Colchicine cuts odds of new heart attack, stroke in heart attack survivors
(Thomson Reuters) — The inflammation-fighting drug colchicine, already a treatment for gout, dramatically reduces the odds of future cardiovascular problems in people who have just survived a heart attack, a large new study has concluded.
While 7.1 per cent of patients who took placebo pills died, had a second heart attack, a stroke …
Literacy might shield the brain from dementia
(Gary Stix/ Scientific American) — Socrates famously railed against the evils of writing. The sage warned that it would “introduce forgetfulness into the soul of those who learn it: they will not practice using their memory because they will put their trust in writing.”
He got a few things wrong. For one, people nurture Socrates’ memory …
Anti-inflammatory steroid drugs may increase diabetes risk after just a week of treatment, study
(Rohini Krishnamurthy/ MEAWW News) — Individuals who take a commonly prescribed anti-inflammatory drug might have a higher risk of diabetes, according to a new study. In just after seven days of treatment, the drug could disturb the body’s handle over blood sugar, says the study.
Anti-inflammatory drugs such as prednisolone, …
Frequent pot smokers at greater risk of stroke, heart problems
(Dennis Thompson/ HealthDay) — Smoking pot doesn’t do your heart or your brain any favors, a pair of new studies shows.
Frequent pot smokers are more than twice as likely to suffer a stroke compared with those who don’t partake, the first study found.
They’re also more likely to be hospitalized for a dangerously erratic …
Sleepless nights could raise heart risks
(Robert Preidt/ HealthDay News) — Sleep problems could increase your risk for heart attack, stroke and other heart and brain diseases, a new study suggests.
It included 487,200 people in China, average age 51, with no history of stroke or heart disease. They were asked if they had any of these problems three or more times a week: …
Millennials’ deteriorating health means they could have shorter life expectancy than GenXers
(Sarah Gantz/ The Philadelphia Inquirer) — The health of millennials is deteriorating more rapidly than older generations’ did, and that could have a devastating effect on the American economy, according to a new report by Moody’s Analytics and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
The report paints a dismal picture of how the 2009 …
How deep sleep may help the brain clear Alzheimer’s toxins
(Jon Hamilton/ MPR News) — The brain waves generated during deep sleep appear to trigger a cleaning system in the brain that protects it against Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Electrical signals known as slow waves appear just before a pulse of fluid washes through the brain, presumably removing toxins associated …
Coffee drinkers have healthier gut microbiotas
(Ana Sandoiu / Medical News Today) — More and more research is unpacking the health benefits of drinking coffee. Drinking just one cup may fight off unhealthy fat, ease inflammation associated with obesity, or even protect the brain into old age.
Furthermore, drinking at least three cups of coffee every day may keep arteries healthy …
Could a combination of psychedelics and meditation treat depression?
(Lauren Sharkey /Medical News Today) — Mixing a specific type of meditation with a well-known hallucinogen may make for a new form of therapy that could aid those with depression, according to a new study.
People often still regard psychedelic psychotherapy as a controversial treatment. However, recent evidence suggests that hallucinogens …