Category: harvardhealth_news_UNDEFINED

Palliative care, which focuses on comfort and quality of life, is gradually becoming more widely used in people with advanced heart failure. The approach includes discussions about advance care planning and is often confused with hospice care. But palliative care can begin at any stage of a serious illness. For heart failure, it may include tiny doses of morphine to ease breathing and help people feel less distressed. Increasing doses of diuretics, which help flush fluid from the body, are often prescribed as well.

A study published online Sept. 6, 2021, by the journal Gut suggests that people who eat the most fruits, vegetables, and legumes have a lower risk of getting COVID and its complications, compared with people who eat the least.

Most sore throats are caused by non-life-threatening conditions or certain behaviors. But sometimes a sore throat may be an indication of COVID-19. One should call the doctor if experiencing difficulty swallowing, shortness of breath, a high fever, or a cough that produces blood. Ways to relieve sore throat pain include staying hydrated, using over-the-counter painkillers, drinking warm liquids, using cough drops, using a spray or lozenge that contains an oral anesthetic to numb the throat, and treating an underlying condition causing sore throat pain.

Many gadgets help support memory. Some—such as calendars, voice recorders, and talking motion-activated sensors—provide basic reminders that can be used to help someone remember appointments, lists, and more. Other tools, such as key hooks and mini shelves, support memory by establishing a reliable storage spot for everyday objects such as keys and eyeglasses. Automatic pill dispensers and pill alarms can help people manage a medication regimen. Wireless trackers can help people find objects when they’re misplaced. Smartphones have many memory-support tools, such as calendars, notepads, voice recorders, and alarms.

People with the highest daily flavonoid intakes were 19% less likely to report trouble with memory and thinking, compared with people who had the lowest daily flavonoid intakes, according to a Harvard study published online July 28, 2021, by Neurology.

Sleeping six hours or less is associated with impaired cognition, mostly in memory, as well as an increase in the protein that can form brain plaque. Sleeping nine hours or more is also linked to cognitive problems, especially in decision making.

Many diseases occur because of defects in particular proteins—the workhorses of every cell. But developing a drug that targets a defective protein requires knowing that protein’s shape. Protein shapes have always been difficult to predict. Then in July 2021, a company called DeepMind reported that its software predicted the structures for 98% of human proteins. By the end of 2021, DeepMind says it will publish the shape of 50% of the 280 million nonhuman proteins, up from 0.01%. These breakthroughs are expected to lead to new medicines.

Doctors recommend several strategies to lower resistant hypertension. One strategy is discontinuing medications that may be contributing to high blood pressure, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), decongestants, certain antidepressants, and corticosteroids. Another strategy is treating underlying conditions that can boost blood pressure, such as sleep apnea. Other ways to lower stubbornly high blood pressure include getting lots of aerobic exercise, eating a plant-based diet that’s low in salt, getting at least seven hours of sleep per night, limiting alcohol, avoiding smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight.

The holidays come with health hazards, such as eating rich food, which can lead to weight gain; drinking too much alcohol and triggering a fast, irregular heartbeat; being stressed, which can weaken the immune system; and being exposed to someone with COVID-19 at a holiday gathering. To stay safe, one should pick only a few days to splurge on holiday foods, and limit quantities; drink only in moderation; ward off stress by exercising regularly, get seven hours of sleep nightly, practice relaxation techniques; and follow the latest guidelines to reduce COVID-19 exposure at holiday gatherings.

Certain adjustments can help someone with vision or hearing problems to exercise safely. For example, it may help to take a buddy on a walk, someone who can act as an extra set of eyes and ears. Stand in the front of an exercise class for a better view and a better chance to hear instructions. And it may help to get additional equipment, such as prescription sports glasses or a remote microphone for a hearing aid.