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Pageant queen had 6 heart attacks by age 18
At 16, Jude Maboné was in the middle of a 6-mile run at cross-country practice when she started having chest pain. A mile from her high school, her chest felt tight and heavy, like bricks were on it. Breathing felt like sucking air through a straw. Her head pounded and stomach churned. She had a stabbing pain in her left shoulder and was sweating far more than she should've been.
Bright outdoor light at night may increase stroke risk
Too much exposure to bright outdoor lights at night may increase a person's stroke risk, new research suggests. The study involved more than 28,000 people living in a large city in China. Researchers found that people exposed to the highest levels of artificial outdoor light at night had a 43% increased risk of developing cerebrovascular disease, as compared to those with the lowest levels of exposure. Cerebrovascular disease includes stroke and other conditions affecting blood flow to the brain.
Among leafy green powerhouses, spinach packs a wallop
Stories about spinach often reference Popeye, the sailor who gobbled it by the can to gain immense strength. But if you need to bring a cartoon character into a conversation about healthy eating, consider the Hulk. In addition to their shared hue, spinach packs a nutritional punch that looms large...
She survived a cardiac arrest. Her husband didn't.
Danielle McCollian needed some work done at her house. While at the post office, she saw an ad on the bulletin board for a guy who did remodeling. She called, he came out and that was that. They married when she was 39 and Joe was 32. A year later, they decided to start a family. After several miscarriages, she used in vitro fertilization to become pregnant with twins.
Women with pregnancy complications may be able to lower future cardiovascular risk
Women with a history of pregnancy complications are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, but they can greatly lower that risk, new research suggests. Having healthy lifestyle behaviors and managing blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose levels after giving birth significantly lowered their risk for future cardiovascular disease to rates on par with women who didn't have pregnancy complications, the study found. The findings, which were presented Thursday at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health conference in Chicago, are considered preliminary until full results are published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Blood tests could identify people with AFib at risk for 'breakthrough' stroke
Looking at specific substances in the blood of people with atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat, could help identify who's at risk for a stroke despite taking blood-thinning medication to prevent one, new research suggests. The researchers found biomarkers in the blood that reflect heart strain, inflammation and clotting...
Her husband found her unresponsive. He gave CPR, the first step toward her 'Stayin' Alive.'
On a Saturday morning, Regina Allemand headed into her realty office to prepare for an afternoon showing houses in a New Orleans suburb. She was ahead of schedule, so she went to her favorite nail salon for a pedicure. It was nearly Easter, so she picked out a different pastel...
Study offers insight on how hot weather impairs the immune system
A study that looked at how the immune system reacts to hot weather offers new insight into what's happening when the mercury rises. Researchers found a link between hot weather and measures of the body's immune response, including levels of certain blood cells and indicators of inflammation. It's a step toward eventually finding treatments that could help protect people from dangerously high temperatures, which have been linked to increased rates of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular issues.
Time-restricted eating may raise cardiovascular death risk in the long term
A popular weight loss strategy that limits the hours during which calories can be consumed may nearly double a person's long-term risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, new research finds, especially among people with underlying cardiovascular disease or cancer. But questions remain about just how time-restricted eating, which limits calorie...
Social and economic hardships in childhood may alter gut bacteria in Hispanic adults
Experiencing financial hardship or other socioeconomic challenges growing up may change the bacteria that live in the gut, new research among Hispanic adults suggests. The findings could help researchers better understand how some social determinants of health are linked to disease later in life. The study, presented Monday at the...
She had 2 heart attacks at 26. Now she runs marathons.
Channing Muller woke up one Sunday morning feeling a little beat down. Being 26 and having gone out the night before, she figured it was an annoying, but run-of-the-mill, hangover and she just needed to sweat it out. When she took a step out of bed, she immediately knew something...
Black veterans with PTSD may face a higher risk of rehospitalization after a stroke
Black veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder were more likely to be rehospitalized after a stroke than white veterans and Black veterans without PTSD, a new study has found. The study, which reviewed data from more than 93,000 veterans, was published Thursday in the American Heart Association journal Stroke. Previous studies...
How to help your child get enough healthy, brain-boosting sleep
Anyone who has raised kids knows that managing their sleep can be one of the most challenging aspects of parenting. But not everyone understands just how vital that sleep is. Adequate sleep is a bedrock of a child's physical and mental health, said Dr. Jill Kaar, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado's Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.
Too much of a food thing: A century of change in how we eat
Think about the last meal you ate. Whether it was a reheated plate of takeout food, a cornucopia of fresh fruit or something in between, it probably would have been unfathomable to most people a century ago. Over the past 100 years, the way Americans buy, cook and think of...
Prenatal yoga may help ease stress, improve fitness during pregnancy
Butterfly. Cat. Pointer dog. More than pretty critters, these are yoga poses experts say could be part of a healthy pregnancy. Though moving a growing belly through a series of poses might seem like the last thing a pregnant woman would want to do, health experts say it's high on the list of activities that could help ease her through the body-altering experience of creating a new life.
A 4-hour-old stopped breathing. A patient care technician saved him.
Sore and groggy from her cesarean section, Lorraine Stewart snuggled her 4-hour-old baby against her chest in her hospital bed as he nursed. Full and content, Court nestled in her arms, shut his eyes and went quiet. Lorraine lay back to rest. Shortly after, patient care technician Hallie Allison popped...
More than half of American Indian teens and young adults have high cholesterol
The majority of American Indian teens and young adults have high cholesterol, according to a new study that researchers say is the first to examine cholesterol levels in this specific population. The study, published this week in the Journal of the American Heart Association, also found few of those with...
Heart disease doesn't have to keep you from donating blood
As blood centers and hospitals face critically low levels of blood supplies, many people with heart disease may wonder if they can help by donating. For the most part, they can do so safely, experts say. Typically, someone in the U.S. needs blood about every two seconds for reasons that...
Born with half a heart, this first grader wants to be a pediatric surgeon
Before Stephanie and Brennen Lewis could host the baby gender reveal party they were planning for family and friends, they had an ultrasound appointment to attend. They were eager for another glimpse of their first baby. The technician looked at the baby's bones, brain and major organs. The test included...
Fasting at Ramadan while keeping health in mind
Ramadan is about both the spiritual and the physical. On the spiritual side, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar is a time to reflect on virtues such as patience, sacrifice and thanksgiving. That focus is sharpened by physical self-restraint – most notably, by fasting from sunrise to sunset.
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Heart and Stroke News: Stories about people, science and health, from American Heart Association News.
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