Category: harvardhealth_news_UNDEFINED

There are many misconceptions about dementia. One is that it’s a disease. In fact, dementia is a general term describing thinking and memory skills that have deteriorated to the point of experiencing problems with daily activities. Another myth is that dementia is part of normal aging. It isn’t; dementia is simply more common as people get older — just like heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Other common myths about dementia include the notions that it always appears as memory loss, it’s always genetic, it causes the loss of all memories, and it’s never reversible.

Catheter ablation destroys spots in the heart responsible for atrial fibrillation. Although traditionally used as a second-line treatment after medications fail, undergoing ablation earlier in the course of the disease may be a good option. The overall success rate for catheter ablation is around 75%. People sometimes undergo a second procedure if the first one isn’t effective; this boosts the success rate to nearly 90%. Many factors, such as age, other health problems, and duration of afib can affect a person’s outcome after catheter ablation.

Cervical artery dissection, a rare but potentially devastating cause of stroke, is a tear in the lining of one of the main arteries that carry blood to the brain. Any sudden, jerky neck movements, including chiropractic neck adjustments and whiplash from a car accident, can cause such a tear. Cervical artery dissections also have been reported after strenuous weight lifting, tennis, head-flinging dance moves, yoga, and roller coaster rides. The dissections occur in only about three in 100,000 people per year, but they are one of the most common causes of stroke in younger people.

Prices for six common heart tests and procedures at top-ranked U.S. hospitals showed surprisingly wide variations, according to a 2022 Harvard study. There was a 10-fold difference in the median prices patients pay for a heart ultrasound, and even larger disparities for procedures such as implanting a pacemaker. The differences may reflect power dynamics between hospitals and insurance companies. For both entities, factors such as location, size, and popularity influence that dynamic — which, in turn, affects the market dynamics that dictate costs.

A long, leisurely meal like Thanksgiving can be a good opportunity to practice mindful eating. Being mindful simply means bringing close attention and awareness to the present moment, without judgment.

For many people, non-HDL cholesterol (which is total cholesterol minus HDL cholesterol) may be as good as (or even more reliable than) LDL for assessing a person’s risk of heart problems.

Listening to music (or singing or playing an instrument) may benefit cardiovascular health. Evidence suggests music helps rebalance the nervous system to promote the relaxation response and dampen the stress response. The benefits may result from greater heart rate variability, enhanced exercise performance, lower stress hormone levels, or reductions in blood pressure.

The American Heart Association revamped its online tool, My Life Check, designed to help people prevent cardiovascular disease. Along with other changes, the AHA added healthy sleep duration to the list of seven other factors assessed by the tool. Those factors are maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, being physically active, eating a healthy diet, and keeping blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol at acceptable levels. Each factor (now known as Life’s Essential 8) are scored on a scale of 1 to 100 and used to generate a composite cardiovascular health score.

Ragweed pollen and mold spores are common causes of allergies during the fall months. Breathing them into the lungs may cause the body to overreact, leading to classic allergy symptoms of a runny nose, watery eyes, and sneezing.

A 2022 study found that people with COPD who reported poor sleep had significantly higher risks of experiencing flare-ups of worsened breathing. Poor sleep may more accurately predict COPD flare-ups than a person’s smoking history, researchers said.