Skip to main content

Stroke Archive

Articles

Growth hormone, athletic performance, and aging

Some men use growth hormone as an anti-aging treatment, even though it is illegal to market it for this purpose. Studies of test subjects who took growth hormone found a high incidence of side effects such as joint pain and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Time to hire a caregiver? 3 tips to help

If you are facing physical or cognitive challenges, hiring caregivers to come into your home can be an effective way to continue living independently. It's not always easy having new people coming into your home, but there are things you can do to adjust to the changes.

Can wearing contacts harm your vision?

Millions of people wear contact lenses, and with proper use and care they are very safe. However, sleeping with lenses in that are not specifically intended for extended wear can increase the risk of infection in the eye's cornea.

Supplements to prevent heart disease and cancer not justified

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force found insufficient evidence for using most vitamin and mineral supplements to prevent heart disease and cancer in most healthy adults.

High blood pressure? Treat the risk, not the number

People with a high risk for heart attacks and strokes might benefit from taking blood pressure–lowering medications, even if their blood pressure is in the normal or "high normal" range and they have no clear signs of cardiovascular disease.

Chronic gut inflammation: Coping with inflammatory bowel disease

Chronic inflammation in the gut may be due to inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. It’s unclear what causes IBD. Doctors suspect it’s a combination of factors, such as eating an unhealthy diet or using certain medications; altered gut bacteria; having a leaky gut; or genetics. The goal of IBD treatment is remission: suppressed symptoms, lower blood levels of inflammatory markers, and normal-looking bowel and tissue biopsies. Approaches to achieve remission and prevent flare-ups include medication, a healthy lifestyle, and possibly surgery.

Reducing heart risks in the wake of breast cancer treatment

Hormone therapy is a highly successful breast cancer treatment for women, but it can elevate cardiovascular risk. Women can reduce those risks by being vigilant about their heart health and working closely with their doctors. Women who have taken or are taking these medications as part of breast cancer treatment should focus on adopting a healthy lifestyle, exercising regularly, and keeping close tabs on their blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels.

Look inside your heart

The traditional measures to gauge heart disease risk don’t always tell the whole story. Sometimes more medical information is needed. An increasingly used test to predict a person’s risk for heart attack or stroke is a coronary artery calcium scan. It measures the amount of calcified plaque in the heart’s arteries, high levels of which suggest higher overall plaque buildup. The number can determine if people should begin statin therapy and make additional lifestyle changes.

Screening for atrial fibrillation: An update

Atrial fibrillation (afib), an often-silent heart rhythm disorder, increases the risk of stroke. Early detection may enable people to start taking anti-clotting drugs to prevent a stroke. Current afib screening methods include asking people about afib symptoms and taking an electrocardiogram during routine check-ups. Wearable devices such as smart watches and fitness trackers can detect afib, but they aren’t yet accurate enough to be used for widespread screening.

Is your vision impaired? Tips to cope

Living with low or impaired vision comes with many challenges. Accessibility features on computer hardware and software, special devices, and adaptations to your home can help make daily life easier when living with a vision impairment.

Free Healthbeat Signup

Get the latest in health news delivered to your inbox!

Sign Up
Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE 32-page gift worth $29.95.

PLUS, don’t miss out on your 25% off promo code.

Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle—You’ll discover powerful, research- backed strategies for health longevity drawn from Harvard Medical School experts—ways to eat for a longer life, build strength and flexibility to stay independent, protect your bones, heart, and brain as you age, and even cultivate the habits linked with “super-agers” who stay sharp and active well into their 80s and 90s—all delivered to your email box FREE.

Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.

Plus, get a FREE copy of Living Longer, Living Well!.

Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.

Plus, get a FREE copy of Living Longer, Living Well.