Health News

Everything in Moderation, Even Salt
For years, the health care community has agreed that people at risk of heart disease should lower their salt intake. Now, it seems that too little salt may be just as harmful as too much salt.
Too Little Salt May Increase Heart Risk
High salt consumption has long been associated with heart disease including hypertension, stroke and heart attack. Low levels of sodium also may negatively impact cardiovascular health.
Stem Cells Reverse Heart Failure Damage
Preliminary clinical trial results suggest that adult stem cells may be able to reverse moderate to severe congestive heart failure.
Nipping Heart Failure Complications
It's been suggested that blood levels of a protein decline after beginning treatment for heart failure. Using medications to force it to drop if it doesn't happen on its own can reduce hospitalizations and cardiovascular complications.
Hearts Getting Stronger
The number of older patients hospitalized for heart failure or associated complications steadily declined over a decade-long study period that also found that mortality a year after the event has improved.
Discovery Could Lead to "Pacemaker in a Bottle"
Many of the pacemakers implanted in the last decade help heart failure patients by prompting both sides of the heart to beat simultaneously, making it more efficient. Now doctors know why, and it could lead to a "pacemaker in a bottle."
One Step at a Time to a Healthier Heart
Most people know that heart failure risks can be reduced by living healthier lives. Actually trying to change all bad habits at once can be difficult though. Take it one step at a time.
Smoking Ban and Diet Delights
There's no better day than today to change your diet and quit smoking. Benefits from these lifestyle changes appear to take effect within months.
Improving Heart Failure
Patients wind up with heart failure when the heart simply can't pump enough blood to the rest of the body. But since there wasn't a main database of all cases, it wasn't known how many patients were surviving. Until now.
Health Disparities for Disabled Examined
Those who experience the poorest health are also disadvantaged in other ways as well. A recent report is putting a microscope to the general health of the disabled.