Heart Health: How to save your life
A heart attack or cardiac arrest can seem to come with no apparent warning, but cardiovascular disease is often silently worsening as time goes on. Diet, exercise, weight and other lifestyle factors all play a role, as do disease and genetics. We can reduce some risk factors and compensate for others, but we should also learn the red flags of impending problems -- and how to prevent them. In the meantime, the diagnoses, prognoses and treatments for heart disease are changing. This collection of articles helps explain what doctors are doing, and what you can do, to keep your heart as healthy as possible.
February 16, 2011
What's the key to long-term heart health?
Moderation is Jesse Weiskopf's philosophy. Weiskopf, who just celebrated his 97th birthday, never really worked out hard when he was younger.
February 16, 2011
New campaign urges women to call 911 at heart attack warning signs
Marla Kalish, 58, of Highland Park, started experiencing chest pressure five years ago during her morning tennis matches. When she slowed down, the pressure would always dissipate, so she chalked it up to acid reflux.
1:16 PM PST, February 14, 2011
BOOSTER SHOTS: Oddities, musings and news from the health world
Aspirin is good for heart-attack prevention, but skip the proton pump inhibitors
Aspirin treatment has become standard for the prevention of heart attacks, particularly among middle-aged and older people at high risk for heart attacks. But taking a low-dose aspirin daily increases the likelihood of gastrointestinal bleeding, so some doctors suggest that aspirin should be taken with another medication -- a proton pump inhibitor -- to reduce the risk of bleeding. A new study, however, has found that adding the proton pump inhibitor isn't justified for most patients.
2:46 PM PST, February 13, 2011
From 'blue babies' to healthy adults
When Donna Stiener needed a valve replaced in her heart, she knew exactly where she would go: Johns Hopkins Hospital, more than 150 miles from her home in Easton, Pa.
February 14, 2011
Suzy Cohen: Nutrients may help reduce heart risks
Dear Pharmacist: Both my father and brother have suffered a heart attack. I'm worried because I'm 52 years old and my blood pressure is slightly elevated, but other than that, I am pretty healthy. All my tests are OK, but I am scared. Any suggestions? — P.A., Denver
5:07 PM PST, February 11, 2011
BOOSTER SHOTS: Oddities, musings and news from the health world
Elizabeth Taylor's congestive heart failure: What is it?
Actress Elizabeth Taylor, 78, was hospitalized Friday for congestive heart failure, a condition she has been suffering with since at least 2004.
5:30 PM PST, February 9, 2011
BOOSTER SHOTS: Oddities, musings and news from the health world
Diet soda and heart, stroke risk: A link doesn't prove cause and effect
A study just presented at the American Stroke Assn.’s International Stroke Conference reported a link between the amount of diet soda someone drinks and the risk of having a stroke or heart attack.
11:01 AM PST, February 9, 2011
U.S. scientists recreate heart defect in a lab dish
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Using skin cells taken from children with a rare heart defect, U.S. researchers have created beating heart cells in the lab with the same heart defect, allowing researchers to test new drugs in human cells instead of mice.
3:11 PM PST, February 8, 2011
BOOSTER SHOTS: ODDITIES, MUSINGS AND NEWS FROM THE HEALTH WORLD
FDA approves first pacemaker that is safe during MRI imaging
The Food and Drug Administration Tuesday approved the first pacemaker that is specifically designed for use in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment. MRIs are an increasingly used tool for diagnosing ailments because they provide precise, detailed pictures of internal organs and soft tissues, but they generate powerful magnetic fields, as much as 30,000 times more powerful than the Earth's own magnetic field. That powerful field can interfere with a normal pacemaker's operation, damage its components, cause the pacemaker or its leads to become dislodged, or interfere with its ability to capture a signal from the heart. As a result, an estimated 200,000 Americans, most of them elderly, have to forgo an MRI scan each year because of their pacemaker.
1:06 PM PST, February 8, 2011
BOOSTER SHOTS: Oddities, musings and news from the health world
Surviving heart attack now more likely than ever before
Heart attacks kill. But not as often as they used to. In fact, you might say heart attacks can start life anew.
7:15 AM PST, February 8, 2011
Heart failure therapy twice as effective in women
By Julie Steenhuysen
February 7, 2011
Heart attacks, if survived, bring drastic change
"I think I'm having anxiety," Leonard Castro told his wife on a day back in September.
February 7, 2011
The new guidelines for heart health
The Life's Simple Seven checklist sets a goal of meeting at least five it's seven criteria for optimal cardiovascular health. The list addresses smoking, weight, exercise, what we eat, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose.
February 7, 2011
How to tell if you're having a heart attack
How can you tell if you or someone you know is having a heart attack? Sometimes the symptoms can be surprisingly subtle.
February 7, 2011
Stem cells for broken hearts
It's one of the most vexing problems in medical science: How can you mend a broken heart?
February 7, 2011
Roy Wallack: Gear: Heart rate monitors, vital sign trackers keep you in the know during workout
Whether you're 18 or 80, if you like to run, bike, row, swim, cross-country ski or climb mountains, you have to keep an eye on the old ticker — for training and safety purposes. Those aiming for victory have to know how hard to push it; those out for basic health and longevity have to know when to throttle back. And those who take it too far absolutely have to get help fast. Here's some technology that provides instant access to your vital signs exactly when you and your helpers need it.
February 7, 2011
My Turn: Bill Hillman thanks chest compressions for helping to save his wife
It was 4:05 a.m. on Oct. 29, 2009. I heard my wife, Dianne, say, "I think I'm having a heart attack."
February 6, 2011
Surgeon dares to help patients for free
Annapolis doctor offers screening to detect vascular disease.
10:23 AM PST, February 4, 2011
Obesity epidemic risks heart disease "tsunami"
By Julie Steenhuysen and Kate Kelland
9:24 AM PST, February 2, 2011
Booster Shots: Oddities, musings and news from the health world
If mom had a stroke, daughter's risk of stroke, heart attack rise
Women whose mothers had a stroke have a higher risk of both stroke and heart attack, researchers reported Tuesday.
10:57 AM PST, February 1, 2011
U.S. health system not helping heart disease: CDC
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Most Americans with the biggest risks for heart disease are not doing enough to control these risks, and the fragmented U.S. healthcare system is partly to blame, federal health officials said on Tuesday.
3:07 PM PST, January 31, 2011
Give 'em Health: Genome holds clue in congenital heart disease
A new study from Yale points to a particular alteration in the genome as a cause of a condition that leads to heart disease in children.
January 29, 2011
BOOSTER SHOTS: Oddities, musings and news from the health world
Diet Coke supports heart health despite soda's link to increased risk of heart disease
February is “American Heart Month,” and our e-mail inboxes are filling up with information about all sorts of cardiovascular-related events, including a celebrity-studded game of Capture the Flag at UCLA.
4:32 PM PST, January 28, 2011
Heart attacks in public places: why you're more likely to survive
Every year, some 300,000 Americans suffer a heart attack outside of a hospital, and the overall statistics are pretty grim: only 7.9% survive.
January 27, 2011
Gene protects some black Americans from heart disease: study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some black Americans have a gene that protects them from heart disease, researchers said on Thursday.
January 27, 2011
The difference between sudden cardiac arrest and heart attacks
The new year brings a lot of resolutions to exercise. And sometimes the cold weather also means more snow shoveling. All that exertion can be harmful to people with abnormal hearts by leading to sudden cardiac arrest. Dr. Gordon Tomaselli, director of cardiology at Johns Hopkins Hospital, talks about the difference between sudden cardiac arrest and a heart attack and what those at risk can do.
2:32 PM PST, January 26, 2011
Could you detect a heart attack?
How can you tell if you or someone you know is having a heart attack? Sometimes the symptoms can be surprisingly subtle.
2:29 PM PST, January 26, 2011
Here's how to set your pace
Just because you exercise diligently doesn't mean your heart's getting a proper workout. There's a target heart rate that you need to reach and maintain during exercise to keep your heart muscle good and strong. Using a heart-rate monitor can help, advises exercise physiologist Kevin Schmuck.
12:42 PM PST, January 25, 2011
BOOSTER SHOTS: Oddities, musings and news from the health world
U.S. cardiovascular disease costs will triple by 2030, study says
There's a new forecast of the cost to treat heart disease in the U.S. over the next 20 years -- and it isn't pretty.
8:52 PM PST, January 22, 2011
Researchers work to harness power of good cholesterol
They're still learning just how HDL contributes to heart health, and whether more is always better.
8:52 PM PST, January 22, 2011
Take charge of your cholesterol: Quick facts
What should you be doing to keep your cholesterol under control? Here's what the experts advise:
10:38 AM PST, January 19, 2011
BOOSTER SHOTS: Oddities, musings and news from the health world
Those with low risk of heart disease might not benefit from statin drugs, British researchers say
Statin drugs are used by millions of Americans to lower cholesterol, but should they be so widespread? A new study suggests maybe not. British researchers say there's little evidence that statin drugs prevent heart disease in people who are at low risk for the disease.
9:30 AM PST, January 18, 2011
Dick Cheney says he might seek heart transplant
In an interview Tuesday, former Vice President Dick Cheney said he would consider seeking a heart transplant and maintained that President Obama would be voted out of office next year.
1:00 PM PST, January 10, 2011
BOOSTER SHOTS: Oddities, musings and news from the health world
Heart disease risk rises with time spent sitting
Heart disease risks rise dramatically among people who spend two or more hours a day sitting in front of a computer screen, television or video-game box, researchers reported Monday. Experts now think that prolonged sitting -- what they call "recreational sitting" -- is especially harmful to heart health.
4:39 PM PST, January 4, 2011
Study finds overuse of implanted defibrillators
More than 1 in 5 patients who receive an implantable defibrillator to prevent sudden death fall outside guidelines for the use of such devices and have about three times the risk of dying while hospitalized for the procedure as those who receive it within the guidelines, researchers said Tuesday.
12:26 PM PST, January 4, 2011
BOOSTER SHOTS: Oddities, musings and news from the health world
Teen's serious heart damage was detected only after this series of events
An energy drink, an irregular heartbeat, a devastating diagnosis of heart failure. This sequence of events played out last spring for Christina Colding-Criss, who at 14 was completely unaware of a serious heart condition that, left undetected, could have killed her.
11:50 AM PST, December 16, 2010
Colder temperatures mean more heart attacks
When temperatures dip during cold snaps, your body notices.
December 6, 2010
Calcium supplements and the heart
You're trying to do your bones a favor when you pop your daily calcium pill. And doctors who recommend the pills are trying to do patients a favor too. What then, to make of a suggested link between daily calcium supplements and a slightly increased risk of heart attacks?
12:59 PM PST, November 24, 2010
Binge drinkers may be at higher risk for heart disease than regular drinkers
Binge drinking may up the risk for heart disease, according to a new study that examined drinking cultures in Ireland and France and their possible link to serious heart problems such as heart attack, coronary death and persistent acute chest pain.
4:22 PM PST, November 22, 2010
BOOSTER SHOTS BLOG: Oddities, musings and news from the health world
Resistance training and aerobics may help boost heart health in different ways, study finds
Most savvy exercisers know that a combination of aerobic and resistance training is best, since one works the cardiovascular system and the other targets muscles and bones. A new study looks even deeper into the two workout methods, finding that both have distinct benefits for the heart and vascular system.
November 16, 2010
Experimental drug could replace burdensome anti-stroke treatment warfarin
An experimental blood thinner called rivaroxaban is at least as good at preventing strokes as the old warhorse warfarin, which has been used for decades in people with erratic heartbeats, researchers said Monday. The drug also sharply reduces the risk of major bleeding that is seen with warfarin.
4:41 PM PST, November 16, 2010
BOOSTER SHOTS: Oddities, musings and news from the health world
External defibrillators need checkups; here's how to make sure yours works
External heart defibrillators can save lives, provided they work properly.
November 16, 2010
Defibrillators less useful in hospitals than in public places, study finds
Automated external defibrillators, which allow a layman to shock a person back to life after a heart attack, can nearly double the chances of survival for heart attacks suffered in airports, casinos and other places where there are bystanders able to help.
4:31 PM PST, November 15, 2010
Simple steps can cut deadly risk of heart disease, study finds
For those concerned about death from cardiovascular disease, heart experts have some good news: Regular exercise, a healthy diet and five other simple measures can cut one's near-term risk of death by more than half.
September 14, 2010
Wrong treatment for heart disease?
Tens or even hundreds of thousands of Americans are having coronary artery angioplasty and stenting every year when they should be having bypass grafts, and the result is an extra 5,000 or more deaths annually, researchers said Sunday.
August 31, 2010
Depression and heart health
The loss of interest, ruminations of suicide and feelings of guilt and sadness that are the hallmarks of depression may be debilitating. But it is depression's physical warning signs — fatigue, sleep disturbance and appetite changes — that are the most corrosive to the heart, a new study concludes.
August 9, 2010
Heart risk starts early
Signs of heart disease -- generally thought to be a disease of middle age -- can be seen even in children, cardiologists now know. But risk factors in children and young adults run the risk of being undetected and untreated, largely because of confusion as to who among the young should get screened, and when.
August 9, 2010
Pinning down the side effects of statins
Statins are widely considered to be one of the safest drugs available. An estimated 24 million Americans take the cholesterol-lowering drugs, and most of them feel no different after their daily dose.
April 5, 2010
The gender line
Say what you will about Mars and Venus, but anatomically, male and female hearts look the same. When healthy, both should be about the size of a fist. Both have three main coronary arteries, the large blood vessels that wrap around the outside of the heart, supplying blood, oxygen and nutrients to keep each one pumping properly.
February 22, 2010
Julie Deardorff: Demystifying the cardiac stress test
Treadmill stress test: What is a treadmill exercise stress test?
February 24, 2010
Quick guide: Heart disease
Heart disease refers to conditions related to the heart muscle, such as heart attack, arrhythmia, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, pericardial disease, congestive heart failure and congenital heart disease. Left untreated, heart disease can lead to a limited lifestyle or sudden death.
Copyright © 2011, HealthKey
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