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Days before Christmas, new mom had a stroke
Two months after giving birth and a week before Christmas 2016, Ashley Hammontree was enjoying a snowy day at home in Greenwood, Missouri. Wearing pajamas, she nursed her baby, Elijah, and set him in a swing. Her husband, Ryan, came inside from playing with their dogs. He made two mugs...
AHA News' most-read COVID-19 stories of 2022
COVID-19 continues to affect our daily lives. As more scientific research rolled out in 2022, these were the top 5 stories that readers were most interested in, ranked in order of unique page views. 1. After COVID-19, experts say watch for these potential heart and brain problems. So you've had...
People with very high blood pressure may want to go easy on the coffee
People with severely high blood pressure who drink two or more cups of caffeinated coffee each day could double their risk of dying from a heart attack, stroke or other type of cardiovascular disease, new research finds. But drinking green tea or just one cup of coffee did not have the same effect.
With a little luck, these foods will get your new year started right
Need a healthy way to kick off the new year? You're in luck. As the calendar turns, cultures across the world focus on good fortune and associate all kinds of foods with it. Here's a look at which are healthiest – and how to handle those that are less so.
AHA News' most-read women's health stories of 2022
Women face unique health challenges. Here are the top 5 stories that dug deeper than cardiovascular disease alone, ranked in order of unique page views. 1. Susan Lucci's new stent and renewed mission for women's heart health. Three years ago, soap opera legend Susan Lucci was treated for two blocked...
AHA News' most-read health equity stories of 2022
From scientific studies to firsthand experiences, here are this year's top 5 stories that shine a light on health disparities in America, ranked in order of unique page views. 1. Understanding 'Black fatigue' – and how to overcome it. Living with racism is exhausting and a health risk, but...
Heart transplant recipient honors her donor 'by living the best possible life I can'
Even now, years later, Linda Jara's voice resonates with notes that can only be fully appreciated by certain people – people like her who carry someone else's heart. Her tone is filled with gratitude. Awe. Contemplation. Thoughtfulness. Sorrow. Exuberance. The overwhelming feeling that someone else – a total stranger – made the ultimate sacrifice of allowing their own heart to beat in someone else's chest.
Heart failure more common in heart defect survivors starting at young age
People born with heart defects may face a nearly ninefold higher lifetime risk for heart failure and develop it decades earlier than people born without heart abnormalities, new research shows. Though heart failure is extremely rare in young people, any occurrence in young congenital heart defect survivors signals a need...
AHA News' most-read food stories of 2022
From oatmeal to olive oil, here are the top 5 food stories readers were hungry for in 2022, ranked in order of unique page views. With thousands of varieties, rice is easy to take for granted. Here's how to make it part of a well-rounded diet. 2. Take a fresh...
He used to hike mountains. A stroke left him learning to walk again.
Richard Samuelian recently got back from a hike in Yosemite National Park. A few years ago, the 52-year-old couldn't walk down the hallway of his home in Fresno, California, without help. Richard was watching television one day when he noticed he was having trouble seeing the screen. He started to...
Why a sportswriter's sudden death should lead you to ask about your own family history
The sudden death of celebrated sportswriter Grant Wahl at a World Cup match in Qatar last week shocked those who knew him – and of him. He had just turned 49 and seemed healthy, aside from recent complaints about chest pressure, which he attributed to exhaustion and bronchitis. On...
Soccer helps these doctors stay on top of their game
When Dr. Arianna Heyer left medical school in Philadelphia for an internal medicine residency in Miami, she found herself working constantly, with little time or opportunity to take care of her own health or make new friends. A longtime soccer and basketball player, Heyer missed getting outside and moving. "I'm...
It's the flavor of the season, but be wary of peppermint platitudes
Peppermint, like Santa Claus, seems to be everywhere you turn at the holidays. And also like Santa, when it comes to evaluating claims about it, the most scientific minds will tell you they need more evidence. An internet search will turn up all kinds of statements about peppermint's powers, said...
Kentucky Wildcats basketball player won't be sidelined by heart surgery
When Tionna Herron was 8, she learned some valuable things: She was good at playing basketball. And she had a rare heart condition that sometimes made her chest hurt after she played. Her condition had a long name – anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery (AAOCA). It meant one...
This type of cholesterol could be bad in people with high blood pressure
A type of "bad" cholesterol could raise the risk for first heart attacks, strokes and death from heart disease, new research suggests. But the increased risk only appears in people who already have high blood pressure. Lipoprotein(a), like low-density cholesterol (LDL), is a subtype of lipoprotein that can build up...
Extremely hot and cold days may pose higher cardiovascular death risk
Extreme temperatures – both hot and cold – may increase the risk of dying for people with cardiovascular disease, especially those with heart failure, new research shows. The study, published Monday in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, analyzed more than 32 million cardiovascular deaths over four decades in 27 countries across five continents. It found more deaths on days when temperatures were at their highest or lowest.
How aging influences heart attack treatment in older adults
How heart attacks and heart-related chest pain are treated may need to be modified for people 75 and older because of age-related changes in the heart and blood vessels as well as overall health, according to a new report from the American Heart Association. The scientific statement, published Monday in...
You're not a polar bear: The plunge into cold water comes with risks
Jumping into icy cold water in the dead of winter might seem like a crazy idea, but the so-called polar bear plunge has become a popular activity, often paired with raising money for charity. Boosting its allure is another anything-but-hot trend, the practice of cold therapy, based on the belief...
Alternative therapies for heart failure may offer benefits, but some have risks
Using complementary and alternative medicines to manage heart failure symptoms offers some benefits but also risks, according to a new science report from the American Heart Association. The scientific statement, published Thursday in the AHA journal Circulation, encourages people to disclose their use of such treatments to their health care...
He collapsed after 2-on-2 basketball game against his son. His teammate saved his life.
On a sunny fall day, Baltimore dads Joe Greco and John Holschuh teamed up to take on their teenage sons in a game of 2-on-2 basketball in the Greco family's driveway. The boys were tough foes. Teammates on their high school squad, the teens pushed their dads hard for an hour, leaving Greco and Holschuh tired and needing a break.
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Heart and Stroke News: Stories about people, science and health, from American Heart Association News.
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