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The good news is that most of them are aware they have these risk factors for a second stroke: 90 percent of those with hypertension knew they had this diagnosis, as did 75 percent of those with high cholesterol, and 83 percent of those with diabetes. But the bad news is this awareness didn’t translate into treatment that gets these risk factors under control. Among people aware they had these risk factors, only 46 percent of those with hypertension reduced their blood pressure to healthy levels, just 32 percent with elevated cholesterol got this under control, and only 54 percent with diabetes lowered their blood sugar levels to a normal range....

Yes, flu shots. The flu vaccine, which became available in the Fall, is considered your best protection against the flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting your flu shot by the end of October, but for as long as there are circulating flu viruses, you can still benefit from getting a flu shot. Peak flu season is usually December through February, but it is possible for flu activity to linger into May....

Simple tasks such as short walks and climbing the stairs at home can lead to shortness of breath. Those with the condition often live in fear of heart attack or stroke. Fortunately, there is a device that seems to offer promise in the management of severe heart failure in people for whom currently available treatments have been unsuccessful. Amazingly, the device, called the MitraClip, is similar in design to the clothespins you may use to hang your laundry to dry....

The key to steady blood sugar levels around the clock and from year to year, according to Jesse Vander Heide, a certified diabetes educator at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, is to develop a routine that you’re confident you can stick to over time. “Anybody can do something for a week,” Heide says. “With diabetes, we want to look at the long-term picture. How can you do this for one day — and for five years?...

Anthony Feinstein, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto and director of the neuropsychiatry program at Sunnybrook Research Institute and Women’s College Health Science Centre, also in Toronto, who has studied depression and fatigue in people with MS and is considered a pioneer in the field, summarized some of the latest findings during the recently held European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) meeting in Berlin....

“Many women living with MS complain of symptoms worsening around their periods, either during the time they typically experience PMS [premenstrual syndrome] or during their period,” says Megan Weigel, an advanced registered nurse practitioner who works with MS patients at the Baptist Neurology Group at Baptist Medical Center Beaches in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Researchers are well aware of the phenomenon. According to Pavle Repovic, MD, PhD, a neurologist at the multiple sclerosis center at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute in Seattle, studies have found that 43 to 82 percent of women experience temporary MS symptom worsening — or pseudoexacerbation — usually about one to two weeks before their period....

The guidelines, published June 21 in JAMA, focus on the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer, the two leading causes of death that account for about half of fatalities in the United States each year. There isn’t enough evidence to suggest that multivitamins help avoid these fatalities, according to the new guidelines, which echo advice issued by the USPSTF in 2014. “Patients ask all the time, ‘What supplements should I be taking?...

But you don’t have to work out in 30-minute blocks: Three brisk 10-minute walks spaced out through the day will also do the trick. In fact, another, smaller study found that walking just 10 minutes after eating can lower your blood glucose by 22 percent — which is great news for people looking to better control their blood sugar. Exercise and Type 2 Diabetes: What You Need to Know So what’s happening when you exercise?...

These therapies now include several large-molecule monoclonal antibodies, including Emgality (galcanezumab), Ajovy (fremanezumab), and Aimovig (erenumab). In December 2019, the list of CGRP inhibitors expanded with the introduction of a small-molecule antagonist called Ubrelvy (ubrogepant), and in February 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the intravenously delivered CGRP inhibitor Vyepti (eptinezumab). Most recently, at the end of February, the FDA greenlighted another CGRP antagonist called Nurtec ODT (rimegepant), a fast-acting orally disintegrating tablet that can alleviate symptoms within one hour and potentially deliver sustained results for up to 48 hours....

A BMI of 30 or higher suggests obesity, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All the same, the conversation around weight is changing. Weight bias exists, and discussing body size comes at an emotional toll for many people. Therefore, certain healthcare professionals may target lowering your risk of associated diseases, rather than focusing on BMI alone. If your doctor believes that treating obesity may help lower your risk of or help manage chronic conditions, and you choose to work with them, there are multiple options to consider....

An occupational therapist can show you ways to perform your daily activities more easily and efficiently, says Karen Jacobs, EdD, OT, OTR, an occupational therapist who works with individuals with arthritis and a clinical professor in the department of occupational therapy at Sargent College of Boston University. An occupational therapist can also help you learn how to conserve energy and protect your joints to minimize fatigue, which is among the most common symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis, according to the Spondylitis Association of America (SAA)....

Although therapies abound, determining what works best and doesn’t can be challenging for patients and doctors alike. To help make decisions about what treatments may be most effective, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Arthritis Foundation have been updating their intervention guidelines for hip, knee, and hand osteoarthritis. A total of 34 physicians, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and researchers participated in the process, along with seven patients. RELATED: Low-Dose Steroid Reduces Hand Osteoarthritis Inflammation The updated draft was previewed at the 2019 ACR/Association of Rheumatology Professionals (ARP) Annual Meeting in November....

“Pineapple is just as amazing for all around health as it is delicious,” says Breanna Woods, RD. “It’s a great source of antioxidants and an impressive list of vitamins and minerals.” Read on to learn more about pineapple, and when you should add it to your diet for a sweet treat that may also benefit your overall health. May Reduce Blood Cholesterol A preliminary review of several tropical fruits describes lower serum lipid profiles, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in rats who were given pineapple extract every day for 30 days....

Odds are you’ve noticed a deposit of white, yellow, or even brown or green particles on your tongue. “Your sense of taste, oral health, and even the freshness of your breath can all be negatively impacted by this buildup,” says Meera Watts, a registered yoga teacher with 200 hours of training (E-RYT 200) and the founder and CEO of Siddhi Yoga, a yoga, meditation, and Ayurvedic training school based in Singapore....

That’s because heart disease can be a formidable foe. As a leading killer of both men and women in the United States, heart disease accounts for 1 in every 4 deaths — one death every 36 seconds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The risk of heart disease increases, in part, as cholesterol and triglyceride levels increase. Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance that’s found naturally in the body and helps produce healthy cells, hormones, and more....

Although the gene variant is found in fewer than 1 in 1,000 people in the general population, it’s present in approximately 12 percent of people living in the Amish community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, according to a study published December 2 in the journal Science. These findings are important because they can be used to study therapies that could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, says May Montasser, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, a member of the university’s program for personalized and genomic medicine, and the lead author of the study....

“Having a heart condition, including atrial fibrillation, does have an impact on your intimacy,” says Peter Kowey, MD, a cardiologist who specializes in heart rhythms and professor of medicine and clinical pharmacology at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. But fears of negative consequences from having sex when you’re living with atrial fibrillation are largely unfounded. “I can assure you that the risk of an episode of atrial fibrillation is not increased by any particular activity," says Dr....

On March 31, 2022, Everyday Health acquired the two mental health sites. We spoke with Doan about the beginnings of bp Magazine, its development into an online platform, and the impact it has had on the bipolar community. Everyday Health: How did you come up with the idea to start bp Magazine and Hope to Cope? Joanne Doan: I found myself in the mental health world at a trade show, actually....

It gained a cultlike following in 2018 when a woman named Sarah Rudd shared a Facebook post praising the product for not only helping treat her son’s eczema but curing it completely. She mentioned that her son hadn’t slept for four months because of nonstop itching and that none of the many treatments she tried before the Dream Cream had made a difference. In the post, she shared photos showing how her son’s eczema progressed over seven days....

— Chrissy, Michigan Dialysis, a procedure that uses a special machine to replace the kidneys in filtering waste from the bloodstream, may reduce the daily urine output that a person normally produces. This happens because as the blood is filtered during dialysis, fluid is removed, thus reducing the kidneys’ traditional role. As a result many dialysis patients produce very small amounts of urine. However, dialysis does not prevent someone from urinating normally; it only reduces the total urine output, so that he or she may only need to urinate once a day, which is not dangerous....