Dr. John's Health Matters
Welcome to Dr. John's Health Matters blog.
The articles posted here are from various sources who are duly acknowledged. I would appreciate being immediately notified, if any copywritten material needs to be removed. This blog is not intended to replace the qualified advice of a licensed health practitioner. Readers should exercise their own judgment. Enjoy, subscribe, participate and tell others :)
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Tuesday, Sep 1st, 2009 ↓Caution on mix of cholesterol-lowering meds →
Sept 1, 2009 (Cbc.ca)—Combining a prescription cholesterol-lowering medication with omega-3 supplements may not be the best approach, a new review suggests.
Statins are medications that prevent the liver from producing cholesterol, which can help reduce the risk of heart attacks. Every year, Canadian doctors write more than 12 million prescriptions for statins, making them the most-prescribed drugs in the country. Omega-3’s are heart-healthy oils that some evidence suggests help reduce the risk of coronary disease.
In the Nov. 3 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, Dr. Mukul Sharma, medical director of the Regional Stroke Centre at the Ottawa Hospital, and his team reviewed five different cholesterol-lowering medications that can be combined as well as omega-3 supplements sold over the counter. They concluded there is little evidence to support mixing them.
Bad cholesterol increase
In one case, the researchers found taking prescription medication with omega-3 had the opposite effect.
“Your bad cholesterol, the LDL, actually goes up,” Sharma said. “There isn’t a benefit in terms of heart disease, stroke or mortality.”
Most cholesterol patients may be better off taking higher doses of one drug instead of multiple medications, since there may be less chance of side-effects and long-term problems developing, he said. People are also less likely to take their medications the more that are prescribed.
For full article, see link above.
Tags: cholesterol increase risk danger LDL prescription cardiovascular blood heart statin medication liver heart attack prevention coronary disease
Surprising Rate Of Recurring Heart Attacks, Strokes Globally →
Aug 31, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Despite many medicines and other treatments for patients with vascular disease, a large international study shows these patients have a surprisingly high rate of recurring events such as strokes, heart attacks and hospitalizations as well as mortality.
Also unexpected: patients in North America (including the U.S.) experienced an above-average rate of these events. Patients in Eastern Europe had the highest rate, and those in Australia and Japan had the lowest.
The results from the international REACH (Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health) Registry, presented by a researcher from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, examined data for 32,247 patients one and three years after they enrolled in the registry. Patients who had symptomatic vascular disease had a 14.4 percent rate at one year and 28.4 percent rate at three years of having a heart attack, stroke, rehospitalization for another type of vascular event or vascular death. Patients with vascular disease in more than one location of the body had the highest event rate at 40.5 percent at three years.
When projected over the global population who would mirror the patients in REACH, this represents millions of serious vascular events occurring every few years, many of which could be prevented.
“We were surprised by the high rate of these recurring vascular events,” said lead author Mark J. Alberts, M.D., professor of neurology at the Feinberg School and director of the stroke program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. “We know how to prevent vascular disease and the events that it produces. This points to the need for better prevention, better use of medications and a need to develop more potent medications. These are the number one and two causes of death throughout the world.”
For full article, see link above.
Tags: heart attack cardiovascular blood vessel stroke reoccurance rehospitalization disease prevention risk
Exercise beats angioplasty: heart experts →
Aug 31, 2009 (Cbc.ca)—Working up a sweat may be even better than angioplasty for some heart patients, experts say.
Studies have shown heart patients benefit from exercise, and some have shown it works better than surgical procedures. At a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology in Barcelona on Sunday, several experts said doctors should focus more on persuading their patients to exercise rather than simply doing angioplasties.
Angioplasty is the top treatment for people having a heart attack or hospitalized with worsening symptoms. It involves using a tiny balloon to flatten a blockage and propping the heart artery open with a mesh tube called a stent. Most angioplasties are done on a non-emergency basis, to relieve chest pain caused by clogged arteries cutting off the heart’s blood supply.
“It’s difficult to convince people to exercise instead of having an angioplasty, but it works,” said Rainer Hambrecht of Klinikum Links der Weser in Bremen, Germany.
Hambrecht published a study in 2004 that found that nearly 90 per cent of heart patients who rode bikes regularly were free of heart problems one year after they started their exercise regimen. Among patients who had an angioplasty instead, only 70 per cent were problem-free after a year.
For full article, see link above.
Tags: exercise heart attack angioplasty cardiovascular physical activity surgery artery chest pain clogged blood flow prevention
Hormone therapy fatal in prostate cancer sufferers →
Aug 27, 2009 (Presstv.com)—Hormone-based medications commonly used to treat aggressive prostate cancer may be hazardous for certain men suffering from heart problems.
Previous studies had reported that drugs which block tumor-fueling surges of testosterone can effectively treat aggressive forms of prostate cancer.
A new study, however, finds radiation therapy added with these drugs increase the mortality rate in men already suffering from heart disease.
According to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, neoadjuvant hormone therapy doubles the risk of death in prostate cancer sufferers with coronary artery disease-induced congestive heart failure (CHF) and myocardial infarction (MI).
Such a high mortality risk, however, was not reported among those with no comorbidity or just a single coronary disease risk factor undergoing the treatment.
Scientists concluded that physicians should prescribe hormone therapy with care in men with serious heart diseases. Such men account for only five percent of the male population.
PKH/AA
Tags: hormone therapy prostate cancer danger risk heart disease cardiovascularr testosterone death coronary artery congestive heart failure heart attack myocardial infarction treatment
Why Low Vitamin D Raises Heart Disease Risks In Diabetics →
Aug 25, 2009 (sciencedaily.com)—Low levels of vitamin D are known to nearly double the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes, and researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis now think they know why.
They have found that diabetics deficient in vitamin D can’t process cholesterol normally, so it builds up in their blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. The new research has identified a mechanism linking low vitamin D levels to heart disease risk and may lead to ways to fix the problem, simply by increasing levels of vitamin D.
“Vitamin D inhibits the uptake of cholesterol by cells called macrophages,” says principal investigator Carlos Bernal-Mizrachi, M.D., a Washington University endocrinologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “When people are deficient in vitamin D, the macrophage cells eat more cholesterol, and they can’t get rid of it. The macrophages get clogged with cholesterol and become what scientists call foam cells, which are one of the earliest markers of atherosclerosis.”
Macrophages are dispatched by the immune system in response to inflammation and often are activated by diseases such as diabetes. Bernal-Mizrachi and his colleagues believe that in diabetic patients with inadequate vitamin D, macrophages become loaded with cholesterol and eventually stiffen blood vessels and block blood flow.
For full article, see link above.
Tags: vitamin d diet nutrition diabetes deficient blood vessel heart attack stroke danger rosk cholesterol atherosclerosis immunity disease
Another Danger from High Glycemic Foods: Research Shows They Damage Arteries →
Aug 25, 2009 (NaturalNews.com)— Anyone interested in healthy and nutritious foods has probably heard that whole grains are far better for you than the processed variety like white bread and sugar-laden cereals. There are several reasons for this, including the fact whole foods tend to be richer in fiber and they also have low glycemic indexes. That means they keep blood sugar and insulin levels steady without wide fluctuations. But a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology concludes there’s another important reason to avoid high glycemic foods like white bread and corn flakes. For the first time, scientists have documented how eating these foods can directly damage artery walls and cause cardiac problems.
“It’s very hard to predict heart disease,” Dr. Michael Shechter of Tel Aviv University’s Sackler School of Medicine and the Heart Institute of Sheba Medical Center, said in a statement to the media. “But doctors know that high glycemic foods rapidly increase blood sugar. Those who binge on these foods have a greater chance of sudden death from heart attack. Our research connects the dots, showing the link between diet and what’s happening in real time in the arteries.”
For full article, see link above.
Tags: damage artery cardiovasculat gylcemic food sugar wall heart blood sugar attack diet
Diabetes Drug Linked To Increased Risk Of Heart Failure →
Aug 24, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Rosiglitazone, a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, is associated with an increased risk of heart failure and death among older patients compared to a similar drug (pioglitazone), concludes a study published on bmj.com.
As such, the researchers say it is difficult to advocate continued use of rosiglitazone for most patients.
Rosiglitazone and pioglitazone belong to a class of drugs called thiazolidinediones and are widely used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. They help to control blood sugar levels, but both drugs can also cause side effects including weight gain, fluid retention and heart failure.
It is unclear whether there are clinically important differences in the cardiac safety of these two drugs, so researchers in Canada compared the risk of heart attack, heart failure and death in patients treated with rosiglitazone and pioglitazone.
Using prescription records, they identified nearly 40,000 patients aged 66 years and older who started treatment with either rosiglitazone or pioglitazone between April 2002 and March 2008.
Data on hospital admission for either a heart attack or heart failure during the six-year study period were recorded and deaths were identified from a national database.
Detailed analysis showed that patients treated with pioglitazone had a significantly lower risk of heart failure and death compared to patients treated with rosiglitazone, but there was no significant difference in the risk of heart attack.
The researchers estimate that, for every 93 patients treated with rosiglitazone rather than pioglitazone, one additional cardiovascular event or death would be predicted to occur annually.
“Our findings suggest clinically important differences in the cardiovascular safety profiles of rosiglitazone and pioglitazone in clinical practice,” say the authors. “Given the accumulating evidence of harm with rosiglitazone treatment and the lack of a distinct clinical advantage for the drug over pioglitazone, it is reasonable to question whether ongoing use of rosiglitazone is justified,” they conclude.
For full article see link above.
Tags: diabetes drug cardiovascular stroke heart attack failure rosiglitazone pioglitazone thiazolidinedione blood sugar level control weight gain fluid retension risk danger
Health Tip: What's Behind My Low Blood Pressure? - MedicineNet - Health and Medical Information Produced by Doctors →
Aug 20, 2009 (Therapytimes.com) — Many people worry about high blood pressure and how to bring it under control. But low blood pressure also can be a medical problem, perhaps leading dizziness, fainting or fatigue.
- A side effect of medications, such as certain antidepressants, diuretics, painkillers or heart medicines.
- Alcohol use.
- Heart failure or heart attack.
- Dehydration.
- A severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).
- Advanced diabetes.
- Going into shock.
- Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia).
— Diana Kohnle
Tags: blood pressure risk cause dizzy fainting fatigue hypotension medication antidepressant alcohol heart failure attack dehydration allergic reaction shock arrhythmia
Health Tip: Avoid Your Child's Asthma Attacks →
Aug 20, 2009 (Therapytimes.com) — One of the first steps toward managing your child’s asthma is to recognize the allergens or irritants that can trigger an attack. Frequently, these may include dust, pet dander, smoke, exercise or polluted air.
The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these suggestions:
- During allergy seasons, run the air conditioner and keep the windows in your home and car closed. Regularly replace filters from your home’s cooling system.
- Keep bathrooms, kitchens and basements clean and allow them to air out. Run a dehumidifier, if needed, in these areas.
- Reduce dust and dust mites by frequently washing bed linens in hot water. Remove any carpets and rugs, if possible.
- Keep pets out of your child’s bedroom.
- Keep your child away from tobacco smoke.
— Diana Kohnle
Tags: asthma attack children child kid allergy air conditioner window dehumidifier dust mite pet tabacco
Tags: personality risk death peripheral artery disease cardiovascular PAD heart plaque blood stroke heart attack social interaction type d emotion
Chocolate again linked to better heart health →
Aug 17, 2009 (Nutraingredients.com)—Increased intakes of chocolate may decrease the risk of a heart attack victim from dying from heart-related problems, according to a joint US-Swedish study.
Eating chocolate two or more times per week was associated with a 66 per cent reduction in cardiac mortality, while less frequent consumption was also associated with smaller decreased risks, say the researchers in the Journal of Internal Medicine.
The study is said to be the first to assess the possible effects of chocolate consumption on the prognosis of men and women following a heart attack.
The health benefits of antioxidant-rich chocolate have received much recognition in recent years, with positive findings from a number of studies impacting on consumer awareness. Chocolate manufacturers are using high cocoa content (over 70 per cent) as a means of differentiation, and cocoa has also received attention for its potential in functional food applications.
The new study, however, did not differentiate between the different types of chocolate, be it milk or dark. “In the European Union, milk chocolate has to contain a minimum of 25 per cent of cocoa solids, dark chocolate 35 per cent,” explained the researchers. “The corresponding proportions in United States are 10 per cent and 15 per cent.
“According to the main chocolate producer (Marabou owned by Kraft Foods Sverige AB, Sweden) in the decade of the 1990s, about 90 per cent of the consumption was milk chocolate in Sweden and Swedish milk chocolate normally contains about 30 per cent cocoa solids,” they stated.
For full article see link above.
Tags: chocolate heart attack prevention cardiovascular antioxidant carotenoid phytochemical plant extract consumption coca
Tomato Pill Found to Reverse Heart Disease →
Aug 11, 2009 (NaturalNews.com)— A pill made from tomatoes may do more to help treat heart disease and high cholesterol than many pharmaceutical products currently on the market, according to preliminary trials carried out by researchers from Cambridge University.
The pill, known as Ateronon, contains a version of the tomato phytonutrient lycopene, which gives the fruits their bright red color. Lycopene has been shown in a number of studies to help relieve the symptoms of heart disease and to help prevent cancer
The chemical is poorly absorbed by the human body, however, so researchers from a Cambridge spinoff company have refined it into a more accessible form. In preliminary trials, Ateronon reduced the oxidation of harmful fats in the blood to zero after only eight weeks of treatment in 150 people, a more significant result than that observed in statin drugs.
The preliminary study results were announced at the pill’s launch, at a meeting of the British Cardiovascular Society.
“If you think that this can reduce the damage to the arteries, which is the damage that ends up causing heart attacks and strokes — this can potentially extend life but also saves lives on a global basis,” TV doctor Rob Hicks said. “The potential impact is enormous — we might see a fall in the number of people suffering heart attacks, strokes and other problems relating to arterial damage and the clogging up of the arteries. That has to be welcomed.”
For full article see link above.
Tags: tomato supplement heart attack cardiovascular disease blood artery damage cholesterol ateronon lycopene fat oxidation reduce stroke prevention clog
Mounting Evidence Of Fish Oil's Heart Health Benefits →
Aug 5, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—There is mounting evidence that omega-3 fatty acids from fish or fish oil supplements not only help prevent cardiovascular diseases in healthy individuals, but also reduce the incidence of cardiac events and mortality in patients with existing heart disease. A new study, published in the August 11, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, extensively reviews data from a broad range of studies in tens of thousands of patients and sets forth suggested daily targets for omega-3 consumption.
“This isn’t just hype; we now have tremendous and compelling evidence from very large studies, some dating back 20 and 30 years, that demonstrate the protective benefits of omega-3 fish oil in multiple aspects of preventive cardiology,” said Carl Lavie, M.D., F.A.C.C., medical director of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention, Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans, LA, and lead author of the article. “The strongest evidence of a cardioprotective effect of omega-3s appears in patients with established cardiovascular disease and following a heart attack with up to a 30 percent reduction in CV-related death.”
Dietary intake of fish oil can also decrease the risk of atherosclerosis, arrhythmias, heart attack, sudden cardiac death and even health failure. Dr. Lavie adds that although there is a smaller benefit in reducing heart failure death—9 percent mortality benefit in a major recent randomized controlled trial—this is still very impressive given patients’ grave prognosis.
For full article see link above.
Tags: fish oil supplement omega fatty acid 3 cardiovascular diet atherosclerosis arrhythmia heart attack failure dha epa prevention
Hip, spine fractures linked to higher death risk →
Aug 4, 2009 (Cbc.ca)—Nearly 25 per cent of Canadian men and women over 50 who break a hip die within five years of the injury, and more needs to be done to reduce the likelihood of the fractures, researchers say.
In Tuesday’s online issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, researchers analyzed fracture rates among 2,187 men and 5,566 women older than 50 over a five-year period.
People with a hip fracture showed a 3.2 fold increase in the likelihood of dying during the research period compared with those without a hip fracture. Those with a spine fracture had a 2.7 fold increase compared with those without such a fracture, said the study’s lead investigator, George Ioannidis, who studies health research methodology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont.
In absolute terms, 24 per cent of those with a hip fracture died in the five years of the study, and 16 per cent died if they had a vertebral fracture over the same time.
“Fractures will not only change your life but could end your life,” Ioannidis told CBC News. “But the good news here is that we have therapies and do other interventions to reduce your fracture risk.”
Unlike previous studies that looked at people living in health-care facilities, this one focused on healthy people living in the community and represented about 40 per cent of Canadian population.
The study also looked at more than one type of fracture, including the risk of death after pelvic, forearm or wrist and rib fractures.
For full article, see link above.
Tags: hip spine fracture risk death cardiovascular disease heart attack stroke blood clot movement rib osteoporosis fall
Smarter People Get Fewer Heart Attacks →
July 20, 2009 (Mercola.com)—Having a lower than average IQ is a risk factor for heart disease, according to UK researchers. In a study of over 4,000 people, IQ alone explained more than 20 percent of the difference in mortality between high and low socioeconomic groups. This applied even when known heart disease risk factors were considered.
This raises the possibility that as yet unmeasured psychological factors need to be considered, and that one of these is intelligence or cognitive function.
There are several possible reasons why this could be the case. Low IQ scores might simply be a marker of underlying poor health, or intelligence might lead to greater knowledge about how to keep healthy.
Sources:
Health.com July 15, 2009BBC News July 14, 2009