Compression stockings can help prevent the leg swelling and blood clot formation that can occur after long periods of sitting. Drinking water and moving the legs can also help.
Digoxin is among the oldest cardiac drugs still in use, but its history has been marked by controversy. However, better knowledge of how the drug works has created a potential new role for digoxin in people with advanced heart failure.
For people who can’t take blood thinners to prevent blood clots in the legs from traveling to the lungs, a tiny cage-like device called a vena cava filter placed within a major vein can trap migrating clots before they can travel to the lungs.
Blood transfusions for heart surgery are less common than in the past, in part due to a better understanding of the risks and benefits of transfusions. People slated for open-heart surgery should ask about how to avoid a transfusion.
Cardiac rehabilitation-a customized exercise and lifestyle education program that helps people recover after a heart attack-may lower your odds of needing a long-term hospital stay and might also extend your life.
Meditation involves quiet, focused attention on breathing, an object, or a word or phase known as a mantra. It can modestly lower blood pressure and may offer other cardiovascular benefits, some of which may work by dampening the body’s stress response.
A vaccine appears to protect against human papillomavirus (HPV) for 8 years, a new study finds. Human papillomavirus causes most cases of cervical cancer. This was a long-term follow-up to an earlier study. In the original study, more than 1,700 boys and girls were randomly assigned to receive the vaccine or placebo shots. Those who received the placebo were given the actual vaccine 2½ years later. Researchers called this the catch-up group. In the first group, the average child was 12 when vaccinated. In the catch-up group, the average age was 15. Each person received 3 doses. Researchers were able to keep track of more than 1,600 of the original study group. This included 1,100 from the first vaccination group. After up to 8 years (average 6.8), the vast majority of this group had blood antibodies against HPV.
Many older adults who are unlikely to live more than 10 years still are given routine screening tests for cancer, new studies show. But those tests are unlikely to help them and may have risks, the authors say. One study used 10 years of data from a U.S. government health survey. It included 27,000 men and women ages 65 and older. Based on their health history, the authors estimated their risk of dying in less than 10 years. Among men at the highest risk of near-term death, 31% to 55% received screening tests for various types of cancer. A second story focused on screening for colon cancer in adults 65 or older. It was based on Medicare records. About 1 in 5 of those who had a colonoscopy that found no problems ended up having another colonoscopy 5 years later. This test is recommended every 10 years.
When people get their annual influenza vaccine, they should also talk to their doctors about any other vaccinations that might be needed, such as a pneumococcal vaccine, a shingles vaccine, or a tetanus shot.