Aug

31

Medicines help prevent repeat attacks of gout

August 31, 2006 | Comments Off

A rise in blood uric acid brings on a gout attack. Uric acid is in the shape of needlelike crystals. When those crystals penetrate joints, painful swelling results. Gout medicines come in two varieties. One stops the body from making too much uric acid. Your allopurinol (Zyloprim) is such a medicine, but you’re taking a […]

Aug

25

The Heartburn-Tobacco Connection

August 25, 2006 | Comments Off

There are many good reasons to quit smokingquit smoking. They range from curing your bad breath to reducing your risk of cancercancer, heart diseaseheart disease, and lung disease. But here’s another reason to add to that long list: tobacco — not just in cigarettes, but in cigars, pipes, chew, and snuff — can cause heartburnheartburn.
"Tobacco […]

Aug

19

Want to lose weight? Try sleeping more

August 19, 2006 | Comments Off

If you want to lose weight, get more sleep. In a new article appearing in the current issue of Obesity Reviews, University of Michigan researcher Michael Sivak presents calculations showing that replacing one hour of inactive wakefulness—such as watching television—with sleep can result in a 6 percent reduction in caloric intake.

Aug

16

Heart Attack Tests for All?

August 16, 2006 | Comments Off

It’s time to change the way doctors predict heart attacks and strokestroke, says a group of prominent cardiologists. They call for routine use of CT scans to directly measure artery-clogging plaque, or ultrasounds to directly measure narrowing of the arteries.
Nearly every man aged 45-75, and nearly every woman aged 55-75, would get at least one […]

Aug

15

Does Smoking Make You Drink More?

August 15, 2006 | Comments Off

People may drink more alcohol if they’re smoking cigarettes between sips, a new study shows. Smoking and drinking often go together, though not all smokers drink and not all drinkers smoke. Researchers from Texas A&M University studied interactions between nicotine, which is found in cigarettes, and alcohol. They studied adult female rats, but the findings […]

Aug

12

Treating high cholesterol? Statin drugs can cause devastating side effects

August 12, 2006 | Comments Off

Statin drugs, which promise to reduce the levels of bad (LDL) cholesterol in the body while improving the levels of good (HDL) cholesterol, are the fastest-growing class of prescription drugs in the world, but increasing evidence shows they may not be safe, and Canadian health officials are warning that statins can cause serious muscle damage.

Aug

10

Eating fish wherever you go

August 10, 2006 | Comments Off

Dietitians always have cited fish as a good source of low-fat protein, and recent research indicates fatty fish such salmon, tuna and halibut may offer even more important health benefits. These fish contain significant quantities of omega-3 fatty acids. Two specific types of omega-3s-eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-are particularly beneficial to the cardiovascular […]

Aug

2

Heart Risk Tied to Late Life Layoffs

August 2, 2006 | Comments Off

Losing your job at any age can be stressful but being laid off late in life might come with double the strokestroke and heart attackheart attack risk.
A study of more than 4,000 people over 10 years shows those who lost their jobs after age 50 were twice as likely to suffer a heart attack or […]