The 15-minute Scan That Could Save Your Life
As a journalist covering the medical field, Thomas M. Burton has written many articles about strokes, but he never considered himself to be at risk for one. After all, he didn’t smoke, worked out almost every day and ate a healthy diet. “Most doctors would have put me in the asymptomatic, or less-risky, category,” he […]
Low-dose Aspirin for Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention: Helpful or Harmful?
Aspirin is the world’s most widely used drug — and one of the most controversial. Its medicinal use dates back to circa 1542 B.C., when extracts of willow bark (which contain salicylate, the active ingredient in aspirin) were described in an ancient Egyptian papyrus as a remedy for pain and fever. Also known as acetylsalicylic acid […]
Surprising Facts and Myths About Cholesterol
Cholesterol is the most demonized, misunderstood and controversial substance in our bodies and our diets. To help clear up the confusion, the CDC has designated September as National Cholesterol Education Month. It’s also a great time to get your lipid levels checked — and if they’re too high, to work with your medical provider to […]
“I Beat the Heart Attack Gene!”
At age 40, Dwayne Nill considered himself to be in perfect health — until he applied for life insurance. “They did a blood test, and when I showed the results to my doctor, he was astounded that I qualified for the policy because my cholesterol was through the roof,” he recalls. Further testing at the […]
10 Lifestyle Moves That Could Lower Your Dementia Risk by 35 Percent
More than 5 million Americans are living with dementia. The two most common forms of this progressive memory-robbing disorder are Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia, both of which are linked to problems with the heart and blood vessels. AD alone ranks as the most expensive disease in the U.S., costing up to $215 billion […]
Women’s Heart Attacks Are More Likely to Be Fatal: Top 10 Prevention Tips
Large studies published this year reveal an alarming trend: Women are up to three times more likely to die after a heart attack than men, largely due to unequal care and treatment. Women are less likely to receive the same risk-factor assessments and diagnostic tests for cardiovascular disease (CVD), leading to women being 50% more […]
Moderate Drinking: Good or Bad for Your Heart Health?
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has canceled a $100 million study of the cardiovascular effects of drinking moderate amounts of alcohol amid concerns about industry funding and influence that might lead to a pro-alcohol bias. The study was supposed to compare rates of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events in 8,000 volunteers who […]
Seven Wonderful Health Perks of Outdoor Exercise
Exercise has such powerful mental and physical benefits that it’s been called “the ultimate wonder drug.” Moving your workout outdoors can dramatically increase these beneficial effects: Physical activity in natural settings has been linked to longer life, lower rates of illness — including heart attack and stroke — and a greater sense of well-being, reports […]
Most Doctors Don’t Know About This $20 Test for Hidden Heart Attack Risk
Celebrity fitness trainer Bob Harper thought he was in perfect health, until he suffered a near-fatal heart attack during a workout at a New York City gym and went into cardiac arrest. After a bystander performed CPR, the host of the hit TV show “The Biggest Loser” was rushed to the hospital where he spent […]