Staying fit doesn’t require an expensive gym membership or an overabundance of sweat. Five simple exercises-swimming, tai chi, strength training, walking, and Kegels-can keep weight under control, and improve strength, balance, and range of motion.
People who take statins without experiencing muscle pain or discomfort do not need regular blood tests to check for muscle damage. Anyone who takes a statin and experiences severe muscle pain and weakness, however, should seek medical help immediately.
Older people who are depressed are more likely to develop dementia. Ignoring sadness or dismissing it as a normal side effect of aging could allow potentially treatable memory issues to progress unchecked.
Having a high-stress job with little control over your work may increase your risk of a heart attack, a new study finds. The study assessed job stress for nearly 200,000 workers with no history of heart disease. People filled our surveys about their job demands, workload, time pressures and their freedom to make decisions. Then researchers kept track of them for an average of 7½ years. In that time, nearly 2,400 people had their first non-fatal heart attack. Heart attacks were 23% more common among people who had demanding jobs but little role in decision making. Researchers cautioned that the cause might not be the work stress itself. People could cope with stress partly by doing things that are bad for their health, such as smoking more. In any case, the effect of job stress was less than other risks, such as lack of exercise. The journal Lancet published the study.
ACE inhibitors relax blood vessels and can help lower blood pressure. They may also reduce the risk of developing pneumonia.
Using a tablet computer your lap can cause you to bend your neck forward too much and cause strain and injuries. It’s better to view a tablet on a table, propped at a comfortable angle.
Calf pain that begins after a few minutes of walking may be attributable to a few different conditions. One is atherosclerosis in the arteries that provide blood to your legs; another is spinal stenosis. Both should be checked by a doctor.
A new drug for advanced-stage HER2-positive breast cancer is providing hope. T-DM1 is effective in women who’ve already had their cancer progress despite prior therapies and it’s remarkably low in side effects.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology is urging everyone to have regular dilated eye exams, which allow physicians to see clearly into the back of the eye. This is critical to prevent vision loss, which can be irreversible.
Moisturizing is key to keeping your skin hydrated when the temperatures drop. Use an oil-based cream after washing your hands or taking a bath or shower, and before going outside in the cold, dry air.