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Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true? A: Heart only good for so many beats, and that it... Don't waste on exercise. Everything wear out eventually. Speed up heart not make live longer; that like say you can extend life of car by driving faster. Want live longer? Take nap. Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables? A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does cow eat? Hay and corn. What are these? Vegetables. So, steak nothing more than efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to system. Need grain?...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Good news for men who farm U.S. fields. Regular exposure to pesticides used commonly on the farm does not appear to increase the risk of heart attack. As part of the Agricultural Health Study, between 1993 and 1997, researchers asked more than 54,000 male farmers what pesticides they used regularly, how much time they spent using tractors and other farm equipment, and whether they raised poultry or other livestock. Dr. Jane A. Hoppin, of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and colleagues surveyed roughly 32,000 of these men...

Veteran actor Sean Connery has refused to give up his favourite red wine even after been diagnosed with a heart condition. The former James Bond star has been warned to stop drinking alcohol by medics but he refuses to give up, as he believes it is good for his health. “I do drink red wine because of my friend David Murray, who owns two French wine estates. He showed me the evidence that it was good for the health,” the Daily Express quoted him as telling Wine Spectator magazine. “I favour Merlots from Chile for their value and I keep...

Dear Heart GiovannaNicoletta, et al . . . It occurs to me I might should comment yet again but in a bit of a different way on a recurring feature of these fun threads . . . 1. I can't think of a single FREEPER I don't greatly care for and wouldn't be willing to die for, if God called me to do so. 2. Of course, for some of us, living with one another can be more difficult than dying for one another! LOL. However, on that score, too, I find the tableau of individual personalities hereon very...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Could it be good news for smokers? Current and past-smokers with coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, or peripheral artery disease have less than half the cardiovascular mortality than never-smokers, the initial findings from a new study suggest. But don't be so quick to tell your patients to light up: After accounting for potential confounders, the association was not statistically significant. "The relationship between smoking habit and outcome in patients with established arterial disease remains controversial," Dr. M. Monreal, of Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Barcelona, Spain, and colleagues write in the September issue of...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The impact of statin therapy on mortality in patients with decompensated heart failure is limited to those who have ischemic heart disease, say researchers from Israel. Dr. Roman Nevzorov and colleagues from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva analyzed 1-year mortality rates in 887 patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure. ..."The clinical question is whether a statin should be prescribed to every patient with heart failure," the investigators say. "Based on the recent randomized trials and results of our analysis the answer is probably no in the case of heart failure of non-ischemic...

The tomato pill: Daily dose is as good for the heart as Mediterranean food By TAMARA COHEN 31st August 2009 British scientists have developed a groundbreaking pill which provides all the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet. One capsule of Ateronon taken daily can break down fatty deposits in the arteries and help prevent heart disease and strokes, potentially saving millions of lives. The supplement, which costs £35 for a month's supply, contains lycopene, a chemical found in the skin of ripe tomatoes. Each pill provides the equivalent of eating three kilos of ripe tomatoes. Studies have shown eating an...

Blood tests detect heart attacks quicker, better More sensitive tests are 94 to 96 percent accurate, new studies show LOS ANGELES - A new generation of blood tests can quickly and reliably show if a person is having a heart attack soon after chest pains start — a time when current tests are not definitive, two studies found. The newer, sensitive tests give a much better way to tell who needs help fast. Each year, 15 million people in the United States and Europe go to emergency rooms with symptoms of a heart attack, but most are not truly suffering...

The story of Corp. Benjamin Kopp's life is one about completely dedicating yourself to your country and others. Kopp, of Rosemount, gave his life serving his country. The 21-year-old died July 18 from injuries he suffered after being shot in the leg in Afghanistan while saving the lives of six of his fellow soldiers on July 10. If giving his life wasn't the ultimate sacrifice, even after his death, Kopp kept on giving. Judy Meikle, of Chicago, says she has been long awaiting a heart transplant. Two weeks ago the 57-year-old got a call from her close friend Maria Burud,...

A study from the University of Bristol in England shows that men with short legs are at increased risk for heart attacks. Men with short legs have higher blood levels of triglycerides, lower blood levels of the good HDL cholesterol that prevents heart attacks and are more likely to store fat in their bellies, signs of not responding adequately to insulin, that causes late-onset diabetes. The authors feel that something that happened before a man was born caused both his short legs and his insulin resistance. Women who do not get enough to eat during the first three months of...

SVC = superior vena cavaAo = aortaPA = pulmonary arteryPV = pulmonary veinRA = right atriumLA = left atriumLV = left ventricleRV = right ventricle Enlarge ImageKey to the heart? Scientists have identified what they say are the heart's "master" stem cells.Credit: Lei Bu et al., Nature 460, 113 (2009) Scientists have identified a cardiac stem cell that gives rise to all of the major cell types in the human heart. The find opens the way to using patients' own cells to heal their damaged hearts. The cells in question express a protein, called Islet 1, which is present in...

WEDNESDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- For the first time, researchers have identified a single "master" stem cell in humans that is capable of differentiating into all three major cell types that make up the human heart. "This is a very simple but very important and fundamental finding, and that is understanding how the human heart is built, how it is made, what are the progenitor cells which give rise to the human heart," said Dr. Kenneth Chien, head of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute's cardiovascular disease program and senior author of a paper in the July 2 issue of...

A three-year-old girl awaiting heart surgery has had her operation cancelled three times this month because of a shortage of beds. Ella Cotterell was due to have aorta-widening surgery on Monday at the Children’s Hospital, Bristol. But 48 hours beforehand, the operation was cancelled for the third time as all 15 beds in the intensive care unit were occupied, her parents said. A hospital spokesman said that procedures would be reviewed, but the case highlights a growing problem of cancelled operations in the NHS. More than 57,000 surgeries were postponed for non-clinical reasons, including a lack of beds, last...

TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Billy Mays, well known for pitching a variety of products in U.S. television commercials, had heart disease but did not appear to have suffered head trauma in a rough airplane landing prior to dying in his sleep on Sunday, a medical examiner in Florida said on Monday. The bearded, black-haired Mays, 50, who gained fame as an enthusiastic TV "pitchman" advertising an array of commercial products, was found dead by his wife at their home in Tampa, Florida. On Saturday, Mays was among the passengers aboard a U.S. Airways flight from Philadelphia that landed roughly at...

My gatekeepers are doorstops holding the floodgates of my love open for my children of virtue in that as they enter into the Father's garden it is the will of his heart they seed and spread through the trust and the fruit of salvation found in the earthened tree of righteousness namely My Son for I am revealing my heart of loving kindness by " The Vine " and as I continue to press my vineyard of grapes from those I pick you shall see the expression of my love in Grace for he is the wineskin and blood of...

A 15 year is facing a heart Transplant, while her family holds fast to their faith. Please, take a moment to check out their Blog.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has released the first gender- and age-specific recommendations for aspirin therapy in patients at risk of cardiovascular disease. Drawing on data from recent studies, the new recommendations conclude that aspirin therapy reduces the risk of heart attack and ischemic stroke in appropriate male candidates, while it cuts the risk of ischemic stroke in female candidates. Both groups are at risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. Daily aspirin therapy therefore should be encouraged in women aged 55–79 years and men aged 45–79 years who have few risks of aspirin-related adverse events and who have potentially large benefits...

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2009 – The Military Order of the Purple Heart, a Virginia-based troop-support group, will join the city of Branson, Mo., April 24 and 25 in a special “Hand in Hand” weekend honoring Purple Heart veterans across the country. The weekend will feature a wide variety of entertainment and sporting events designed specifically for wounded combat veterans, with free admission to all events. “I want the general public, youth and all veterans to have the opportunity to learn more about the sacrifices that our veterans have made,” Marlyce Stockinger, director of advertising and public relations for Branson.com,...

Boston Scientific has warned doctors that a small number of patients implanted with its heart-regulating devices have suffered unnecessary shocks. The medical device company said in a letter that 15 patients have received inappropriate electrical jolts from either Cognis or Teligen defibrillators, devices used to treat irregular heartbeats. As many as 8,000 patients could be at risk, the company said. No deaths have been reported with the issue.

Simple food choices go a long way when it comes to your heart's health. Focusing on fresh foods full of heart-healthy fats and antioxidants can decrease your risk of developing heart disease and cut your chances of a heart attack. These 10 foods will help keep your ticker in top shape. Oatmeal Start your day with a steaming bowl of oats, which are full of omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and potassium. This fiber-rich superfood can lower levels of LDL (or bad) cholesterol and help keep arteries clear. Opt for coarse or steel-cut oats over instant varieties -- the coarse and...

N.E. Journal Of Medicine: 1 In 100 African Americans Will Develop The Problem In The Prime Of Life -- Before 50 Heart failure affects about 5 million Americans and is the leading cause of hospitalization in people older than 65, but new research suggests it's not just a disease of the elderly. And for people of color, it's striking remarkably early. One in 100 black men and women will develop heart failure in the prime of life. It's usually the disease of the older set, but according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, surprisingly it's striking...

THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY By Father Paul A. Duffner, O.P. THE MEANING OF THE WORD "HEART" IN CHRISTIAN PIETY Human life is dependent, in a special way, on the proper functioning of the heart. By its pulsations every minute of the day and night, blood is circulated to every part of the body. If it ceases to function for but a short period death follows. Yet, unceasing as is its beat, as a rule we are unaware of the heart’s activity, sending life-sustaining blood to every limb and organ. While the heart controls the flow of blood through the...

NEW DELHI: In what is claimed to be the first of its kind procedure in the country, doctors at Indraprastha Apollo hospital have used a minimally invasive technique to perform a multiple graft heart bypass surgery on a 53-year-old woman without cutting through a single bone. The new procedure, doctors claim, is less painful than conventional bypass surgery and leads to much faster healing. "This is the first time in India multiple grafts have been put, especially at the back of the heart, through minimally invasive coronary surgery. In conventional bypass, the sternum is cut open and that takes at...

Images that for the first time show bleeding inside the heart after people have suffered a heart attack have been captured by scientists, in a new study published January 19 in the journal Radiology. The research shows that the amount of bleeding can indicate how damaged a person's heart is after a heart attack. The researchers, from the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre at Imperial College London, hope that this kind of imaging will be used alongside other tests to create a fuller picture of a patient's condition and their chances of recovery. People suffer heart attacks when an artery that...

Video is self explanatory. Click above for link to it to watch.

Today marks an important milestone for me and the fact that I'm here writing this blog entry on this dreary afternoon is the proof. On December 27th, 2003 I was diagnosed with tacchycardia-induced cardiomyopathy which caused severe damage to the left side of my heart and a 35% loss of cardiac function. On that day, the odds of me being here to tell this story stood at less than 50/50. So... it's time for a little history. I've never been in really good shape. In even my high-school days when I played baseball and ran track, I would often cross...

A good night's sleep may be just what your arteries need. So finds a new five-year study in which middle-aged people who had an extra hour of sleep each night were less likely to have artery-stiffening calcium deposits. Lauderdale and her colleagues have been following a group of young adults for years, studying their heart arteries from a number of angles. The latest report linked the sleeping habits of 495 participants, ages 35 to 47, with the incidence of artery calcification, measured by CT scans. Calcium deposits can make the coronary arteries less flexible and ultimately lead to heart disease....

(HealthDay News) -- Intensive lowering of blood sugar in people with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes does not have a significant effect on reducing cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, a new study finds. "You can decrease cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes by good treatment of lipids [cholesterol], blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors," noted lead researcher Dr. William Duckworth, from the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care Center in Arizona. "But among older patients whose risk factors are controlled, intensive glucose control does not add any significant benefit," he said. The report was published...

WASHINGTON — A rare genetic abnormality found in people in an insular Amish community protects them from heart disease, a discovery that could lead to new drugs to prevent heart ailments, U.S. researchers said on Thursday. About 5 percent of Old Order Amish people in Pennsylvania's Lancaster County have only one working copy rather than the normal two of a gene that makes a protein that slows the breakdown of triglycerides, a type of fat that circulates in the blood, the researchers wrote in the journal Science. "People who have the mutation all have low triglycerides," said Toni Pollin of...

I got out of the hospital this afternoon, didn't have to rotoroot the heart plumbing as expected, just some newer therapy on my lungs. I'm hoping to get off the oxygen at least some of the time, I feel pretty good right now. Got to grab some new pictures!

Drinking green tea may help prevent heart disease and stroke, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Athens Medical School in Greece and published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention. "A couple of cups a day would probably be a good dose for people," researcher Charalambos Vlachopoulos said. "This is the first study to show these effects for green tea." Prior research has indicated that black tea can improve cardiovascular health, leading researchers suspect that green tea might even more effective. Many of the beneficial health effects of tea are attributed to its high content of antioxidant...

Freeper friends, I work with Zoe's great-aunt, this little girl needs a heart transplant soon.LasVegasDave Please visit the web site for more information about Zoe. I have pasted some of the daily coments about Zoe's progress.Nov 18Dr. Boyle decided not to punish Zoe for dietarys transgression. He let her have her 15cc every hour and he let her have solid food for the first time in 2 weeks. We tried french fried with no salt but they were too dry. I hit the cafeteria and found 4 of the driest pieces of cantaloupe I could find (fruit’s full of water...

Listening to music that makes you happy, especially if it's country music, may be good for your heart, a new study suggests. In a small study of 10 participants, researchers found that music that makes the listener feel good causes the inner lining of the blood vessels to expand, which increases blood flow to the heart. On average, listening to joyful music led blood-vessel dilation in the upper arm to increase by 26 per cent, while music that induced anxiety caused the vessels to narrow by six per cent. The theory is that the positive emotions trigger the release of...

SUNDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Hospitalization rates for heart failure among older Americans have increased dramatically in the past three decades, an epidemic that represents a mounting burden on the health-care system, a new study has found. In 2006, an estimated 807,082 men and women over 65 were hospitalized for heart failure, up from 348,866 in 1980 -- a 131 percent increase. And the increase in hospitalization rates has been more dramatic among women than men, according to the Drexel University study, to be presented Sunday at the American Heart Association's annual scientific sessions in New Orleans. "You could...

When the South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard carried out the first heart transplant in December 1967, the world held its breath. His patient, 53-year-old Lewis Washkansky, lived for only another 18 days. The drugs he needed to stop his body rejecting the new organ compromised his immune system to such an extent he couldn’t fight off other illnesses, and he died of pneumonia. But the precedent had been set: the most powerful and emotionally iconic of human organs could be taken from the body of a dead person to give the chance of an extended life to another. It was...

Scientists develop artificial heart that beats like the real thing Adam Sage in Paris An artificial heart that beats almost exactly like the real thing is to be implanted in patients within three years in a trial that may offer hope to heart disease sufferers unable to receive a transplant. The device, which uses electronic sensors to regulate the heart rate and blood flow, was developed by Alain Carpentier, France's leading cardiac surgeon, and engineers from the group that makes Airbus aircraft. Presented yesterday, it was described by its inventors as the closest thing yet to the human heart. “If...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2008 – A policy change to expand eligibility for the Purple Heart award to prisoners of war who died in captivity represents the right decision that recognizes their sacrifice, a senior defense official told American Forces Press Service. The Pentagon announced the new policy earlier this week that will extend criteria for receiving Purple Hearts to prisoners of war who have died in captivity since the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. “The Purple Heart is an award worn with great pride and recognizes that the servicemember has been wounded or killed as a...

Curcumin, an ingredient in the curry spice turmeric, may help prevent heart failure. That's according to two new studies done on rats, not people. In both studies, researchers gave curcumin to rats. The rats then got surgery or drugs designed to put them at risk of heart failure. The rats that got curcumin showed more resistance to heart failure and inflammation than comparison groups of rats that didn't get curcumin. Also, in one of the studies, the researchers saw signs that curcumin treatment reversed heart enlargement. The other study didn't include that experiment. Together, the studies suggest that curcumin short-circuited...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 2008 – Affectionately known as “Big Jim,” James McCrindle had a Paul Bunyan-sized heart when it came time for taking care of soldiers and their families as general manager of the Armed Forces Recreation Center’s “Shades of Green” facility on the Walt Disney World resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Affectionately known as “Big Jim,” Shades of Green general manager James McCrindle had a Paul Bunyan-sized heart when it came time for taking care of soldiers and their families at the Armed Forces Recreation Center. His battle with cancer ended June 1, 2008, at the age...

"Ann (L) and Nancy Wilson of Heart. The rock group Heart, angry that its 70's hit 'Barracuda' is being used as the unofficial theme song for Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin, is biting back at the Alaska governor."

The McCain-Palin jukebox options are shrinking. The latest rockers to tell the Republicans to cease spinning their albums are the women from Heart, who were chagrined to hear their song "Barracuda" play at the Republican convention as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin hit the stage. Palin, a star high school basketball point guard, was nicknamed "Sarah Barracuda." The official Heart website states that "Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart have informed the McCain/Palin Campaign that Universal Music Publishing and Sony BMG have sent a cease-and-desist notice to not use one of Heart's classic songs 'Barracuda,' as the congratulatory theme for Sarah...

Nancy and Ann Wilson, co-founders of the 1970s hard rock band Heart, are apparently a little perturbed that the song they made into a classic-rock staple, "Barracuda," was used at the Republican National Convention last week. The song had become something a trademark for Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, an association that dates back to her days as a high school basketball star in small-town Alaska. Now that Governor Palin is a household name - and has affronted the sensibilities of the antediluvian feminist class - she will apparently have to find another theme song - that is, if...

I have a whole new appreciation of the Wilson Sisters.

Ann and Nancy Wilson are p*ssed at the Republican Party and have fired off a cease and desist letter to the McCain/Palin campaign. Specifically, the Heart women are upset that the GOP has used their classic "Barracuda" as a theme song for Sarah Palin. TMZ obtained a statement from Heart's rep, who says "The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission." The statement goes on: "We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music. We hope our wishes will be honored."

Freepers, I had heard of the song "Baracuda", but I didn't know it was from Heart. It fits perfectly with this photo montage of Sarah Palin.

MUNICH, GERMANY (AP) - Fish oil supplements may work slightly better than a popular cholesterol-reducing drug to help patients with chronic heart failure, according to new research released Sunday. Chronic heart failure is a condition that occurs when the heart becomes enlarged and cannot pump blood efficiently around the body.

I just saw this on CNN five minutes ago.... Don Lemon telling Dana Bash that Sarah Palin is "a heartbeat away from the Presidency, and that's a 72-year-old heart!", to which Dana agreed and went on to say that Palin's executive experience for the past 13 years includes "a year and a half in the Gvernor's mansion and the rest as mayor of a small town in Alaska!" (emphasis made by her on the words "small town" and "Alaska"). This MSM 'meltdown' is so blatantly obvious........

Red Bull may claim to “give you wings” but drinking too much of the popular energy drink may also lead to heart damage, a study suggests. A study of 30 university students aged between 20 and 24 years old found that drinking just one 250ml sugar-free can of the caffeinated energy drink increased the “stickiness” of the blood and raised the risk of blood clots forming. Using tests to measure blood pressure and the state of blood vessels around the body, the Australian researchers said that after drinking one can participants had shown a cardiovascular profile similar to that of...

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Three new reports challenge current guidelines on how long after cardiac death doctors must wait before taking a heart from an infant organ donor. There's no question that organ donation saves lives, and there's also no question that there aren't enough donor organs to save everyone on the transplant list. However, deciding who is a suitable organ donor, particularly when the potential donor is an infant, is not so clear-cut. Most people are familiar with the concept of organ donation after brain death, but organ donation is also permissible after cardiac death. Cardiac death...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Television star Kelsey Grammer is back in hospital with an irregular heartbeat, two months after suffering a heart attack the actor has said nearly killed him, a celebrity news program reported on Monday. The 53-year-old actor, best known from "Cheers" and his sitcom "Frasier," has checked into a hospital in New York after feeling faint, "Entertainment Tonight" said. "(Grammer) is being treated for an irregular heartbeat, which we've learned could be a result of medication he was taking for his recent heart attack," the program said in a statement.