Recent Articles
Stopping a medication?
Time for a medication check-up?
Risk factors for MCI and dementia
Handling tough decisions as a caregiver
How we make memories
Treating mild cognitive impairment
How high blood pressure harms your health
How to fall without injury
Cholesterol's various forms
Are you at risk for high blood pressure?
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Heart Health Archive
Articles
Careful! Scary health news can be harmful to your health
A news story about a worrisome or life-threatening ailment might get you thinking about your own health, especially if you happen to have some of the same symptoms. But dramatic or unusual medical stories can bias your thinking and even negatively affect your health decision-making.
Sensing abnormal heart rhythms with a smart speaker?
Using artificial intelligence, smart speakers can be programmed to detect and monitor abnormal heart rhythms in people sitting within one to two feet of the speakers.
Have a safe trip!
People with heart-related conditions or risks should take simple precautions when travelling by airplane. These include taking steps to ease stress, such as listening to music or reading a good book; bringing medications in their original containers in carry-on luggage; and not worrying too much about blood clots, which are uncommon during air travel even in people with a history of clots.
Treating sleep apnea: Good for your heart and mind?
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when soft tissue at the back of the throat temporarily blocks the airway during sleep. People with sleep apnea face a heightened risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, atrial fibrillation, and stroke. The condition can also affect mood, and some people diagnosed with depression may actually have sleep apnea. Treating apnea with positive airway pressure improves both high blood pressure and depression.
Fruit of the month: Berries
Strawberries and blueberries are rich in beneficial plant compounds known as anthocyanins, which give berries their vibrant red, blue, and purple hues. Several studies have linked diets with anthocyanin-rich foods to better heart health.
A longevity formula: Three vegetables plus two fruits a day
Eating two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables daily is linked to a lower risk of dying of cardiovascular disease. The healthiest choices include leafy greens, carrots, berries, and citrus fruits.
Alternatives to warfarin may be safer, more effective for afib
For people with certain types of valvular atrial fibrillation, drugs known as direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) may be safer and more effective than warfarin (Coumadin). DOACs include apixaban (Eliquis), dabigatran (Pradaxa), and rivaroxaban (Xarelto).
Are you wasting money on supplements?
Taking multivitamins doesn’t prevent heart attacks or strokes, and most dietary supplements (such as fish oil, red yeast rice, and coenzyme Q10) offer no or limited benefits for avoiding heart-related problems. For people who don’t have heart disease, eating two servings of fatty fish weekly or following a healthy vegetarian diet rich in nuts, legumes, and healthy oils makes more sense than spending money on over-the-counter fish oil supplements. People with heart disease would be better off asking their doctor about the prescription drug icosapent ethyl (Vascepa), a high-dose, purified EPA that lowers cardiovascular risk when taken with a statin.
Diastolic blood pressure: Worth a second look?
A diastolic blood pressure reading lower than 60 mm Hg may be linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke in people at high cardiovascular risk. Diastolic pressure tends to fall with age. Some people with a low reading have a leaky aortic valve, which interferes with normal blood circulation throughout the heart and causes diastolic pressure to fall. But in people with healthy aortic valves who can be physically active without any symptoms (such as chest pressure, shortness of breath, or lightheadedness), a low diastolic blood pressure should not pose a problem.
Anxiety: Cause or effect of a racing heart?
Some panic attack symptoms—a racing heart, breathlessness and dizziness—overlap with supraventricular tachycardia. This heart rhythm disorder occurs when faulty electrical signals trigger a series of very fast heartbeats.
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Recent Articles
Stopping a medication?
Time for a medication check-up?
Risk factors for MCI and dementia
Handling tough decisions as a caregiver
How we make memories
Treating mild cognitive impairment
How high blood pressure harms your health
How to fall without injury
Cholesterol's various forms
Are you at risk for high blood pressure?
/
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