Stroke
Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Carry Serious Cardiova…
Most people are aware that consuming too much sugar is not good for our health. A new study from Sweden suggests that not all sweet foods are equivalent, though. Occasional sweet treats like pastries …
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…
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…
Mediterranean Diet to Prevent Stroke
Can you reduce your chance of having a stroke through what you eat? A study from Spain showed a decade ago that the Mediterranean diet helps to prevent stroke in a vulnerable population. New guideline…
What Can You Do If Ibuprofen Triggers Atrial Fib…
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like diclofenac, ibuprofen, meloxicam or naproxen are extremely popular pain relievers. Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) and naproxen (Aleve) are even availab…
Brewing Heart Health: Caffeine from Coffee and T…
Public health officials frequently tell us DON’T! Don’t smoke, don’t drink alcohol, don’t eat processed foods. It’s relatively rare for researchers to say DO this thing that you really like.…
Do We Have Micro Particles of Plastic in Our Bra…
Are you getting tired of reading about plastic? I wouldn't blame you. We are getting exhausted writing about the perils of plastic. That said, almost every week there is new news about problems with p…
Why Haven’t You Been Tested for Lp(a) Levels?
Most people have had a blood test for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). It's been dubbed "bad" cholesterol since the 1980s. Cardiologists write that "the prevalence of severely elevated LDL…
Low LDL Cholesterol Linked to Bleeding Strokes
Ask any golfer if you can have too low a golf score and he will think you're nuts. After all, the lowest score wins in golf. Ask almost any cardiologist if you can have too low LDL cholesterol levels …
How to Stay Healthy with a Mediterranean Diet
Would you like to be able to improve your health by what you put on your plate? Health professionals and patients alike may doubt that diet can be as powerful as pills. When it comes to important bene…
Which Diuretic is Best for Hypertension? HCTZ or…
When a patient is diagnosed with high blood pressure that is not controlled by diet, exercise or other lifestyle interventions, doctors start writing prescriptions. One of their first-line drugs is al…
If You Are on Medicare & Overweight You May…
Juliette Cubanski, Tricia Neuman, Nolan Sroczynski, and Anthony Damico Published: Apr 24, 2024 This article was originally published on the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) website at this link. The FDA…
Gut Microbiota Linked to Stroke Severity
We have been hearing increasingly about connections between the brain and the gut microbiota. Research from the Cleveland Clinic has demonstrated two fascinating links. First, scientists found that th…
Bright Outdoor Light Exposure Overnight Raises R…
You may have heard advice to lower light levels as bedtime approaches. People exposed to bright light indoors have lower levels of melatonin, a hormone essential for sleep. But interior lighting is no…
FDA Approves Heart Benefits for Wegovy Weight Lo…
Obesity is a world-wide problem. It’s no wonder, then, that injectable drugs like semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) have become incredibly popular. Wegovy just got a…
Refined Grains Increase the Risk of Stroke
The glycemic index of a food tells us how quickly it raises blood sugar. The glycemic load of a diet also takes into account how much blood-sugar-boosting food is being eaten. Refined grains usually h…
Can Physical Training Help People Recover from a…
Like a heart attack, a stroke is a serious medical emergency that requires immediate attention. In a stroke, the brain does not get enough oxygen, usually because a blood clot is blocking an important…
Can Stopping Aspirin or Eliquis Suddenly Lead to…
Stopping drugs that have anticoagulant properties can be tricky. That's because there can be an increased risk of blood clots after stopping aspirin or apixaban (Eliquis) too fast. But doctors routine…
You Have Likely Been the Victim of Diagnostic Mi…
Some mistakes are worse than others. When Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 had a mid-cabin door plug blow out shortly after takeoff on January 5, 2024, there were a lot of unhappy passengers. The flight wa…
Healthy Eating Can Help Prevent Heart Disease
We have heard for years that eating a well-balanced diet will have positive health benefits. Three decades of data demonstrate that healthy eating patterns reduce heart disease (JAMA Internal Medicine…
FDA Review of Ancient Drug (Colchicine) Spikes P…
Wild saffron, aka autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale), has been used for over 3,000 years to ease inflammation. An ancient Egyptian papyrus recorded its use for pain and swelling. A Greek physician us…
Can You Stay in the Sweet Spot for Your Warfarin…
Warfarin is a classic anticoagulant that is used to prevent strokes and deep vein blood clots. Doctors know a lot about this old inexpensive drug, but they also know getting the warfarin dose just rig…
Show 1355: Uncovering the Shocking Dangers of Mi…
When you develop a health problem with symptoms that trouble you, the first step is to find out what it is. Diagnosis may be the most basic task a doctor or other healthcare provider undertakes. That …
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…
Dog Owners Get Survival Benefit
We are dog lovers, along with 85 million other American families. If your household includes a canine member, you may be getting an unexpected survival benefit. A study and a meta-analysis published i…
Show 1307: Cocoa Compounds and the COSMOS Trial …
This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, we explore the power of cocoa compounds to help heart health. Our first guest is Harvard’s Dr. JoAnn Manson, lead investigator of the COSMOS trial.…
Dairy Fat and Olive Oil Are Friends, Not Foes
Do you remember your high school biology class? You learned that there are three building blocks of nutrition: proteins, carbohydrates and fats. For decades you have been told that fat is the enemy. I…
The Salt Wars Rage On | How Do You Cope with the…
Americans have been told for more than 50 years that they should cut back on salt. Doing so was supposed to help lower blood pressure. That in turn would theoretically reduce the risk of heart failure…
Is Hard Water Good for the Heart and Brain?
I have been intrigued with hard water since the 1950s. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania (Bucks County to be precise). Our well water was incredibly “hard.” In other words, it had a lot of dissolved…
Will You Live Longer If You Sip Green Tea?
Is coffee or tea your beverage of choice? A study from China, where a lot of people prefer tea, suggests that you might want to sip green tea. Recently, a symposium sponsored by the US Tea Council sum…
Should You Take Aspirin for your Heart? Does You…
Aspirin is well over 100 years old, but scientists are still trying to figure out if it should be used to prevent heart attacks and strokes. The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) was created …
Why Grandma Was Right About Vegetables
Your grandmother may have told you to eat your vegetables. Ours certainly urged us to do so. If she did, she was right. Vegetables and fruits are good sources of flavanols, plant compounds that appear…
Active Seniors Have Fewer Heart Attacks and Stro…
Many studies have shown that moderate to vigorous exercise can help ward off heart attacks and strokes in middle-aged people. Now research shows that older women also benefit if they are active in the…
How Dangerous Is It to Stop Taking Aspirin?
Aspirin gets very little respect. Perhaps that's because it is well over 100 years old, or because it is inexpensive and available over the counter. Whatever the reason, it's our observation that peop…
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 …
For Preventing Stroke, Type of Fat Matters More …
The type of fat in your diet is far more important than the amount, according to a new analysis of data from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (AHA Scientific Ses…
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 …
You Are What You Eat: Is Your Diet Killing You?
For years, researchers have sought to answer the question: Is our diet killing us? Unfortunately, too often what we eat and what we skip contributes to disease and death. We’ve all heard that what w…
Show 1265: The Advantages of Whole Brain Living
Is it true that we only use 10 percent of our brains? That seems to be a myth, along with the relegation of logic to the left brain and emotion to the right. How can we engage in whole brain living? H…