Heart Failure
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…
Daily Exercise Boosts Lifespan
Everyone agrees that exercise is beneficial for your health, though not everyone actually participates in daily exercise. Muscle-strengthening exercise, in particular, can reduce the risk of premature…
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…
Wegovy or Ozempic: Semaglutide to Prevent Heart …
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Nov. 11, 2023 has pumped up an already very hot drug—semaglutide. You know it better as Wegovy for weight loss or Ozempic for type 2 diabete…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 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…
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…
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…
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 new study in …
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…
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…
Getting Systolic Blood Pressure Under 130 Makes …
How important is strict blood pressure control to prevent strokes, heart attacks and other adverse cardiac events? A large randomized, controlled trial from China confirms that getting systolic blood …
Why Don’t Weights on Doctors’ Scales…
Any time you walk into a doctor's office, one of the first things they do, even before measuring your blood pressure, is ask you to step on the scale. Perhaps the number is what you expected; sometime…
The FDA Fails on Ventilators, CPAP Machines …
How well does the FDA assess the risks of medical devices? A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine (July 26, 2021) analyzed a random sample of 1000 adverse event reports in the FDA’s MAUDE datab…
How to Choose Whole Grains for a Longer Life
Nutrition experts have long been advising us to eat whole grains, and epidemiologists have evidence that getting three servings of whole grains daily can reduce the chance of an early death. In fact, …
People with Cardiovascular Disease Do Better Eat…
Cardiovascular disease remains the number one killer throughout the world. People at high risk are often prescribed a number of medications to control cholesterol, lower blood pressure and prevent blo…
Colchicine from Crocus Helps Protect Heart
The autumn crocus, Colchicum autumnale, has been used medicinally for more than 3,000 years. The ancient Egyptians used the underground portions for joint pain. In the 19th century, chemists isolated …
Show 1187: Are Supplements Really a Waste of Tim…
Last summer, a major review of research on supplements to improve heart health concluded that most do nothing to prevent heart attacks, strokes or premature death from cardiovascular causes (Annals of…
Show 1182: How You Can Use Exercise as Medicine
Does medicine mean “drugs and surgery” to you? That is certainly how a lot of people see it. However, physical activity–exercise–has powerful abilities to help us heal. How can we use exercise…
Home Blood Pressure May Be Better Than Clinic
Do you take your blood pressure at home? Home blood pressure monitoring can be extremely helpful. Measuring your own blood pressure in the privacy of your home can help sidestep the nerves that lead t…
Could Soft Drinks Be Killing You?
People who consume a lot of soft drinks may be putting themselves at risk. That's the conclusion from a large study not in the US but in Europe (JAMA, Sept. 3, 2019). The EPIC study stands for Europea…
Is Your Diet Putting You at Risk for Heart Disea…
By now, it should come as no surprise that dietary choices can affect health. But do you know how your diet affects your risk for heart disease and stroke? Meat Eaters vs. Vegetarians vs. Pescatarians…
How Soon Do Smokers Benefit from Quitting?
Ask any health professional what you should do to stay healthy, and you'll hear the advice: Don't smoke! If you do smoke, quit! It should come as no surprise to learn that heavy smokers are more likel…
Will Eating Your Vegetables Ward Off Heart Failu…
When your grandmother urged you to eat your vegetables, she had your health at heart. She might not have known why, but scientists have confirmed that people who eat about a cup of dark green leafy ve…