People who take the medication warfarin need to test their blood regularly to monitor its clotting time. A Medicare program is providing the equipment and means to do this testing at home.
The habits and behaviors of a healthy lifestyle can also reduce the risk of stroke: don’t smoke, exercise, keep cholesterol and blood presure as low as possible, and eat a healthy diet.
Increasing portion sizes mean we consume more calories, which has contributed to the increase in obesity among Americans. Discipline and changes in habits can help us reduce how much we eat, while still maintaining a good nutritional balance.
Two studies found that women with high nonfasting triglyceride levels (measured after a meal) had a much higher risk of cardiovascular problems.
I was just diagnosed with heart failure. My husband and I like to travel. Is it okay for people like me to fly?
Many people who take aspirin and clopidogrel (Plavix) to prevent blood clots also take a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) to ease the gastrointestinal bleeding the other medications can cause. But a study found that PPIs can limit the effectiveness of Plavix.
Is my long-term use of beta blockers and ACE inhibitors setting me up for heart failure? I understand these drugs keep my heart rate low. If the heart is a muscle, and muscles are strengthened by exercise, won’t slowing the heart weaken it?
Some of my friends are excited about the new oral contraceptive that eliminates periods. But it worries me. Does anyone know what happens when you stop menstruating for a long time? It just seems unnatural.
Various types of body detoxification processes, such as fast diets and intestinal cleansing, have become popular. Generally there is no medical evidence to support their claims of effectiveness, and there are risks to some of the procedures.
Brief updates on why diabetics should limit their consumption of eggs, attempting to patch a hole in the hearts of some migraine sufferers, and a possible connection between clogged vein grafts and depression.