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Yet Another Reason to Exercise and Eat Right
A new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, found that if a woman, who has survived breast cancer, eats at least five servings of vegetables and fruits a day and walks briskly for 30 minutes, six days a week, her risk of death from breast cancer, goes down by 50 percent. Those who were both physically active and had a healthy diet were much more likely to survive through the follow-up period than the rest of the study group. Moral of the story?
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Meditate For a Healthy Heart
My father introduced TM (transcendental meditation) to me my senior year of high school as a way to unwind, relax, and fight stress as I headed off to college. Since then, I've always felt lucky to know a kind of secret way to recharge my batteries, without needing a nap. But I was surprised to learn that practicing meditation has another heath benefit for your heart.
Stroke
In This Report- Highlights
- Introduction
- Symptoms
- Risk Factors
- Prognosis
- Prevention
- Diagnosis
- Managing a Stroke
- Medications
- Surgery
- Recovery
- Resources
- References
- In 2007, the FDA approved the cholesterol drug atorvastatin (Lipitor) to reduce the risk of stroke in patients with heart disease.
- High-dose atorvastatin may help reduce the risk of recurrent stroke in patients who have had a recent stroke or transient ischemic attack, according to a New England Journal of Medicine study.
- In 2006, the FDA strengthened the warning label for the anticoagulant drug warfarin (Coumadin) to emphasize its bleeding risks. However, warfarin is still the gold standard treatment for most patients with atrial fibrillation.
- Evidence suggests that people at risk for stroke should avoid taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil) and diclofenac (Cataflam). COX-2 inhibitors should only be used as a last resort for pain relief.
Cholesterol
In This Report- Highlights
- Introduction
- Cholesterol's Effect on the...
- Cholesterol's Effect on the...
- Risk Factors
- Symptoms
- Diagnosis
- Lifestyle Changes
- Treatment
- Resources
- References
- LDL (“bad") cholesterol goals for children should be 190 mg/dL or less for children without heart disease risk factors and 160 mg/dL or less for children with heart disease risk factors.
- Children who are overweight or obese, as well as those with a family history of high cholesterol and heart disease, should get their cholesterol levels checked.
- For overweight and obese children with cholesterol imbalances, diet changes and exercise should be tried before drug treatment. For children with cholesterol imbalances who have a family history of cholesterol and heart problems, statins are the best first-line drug therapy.
- Garlic, whether raw or in supplement form, does not help lower LDL in patients with moderately high LDL levels, according to a 2007 Archives of Internal Medicine Study.
- Policosanol, a dietary supplement derived from sugar cane, has no effect on cholesterol, indicates a 2006 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study.
- In a 2007 JAMA comparison study of four diet plans (Atkins, Ornish, Zone, and LEARN), the low-carbohydrate Atkins diet was best at raising HDL (“good cholesterol”) levels and lowering triglyceride levels, but did not affect LDL levels.
Coronary artery disease
In This Report- Highlights
- Introduction
- Prognosis
- Risk Factors
- Diagnosis
- Managing Heart Disease
- Anti-Clotting Medications...
- Other Medications
- Surgery
- Coronary Artery Bypass Graf...
- Angioplasty and Stents
- Other Treatments
- Resources
- References
- Stents coated with drugs may have a slightly higher risk of causing blood clots than bare metal stents, according to FDA meetings held in late 2006.
Heart attack and acute coronary syndrome
In This Report- Highlights
- Introduction
- Symptoms
- Prognosis
- Risk Factors
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Medications
- Surgery
- Rehabilitation
- Resources
- References
Vitamins
In This Report- Highlights
- Introduction
- Carotenoids
- Phytochemicals
- Healthy Foods
- Dietary Health Benefits
- Resources
- References
- One study found that the risk of prostate cancer risk dropped as consumption of vegetables high in vitamin C, such as broccoli and bell peppers, rose.
- A diet high in cruciferous vegetables has been found to reduce the risk of kidney cancer; low consumption of cruciferous vegetables increases the risk.
Diabetes - type 2
In This Report- Highlights
- Introduction
- Causes
- Risk Factors
- Symptoms
- Screening Tests
- Treatment
- Lifestyle Changes
- Medications
- Long-Term Complications
- Emergency Complications
- Resources
- References
- Sitagliptin (Januvia), the first in a new class of diabetes drugs called DPP-4 inhibitors, was approved in 2006.
- Janumet, a 2-in-1 pill that contains both sitagliptin and metformin, was approved in 2007.
- These drugs are taken by mouth and may be more convenient for patients than exenatide (Byetta), a similar drug. DPP-4 inhibitors do not cause weight gain and may pose a lower risk for hypoglycemia than some other diabetes drugs.
Heart failure
In This Report- Highlights
- Introduction
- Causes
- Symptoms
- Risk Factors
- Complications
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Medications
- Surgery and Devices
- Lifestyle Changes
- Resources
- References
Breast cancer
In This Report- Highlights
- Introduction
- Risk Factors
- Prevention and Lifestyle Fa...
- Symptoms
- Diagnosis
- Prognosis
- Treatment
- Surgery
- Radiation
- Medications
- Chemotherapy
- Hormone Therapy
- Resources
- References
- In September 2007, Evista (raloxifene) was approved for prevention of breast cancer in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, and postmenopausal women at high risk for invasive breast cancer. Raloxifene and tamoxifen are the only two drugs approved for breast cancer prevention in high-risk women.
- In March 2007, lapatinib (Tykerb) was approved in combination with capecitabine (Xeloda) for treatment of advanced HER2-positive breast cancer.
- In November 2006, trastuzumab (Herceptin) was approved for treatment of early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer. Trastuzumab is also approved for advanced HER2-positive breast cancer.
- The American College of Physicians’ 2007 guidelines recommend that women with a low risk for breast cancer talk to their doctor before starting to have mammogram screening at age 40.
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