Category: harvardhealth_news_UNDEFINED

Taking baths or saunas on a regular basis may help lower the risk of heart attack and stroke. Evidence for these benefits comes from studies in Japan (where hot tub use in ingrained in the culture) and Finland, where saunas are popular. Both habits seem to be safe for people with stable heart disease and even mild heart failure. But people with unstable chest pain (angina), poorly controlled high blood pressure, or other serious heart issues should avoid them. Because high temperatures can lower blood pressure, older people with low blood pressure should be extra careful in hot baths and saunas.

Virtual doctor visits—when a person talks to a physician on a video call instead of during an in-person office exam—became popular early on in the coronavirus pandemic. The technology may be a good option for managing cardiovascular disease even after in-person visits become more common again. In the future, remote monitoring of health data using Wi-Fi–enabled devices that measure a person’s weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, pulse, and heart rhythm could further advance telehealth’s promise.

Certain foods and drinks can affect the heart’s rhythm, but only under unusual circumstances. Possible culprits include grapefruit, energy drinks, licorice, and tonic water. But for the most part, the risks are relevant only for people with a rare inherited condition called long QT syndrome, which can cause shortness of breath, unexplained fainting, and sometimes sudden death.

Many Twitter posts that mention statins provide links to published research about these cholesterol-lowering medications. Some tweets feature personal beliefs about statins that are inaccurate, including the notion that people can eat unlimited unhealthy foods while taking a statin. But only a small percentage of Twitter posts mentioned adverse side effects such as muscle aches and diabetes.

Compared with white rice, brown rice contains much higher amounts of fiber, certain B vitamins, magnesium, potassium, and iron. Research suggests that swapping white rice for brown rice may improve blood sugar levels and help with weight control.

Doing easy leg stretches may improve flow throughout the body by making the arteries more flexible and able to dilate. Passive stretching could become a new nondrug treatment for improving vascular health.

Scientists have created a tiny heart muscle “pump” using human cells and a three-dimensional bioprinter. The model heart may one day prove useful for studying new heart medications and other therapies.

In one study, about 10% of people prescribed opioid pain relievers following heart surgery kept taking them for three to six months—a time point when no one should still be experiencing pain from the operation.

Doctors are very concerned about how the COVID-19 pandemic and the approaching flu season will affect high-risk people. Experts stress that getting a flu vaccine and continuing to follow behavioral changes introduced during the COVID pandemic, such as mask wearing, hand washing, and physical distancing, can offer effective protection against the flu.

A distorted sense of smell is quite common as people age. Called dysosmia, it can make people smell odors that are not there or be highly sensitive to certain smells. While it’s not bothersome for most, people should see their doctor if the condition becomes persistent.