HEALTH

Health in the News

Heart patients can exercise

If you have cardiovascular disease, your risk of a heart attack during exercise is somewhat greater than a healthy person's risk. But The American Heart Association maintains the benefits of exercise far outrank the risk for almost everyone.

Experts say the physical activity must be done regularly and with an intensity matched to your cardiac health. Ideally, they recommend 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, such as walking, five days a week and two days a week of flexibility and strength training.

This is the best plan, but doing less is also beneficial if it is done regularly.

Kids aspirin OK if not coated

Aspirin helps to keep heart attack and stroke-causing blood clots from forming, but it increases the risk of stomach bleeding. So people often choose children's 81 mg aspirin tablets rather than the typical 325 mg tablet. Studies show this dose is just as effective as long as the tablet is not enteric-coated, which may limit absorption. The 81 mg aspirin also costs more.

As a stomach-saving alternative, doctors at Johns Hopkins suggest taking the common 325 mg aspirin every other day, which is just as protective. To help you remember if it's the day to take it, get a 7-day pill box and load it once a week.

If you think you are having a heart attack, chew a 325 mg uncoated aspirin for fast release into the bloodstream.

Dietary C and oral protection

Scientists at Harvard have discovered that vitamin C from oranges, other fruits, and vegetables can reduce your risk of oral cancer by half. The pill form of C and other vitamins showed no such protection during their 5-year study.

Oranges have 70 mg of C per serving. Other sources include green peppers, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, leafy greens, papayas, mangos, and some berries.

Focus on this

This sneak thief can be arrested

This thief doesn't lift your wallet or abscond with the silverware. This "sneak thief" can steal your vision.

More than 2.2 million Americans aged 40 and older have glaucoma. Most of them are unaware of their condition because there are no early symptoms. That number is projected to increase to 3.3 million by the year 2020.

Primary open-angle glaucoma progresses without a clue until the condition reaches an advanced stage. As increased eye pressure damages the optic nerve, the patient begins to lose peripheral vision. If left untreated, tunnel vision develops and eventually all sight is lost.

Though optic nerve damage occurs with high intraocular pressure, it can also occur with normal or even below- normal eye pressure. Glaucoma can’t be cured, and damage caused by the disease can’t be reversed. But with treatment, glaucoma can be controlled. Eyedrops, oral medications and surgical procedures can prevent or slow the damage. An annual test is recommended.

The only good thing about glaucoma is that it can be diagnosed with an instant, painless test done by your eye doctor or optician. Ophthalmologists have more sophisticated testing methods, which are usually used when the results of the first tests are questionable.

Chocolate, nuts, cocktails: Indulge without (too much) guilt

It can seem that everything you like is bad for you, but recently there has been some good news in the area of the previously forbidden.

If you've had a hard time avoiding chocolate, you can have it now. You still can't binge on chocolate, but a few squares have been shown to lower blood pressure, harden tooth enamel, and provide several important nutrients, says the Journal of the American Medical Association.

People who are nuts about nuts can healthfully enjoy their treat as long as
the nuts are not salted. All nuts have a positive effect on the heart, but macadamias, peanuts, and pistachios are best. Almonds are good for the bones and blood pressure. The selenium and vitamin E in Brazil nuts have special benefits for the prostate.

Pecans may help to stave off cataracts and macular degeneration because of their high antioxidant levels, and walnuts have several benefits including promotion of serotonin, the feel-good chemical that fights depression.

How about a cocktail? It's widely known that one drink a day is good for the heart. A new study appearing in Neurology shows that among people with mild cognitive impairment, a daily drink may slow the progress to dementia. For the rest of us, maybe it will help us remember where we put the car keys.

FDA considers a new drug category

Presently, the Food and Drug Administration has two drug categories: prescription and over-the-counter (OTC). It could soon add another: behind- the-counter (BTC) drugs, a drug class found in Europe and Canada.

BTCs would be available without prescription, but you would have to ask for them. Canadian pharmacists say many such medicines, however, are old or rarely used products.

© 2015 TLC Magazine Online, Inc.