Category: harvardhealth_news_UNDEFINED

High doses of the popular pain reliever acetaminophen (Tylenol) may raise blood pressure when taken for two weeks.

Studies suggest that the world is facing two different dementia trends. One is that dementia rates are falling steadily in the United States and Europe. The other is that the number of dementia cases globally is rising, and will likely triple in the next 30 years, mostly due to population increases. People can try to reduce their dementia risk by adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes lots of exercise, a healthy diet, at least seven hours of sleep per night, limited alcohol consumption, socializing, improved balance, stress management, smoking cessation, and control of underlying health conditions.

Gut bacteria may influence our emotions and cognitive capabilities. For example, some bacteria make oxytocin, a hormone the body produces that encourages increased social behavior. Other bacteria make substances that cause symptoms of depression and anxiety. Still others make substances that help people to be calmer under stress. Gut bacteria also have been shown to influence people’s vulnerability to certain brain diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and autism. For example, a substance found in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease (synuclein) is made by gut bacteria and can travel via nerves from the gut to the brain.

Prescription deliveries have the potential for several problems. They might be delayed, damaged, delivered to the wrong address, lost, or stolen. People can miss a delivery if it requires a signature and they aren’t home or they can’t get to the door before the delivery person leaves. And packages are sometimes left in an unusual spot and overlooked. If medications don’t arrive when expected, a recipient should first see if the package was left somewhere on the property, and then contact the delivery service or pharmacy to locate the package.

The fear of falling can lead to a heightened sense of caution and less physical activity—which can actually increase the risk of falling. To reduce the fear of falling, a person must address underlying conditions, such as poor eyesight or joint problems. It also helps to work with a physical therapist to improve balance, gait (walking pattern), muscle strength, flexibility, and range of motion. When physical therapy ends, one must continue doing strength, stretching, and balance exercises at home in order to keep fear at bay and reduce fall risk.

Someone who has a transient ischemic attack (TIA, or ministroke) needs prompt testing to look for the underlying cause. A 2022 study shows that people can safely get that evaluation at a specialized outpatient clinic rather than having to be admitted to the hospital. The testing usually includes a heart ultrasound (echocardiogram), cardiac monitoring, and imaging tests. The results guide targeted stroke-prevention treatments, which can reduce the risk of a future stroke by as much as 80%.

Up to 10% of people with high blood pressure have secondary hypertension, which is caused by another condition or disease. The most common of these involve problems with the adrenal glands (hyperaldosteronism), or the arteries supplying the kidneys (renal artery stenosis). People most likely to have secondary hypertension include those with resistant hypertension who use three or more medications to manage their blood pressure, and people who develop hypertension before age 30.

A plant-based Mediterranean meal featuring vegetables, mushrooms, beans, and whole grains prepared with olive oil is a heart-friendly dinner option.

If most middle-aged and older American adults added just 10 to 20 minutes of moderate exercise to their normal daily activities, it could prevent an estimated 110,000 to 209,000 premature deaths each year.

Middle-aged men who often feel worried or anxious may be more prone to problems that raise heart disease risk as they age compared with their less-worried peers.