700,000 people in the U.S., according … Read More→
_ New Guideline for Sickle Cell Disease By article An expert panel has created a new evidence-based guideline for managing sickle cell disease (SCD), with a strong recommendation for … Read More→
_ Cholesterol Drug Good for Diabetic WomenΓÇÖs Hearts By Sondra Forsyth article The cholesterol-lowering drug fenofibrate cuts cardiovascular disease risks by 30 per cent in women with type-2 diabetes, according to a study done at th University of Sydney in Australia and published in August 2014 in Diabetologia. A release from the university quotes study chairman Professor Tony Keech as saying, "The finding is good news for women. The study shows that fenofibrate reduced the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, or having a stroke or other adverse cardiovascular event by 30 per cent in women and 13 per cent in men."
_ Heart Health Good Neighbors May Curb Heart Attack Risk By Sondra Forsyth article Although some studies suggest that the factors such as area violence and noise can negatively affect cardiovascular health, few studies have looked at the potential health enhancing effects of positive local neighborhood characteristics. This prompted the authors of an article published in 2014 in BMJ to track the cardiovascular health of over 5000 US adults with no known heart problems over a period of four years, starting in 2006. Their average age was 70, and almost two thirds were women and married (62%).
_ Living With and Treating Peripheral Artery Disease By Sondra Forsyth article If you have P.A.D., you may feel pain in your calf or thigh muscles after walking. Try to take a break and allow the pain to ease before walking again. Over time, this may increase the distance that you can walk without pain. Talk with your doctor about taking part in a supervised exercise program. This type of program has been shown to reduce P.A.D. symptoms.
_ Heart Health A Non-Invasive Procedure That Helps Heart Patients By Jane Farrell article A minimally invasive procedure can significantly reduce the likelihood of heart disease-related deaths among adults with atrial fibrillation. A long-term study from the University of MichiganΓÇÖs Frankel Cardiovascular Center found that the procedure, catheter ablation, helps atrial-fibrillation patients lower their risk of dying from a heart attack or heart failure.
_ Heart Health Potassium May Save Lives for Heart Patients on Diuretics By Sondra Forsyth article Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that patients taking prescription potassium supplements together with loop diuretics for heart failure have better survival rates than patients taking diuretics without the potassium. The degree of benefit increases with higher diuretic doses. The team, including senior author Sean Hennessy, PharmD, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology in PennΓÇÖs Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB), report their findings in a study published online July 16th 2014 in PLoS ONE.
_ Exercise Heart Health Stress Management Stress-Free Living Why Stress & Overexertion Trigger Heart Attacks By Sondra Forsyth article Scientists believe they have an explanation for the axiom that stress, emotional shock, and overexertion may trigger heart attacks in vulnerable people. Hormones released during these events appear to cause bacterial biofilms on arterial walls to disperse, allowing plaque deposits to rupture into the bloodstream, according to research published in published in June 2014 in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
Heart Health A Deadly Protein In The Heart By Jane Farrell article A genetic variant linked to sudden cardiac death leads to protein overproduction in heart cells, according to a new study.
Heart Health Viagra for Heart Failure? Works Better for the Guys By article Clear-cut gender differences stand out in measuring impact of Viagra as therapy for heart failure, according to a study done at Johns Hopkins and posted online May 16th 2014 in The Journal of Clinical Investigation. Specifically, in female mice modeling human heart failure, the benefits of sildenafil, the generic name for Viagra, ranged from robust to practically nonexistent depending on the animals' levels of the hormone estrogen. Yet in male mice, sildenafil generally appears to work well because it targets a different biological process independent of estrogen.
Heart Health Sugar Is Bad for Your Heart Even If YouΓÇÖre at a Healthy Weight By article Researchers from New Zealand's University of Otago have uncovered evidence that sugar has a direct effect on risk factors for heart disease, and is likely to impact blood pressure, independent of weight gain. Dr Lisa Te Morenga, Research Fellow with Otago's Department of Human Nutrition, and colleagues conducted a review and meta-analysis of all international studies that compared the effects of higher versus lower added sugar consumption on blood pressure and lipids (blood fats or cholesterol) – both of which are important cardiovascular risk-factors.
Osteoporosis Calcium Supplements DonΓÇÖt Up Heart Risk for Women By article Previous studies have suggested that calcium supplements, which many women take to prevent osteoporosis, may increase risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the data has been inconsistent. A new study by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) did not find that calcium supplement intake increases risk of cardiovascular disease in women. The article was published online in May 2014 in Osteoporosis International.