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Pregnant teacher survives cardiac arrest, delivers healthy baby
Alexis Simon, a special education teacher in the greater Pittsburgh area, was having a routine morning at school, sending an e-mail at her desk. The next thing she knew, she woke up at a hospital, disoriented and panicked. "Is my baby OK?" Simon, who was 8 1/2 months pregnant, asked...
The COVID-19 emergency is over, but the need for awareness remains, experts say
The official word on COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization and the U.S. government, is that it's no longer an emergency. But while that's a milestone, it's hardly an all-clear for everyone to behave as if the pandemic never happened, experts say. "It doesn't mean there's no risk for...
Young woman shocked by implanted defibrillator while making a TikTok video
Mary "Micky" Foos was in her garage creating a TikTok video of her dancing when she felt like she was hit from behind by an out-of-control vehicle. "I was expecting to turn around and see a truck through my garage door," the 25-year-old said. "But when I turned around, there was nothing there. I was so confused."
More physical activity may help cut racial disparities in heart health, report says
Increasing physical activity levels, especially among people at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, can greatly improve heart health and could help reduce racial disparities in heart disease, according to a new science report. The scientific statement from the American Heart Association, published Wednesday in the journal Circulation, highlights the need...
Irregular menstrual cycles linked to higher risk of heart problems
Women who have irregular menstrual cycles – those that are longer or shorter than average – may be at higher risk for some heart problems, a new study suggests. The study, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found women whose cycles were outside the typical 22- to 34-day range faced a higher cumulative risk for conditions such as coronary heart disease, heart attacks and atrial fibrillation than their peers whose cycles fell within that range.
Why a cardiac crisis also can be a mental health issue
The physical needs of someone recovering from a heart attack, cardiac arrest or major heart surgery can be easy to understand. For many people, the mental and emotional healing may be less so. Issues such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress regularly affect not just patients but their loved ones,...
Her childhood in India – and parenthood – changed this nutrition expert's eating habits
These days, Saroja Voruganti, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, prefers a balanced diet that emphasizes "whole" foods and steers clear of processed ones. That wasn't always the case. "My dietary patterns were very different when I was younger," said Voruganti, who...
Stroke rehab improves recovery. So why aren't Hispanic survivors getting enough of it?
Joe Granados was slumped in a chair when his wife – alerted by their children – came to check on him. He didn't seem like himself. Alba Patricia Granados, a nurse, quickly realized her husband was having a stroke. "He couldn't speak, and he couldn't move the right side of his body," she said.
A stroke at 33 left her with locked-in syndrome and a grim prognosis. She defied both.
Kate Adamson liked exercising so much, her goal was to become a fitness trainer. She grew up in New Zealand playing golf and later, living in California, she worked out often while raising her two young daughters. Although she was healthy and ate well, she had occasional migraines. At age...
Lesbian and bisexual women may have worse heart health
Lesbian and bisexual women may be less likely to have ideal heart health scores than heterosexual women, according to new research. Gay or bisexual men, however, scored higher than their heterosexual peers, but only if they lived in urban areas. The study, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American...
Why are South Asians dying of heart disease? MASALA looks for answers.
Like many people of South Asian ancestry, Anjana Srivastava can offer a long list of family members who've had heart disease. "My grandfathers. My dad. My father-in-law. My brothers," she recalled. "My grandmother died from it. I don't think I even know a single family where someone doesn't have heart disease."
Are heart rate and blood pressure the same? No, and it's important to understand why.
Lower your blood pressure. Get your heart rate up. Know your numbers. When it comes to heart health, understanding all the numbers involved – and which should be up or down and when – can be confusing. But experts say it's important to learn at least some of the basics to help maintain good cardiovascular health.
Her husband and her 'indomitable spirit' keep her going since a stroke at 43
Cécile Boynton texted Mark, her husband of five months, that she was on her way home from work. They would then head over to their personal trainer for a workout session. The two had met a few years earlier at a taekwondo studio near their home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Both black belt holders, Mark had been practicing martial arts since he was a teenager. Cécile had been practicing for a decade.
It's 'critical' to fix racial inequities in stroke care, new report says
Stroke care is rife with inequities, and fixing them will require more research into issues such as structural racism and other "upstream" social factors that affect where people live, learn, work and play, a new report says. The report, a scientific statement from the American Heart Association, summarizes research on...
High blood pressure, pregnancy complications may greatly raise moms' future heart risks
Women who have high blood pressure before they become pregnant may be twice as likely as those who don't to develop cardiovascular disease within a decade of giving birth, new research finds. And if their pregnancies involve complications, they are up to 10 times more likely to develop premature cardiovascular...
Health care exec's heart stops at the airport
With her suitcase in tow, Kathy Wilson-Gold dropped off her 6-year-old twins, Michael and Megan, at school on a sunny Monday in October, then drove to the airport for a business trip to New Jersey. The health care executive and registered dietitian's first flight from her home in Oklahoma City...
Health advice for women at each stage of motherhood
Everyone knows that on Mother's Day, Mom's needs come first. But the rest of the year, mothers often put their health care on hold to focus on others. "A lot of times as women, we tend to put ourselves last," said Dr. Marlene Blaise, a cardiologist in independent practice in Alpharetta, Georgia.
The 'Hispanic paradox': Does a decades-old finding still hold up?
Many Hispanic people in the United States face socioeconomic disadvantages and lower access to affordable health care. Despite these and other challenges to their health, they generally tend to live longer than other racial or ethnic communities – a health phenomenon that's been studied for decades. The "Hispanic paradox"...
Former Marine opens up about struggles and feelings of hopelessness after stroke
One hot day last June, Elmar Uy and his girlfriend, LJ Jennings, were gardening outside their home in Hudson, New Hampshire, when something strange happened. Everywhere Uy looked, he saw crescent-shaped spots. Jennings thought Uy might be dehydrated. She got him some water. Over the next few days, Uy's eyes...
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Heart and Stroke News: Stories about people, science and health, from American Heart Association News.
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