Alzheimer's Disease Archive

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Devices to treat nighttime breathing problems may help lower blood pressure and reduce the harm to your heart.

Peaceful slumber is often a pipe dream for people with obstructive sleep apnea. More than 25 million Americans have this problem, in which the tongue or throat tissue temporarily blocks the airway during sleep. The resulting pauses in breathing (called apneas) lead to explosive snoring or gasping for breath—sometimes more than 30 times per hour.

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Research we're watching

Many people know what they need to do to keep their hearts healthy. The challenge is making changes (like exercising regularly and eating more fruits and vegetables) and sticking with them. New research suggests monthly meetings with a group of peers who offer support and encouragement can help.

The study included 543 adults with at least one risk factor for heart disease (being overweight, smoking, being physically inactive, or having high blood pressure). Half were randomly assigned to a self-management control group. The others were placed in teams of 10 for the peer-group interventions. Two peer-elected trained leaders headed each group meeting, which involved role-play, brainstorming, and activities to address emotions, diet, and exercise. The groups met for 60 to 90 minutes monthly for one year.

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The meditative practice is being used for everything from boosting happiness to treating high blood pressure.

Mindfulness, which trains you to focus your mind on the present moment, is more than a popular meditation technique. It's been shown to help treat depression and anxiety and improve sleep quality. And it's now being studied as a complementary therapy for cancer, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and pain. "We're seeing an exponential increase in doctors embracing mindfulness as a treatment," says Dr. Ronald Siegel, assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and faculty editor of the Harvard Special Health Report Positive Psychology.

Ask the doctor

Q. My right hand goes numb when I open a can or use hand tools. Is this something I need to worry about? Do I have carpal tunnel syndrome?

A. The hand receives its sensory information from three different nerves, and irritation of any of them can lead to numbness. In the hand, numbness is often related to the way that the nerve is compressed or squeezed slightly when you bend your wrist, as happens when you open a can. Excess vibration or repetitive hand motion when you use tools may also cause numbness.

If knee pain and swelling are severe an are not getting better, see your primary care doctor for a thorough evalucation. Image: Thinkstock

Arthritis is not the only possible cause of knee pain, swelling, and disability.

Ask the doctor

Q. I find myself getting more and more anxious, but I don't like to take medications. Is there an alternative natural treatment I can try instead?

A. Anxiety is an incredibly common problem. Although there are many FDA-approved medications that have been widely studied and proved effective, studies show that up to 43% of patients with anxiety use alternative medicine to treat it. Among alternative therapies, herbal treatments are widely used both for therapeutic purposes and for comfort.

Learning a new dance step involves exercise, socialization, and a challenge, all of which can help boost thinking skills.
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Challenging your brain, staying physically active, and being socially engaged may help keep our thinking skills sharp.

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Clots in the lungs are twice as deadly as heart attacks.

If you scrape your leg, blood clots come to the rescue to heal the wound. But if a blood clot forms deep inside a leg vein, it's a different story. Known as a venous thrombosis—a term meaning "blood clot in a vein"—this type of clot can cause pain, swelling, and redness in the affected limb. When one forms in a leg or arm, it's called deep-vein thrombosis (DVT). But the real threat happens if the clot breaks off and travels to the lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism.

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Plan now to help prevent overeating, trips to the hospital, and depression.

The winter holidays are supposed to be a joyous time, filled with celebration. But they come with health risks, such as loneliness and depression, overeating, weight gain, falls in icy weather, foodborne illness, and heart problems. Here are ways to protect yourself while enjoying the season.

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Squeezing chest pain isn't always from a blocked artery.

Classic heart attack symptoms—severe pressure, heaviness, or pain in the chest—most often arise from a blockage in a coronary artery that prevents blood from reaching the heart muscle. But a lesser-known condition, called takotsubo cardiomyopathy, can produce the same sudden heart symptoms even when the coronary arteries are clear.