Heart Failure
Better Diet for Poor Americans Is Not a SNAP
Poor diet may underly a wide range of undesirable health problems, from obesity to diabetes and heart disease. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was designed to help very low-income…
Could Step Counters Help Us Ward Off Dementia?
Do you wear a FitBit or a fancy watch? What about a lower-tech pedometer? Step counters are popular because they give us feedback on how many steps we have taken in a day. Even if the common goal of 1…
How Good Is the Shingrix Vaccine Against Shingle…
If you ever had chickenpox as a kid, you are at risk for shingles as an adult. That's because the virus that causes this childhood illness is varicella zoster, the same virus that causes shingles. Eve…
Show 1450: Beyond Cholesterol: Rethinking Your R…
Heart disease is still our number one killer, even though 50 million Americans have been prescribed a cholesterol-lowering statin. Cardiologists pay a lot of attention to cholesterol in all its variet…
Forget Steps! Just Walk at Least 15 Minutes at a…
Over the many decades that we have been hosting a nationally syndicated show on public radio, we have interviewed thousands of health experts. They often disagree about drugs, diets and treatments. Bu…
Light Exposure Overnight Raises Risk of Heart Di…
For thousands of years our human ancestors slept in the dark. There were no lights inside or outside. That meant that when candles or oil lamps were snuffed out at night, people had very little light …
What Are the Health Benefits of Coffee and Choco…
Americans have a puritanical streak. This way of thinking suggests that if something hurts or tastes bad, it must be good for you. Conversely, if it tastes good, you might conclude it's bad for you. T…
How Clean Indoor Air Could Benefit Your Blood Pr…
For years, public health researchers have been sounding the alarm about air pollution. Scientists have reached a consensus that exposure to air with a lot of fine particulate matter of the sort you mi…
Why Is the Sugar Substitute Erythritol Risky?
Everyone on the planet may already know that sugar is bad for our health. Excessive sugar contributes to cavities in teeth and pimples on skin. It adds pounds and displaces more nutritious foods like …
If Statins Cause Diabetes, Why Should ALL Diabet…
The guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology are crystal clear. Middle-aged people with diabetes (both type 1 and type 2) should be on a statin-type choles…
Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Carry Serious Cardiova…
Most people are aware that consuming too much sugar is not good for our health. A study from Sweden suggests that not all sweet foods are equivalent, though. Occasional sweet treats like pastries don'…
Wegovy or Ozempic: Semaglutide to Prevent Heart …
Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss are more familiar brand names for the pharmaceutical compound semaglutide. Seven years ago, when Ozempic was first introduced to treat type 2 diabetes, …
Are Non-Sugar Sweeteners a Healthy Choice?
When people hear that sugar-sweetened beverages pose health hazards, some respond by switching to diet soft drinks. That certainly seems reasonable, but evidence now suggests it might not be the best …
Show 1421: Is Lp(a) the Heart Risk No One Talks …
This week, we get in-depth information on Lp(a), the heart risk no one talks about. You have heard of cholesterol, and you may even know what your cholesterol level is. The compound lipoprotein a may …
Chelation Therapy: Breakthrough or Bust for Hear…
Please prepare yourself for medical whiplash. Brace for a trip down a rabbit's hole into a Wonderland of contradictions. Mainstream medicine believed for many years that chelation therapy was worthles…
What Is the Difference Between Healthspan and Li…
Healthspan and lifespan are such similar words that it is only reasonable to wonder about their differences. In short, lifespan refers to how long you live, regardless of your state of health. Healths…
If Acetaminophen Is Killing People, Why Should Y…
Acetaminophen is considered one of the safest pain relievers in the pharmacy. In fact most people probably think it is one of the safest drugs in the pharmacy. That's partially because Tylenol is a ho…
What’s in Your Frying Pan? Omega-6 or Omega-3 …
Americans have long been urged to embrace polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) vegetable oils because they are low in saturated fats. These oils made from corn, peanuts, soybeans, safflower and sunflower…
How Can You Overcome the Harms of Sitting Too Mu…
How many hours a day do you sit? Be honest, please. If you work in front of a computer, as so many of us do, we’ll bet you spend more than eight hours a day sitting. And that doesn’t count time si…
Will Certo and Grape Juice Help Your Sore Knees?
People with sore joints face a terrible dilemma. Pain interferes with quality of life. On the other hand, medications like diclofenac and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can make p…
Will Vitamin Supplements Prevent Heart Problems?
Does it make sense to take vitamin pills? Keep reading to learn more about a systematic review from several years ago. First, though, we want to address some very confusing recent research that implie…
Will Exercise Prevent Heart Failure?
Does it really make a difference whether you exercise? We now have multiple studies demonstrating that physical activity, if not deliberate exercise, can help prevent heart failure. What Is Heart Fail…
What Should You Eat for a Healthy Heart?
How important is diet in the prevention of heart disease? And what exactly should you eat for a healthy heart? Cardiologists have long emphasized the importance of avoiding cholesterol and saturated f…
Is Cooked Oatmeal Better for You Than Instant Oa…
Oats have been a dietary staple for many centuries, and they have a reputation as a healthy whole grain. Eating cooked oatmeal on a regular basis (daily or several times a week) can help control chole…
Does Loneliness Raise Your Risk for Parkinson Di…
In May 2023, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy raised the alarm about an epidemic of loneliness. He suggested that up to half of American adults feel isolated and disconnected from social support. The C…
Hawthorn
Hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata) is a small thorny tree with white flowers and red berries that grows in England and throughout Europe. C. laevigata is only one species; related species have slightly di…
Is a Low Salt Diet Dangerous for Your Health?
Warning: prepare for whiplash! We know that for the last 50 years you have heard a constant drum beat from public health officials, cardiologists, nutritionists and most other health professionals tha…
The Cardiac Effects of COVID-19 Are Really Scary…
There is good news, at last, regarding COVID. According to the CDC, the number of Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 has reached the lowest level since the pandemic took off. Hospitals are one of th…
Show 1341: Lessons Learned from Long Illness
You may not have thought much about long illness, but chances are you know someone who is suffering with one. The CDC estimates that some chronic condition afflicts as many as one in six American adul…
Is It Unhealthy to Drink Unfiltered Coffee?
The health consequences of drinking coffee have stirred quite a bit of controversy over the years. According to legend, a goatherd noticed that his goats were extra frisky after eating coffee berries,…
Is Coffee Really Bad for You?
Health professionals just can’t seem to make up their minds about coffee. Is it good or really bad for you? They have been arguing about the pros and cons of coffee drinking for at least half a cent…
CoQ10 Has Heart Benefits
Doctors are frequently skeptical about dietary supplements. After all, who would guess that something with an improbable name like CoQ10 has heart benefits? Yet scientists who have studied this natura…
Will Adequate Magnesium Keep Your Heart Healthy?
Magnesium has long been a neglected mineral. Health care providers are more likely to pay attention to minerals such as potassium, although some of the same drugs that lead to potassium depletion al…
Could Your Pain Reliever Hurt Your Heart?
If you take a pain reliever on a regular basis, especially if you have type 2 diabetes, it might hurt your heart. The European Society of Cardiology reported that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs…
People with Heart Failure Suffer on Low Sodium D…
Should you eat less salt? Public health authorities generally include cutting back on sodium as one of the important dietary steps we can all take for good health. In particular, doctors admonish peop…
Is Napping Good for Your Health or Bad for Your …
Do you get drowsy after lunch? Now that so many people are working from home, the temptation to take an afternoon nap may sometimes be overwhelming. Some prior studies showed that napping was not heal…
How to Boost Your Cardiovascular Health with Coc…
Thousands of years ago, native people in Mexico, Central America and the Amazon basin treasured cacao. That's the tree whose fruit is the source of cocoa and chocolate. In fact, they domesticated it s…
Intermittent Fasting for Better Heart Health
Intermittent fasting is getting more attention. Going without food for at least 12 hours and up to a day or longer has been promoted for weight loss and blood sugar control (Nutrients, Oct. 14, 2019).…
What Is the Best Time to Go to Sleep?
When do you go to sleep? Are you a night owl or an early bird? The answer to that question has implications for your risk of cardiovascular disease. Finding a Good Time to Go to Sleep: A study in the …
Do You Really Have High Blood Pressure?
Have you been told you have high blood pressure? Doctors recognize that untreated hypertension can increase your chance of developing heart disease, kidney damage or stroke. Consequently, you should t…