By Kimberly Lord Stewart Patients and physicians are getting heartburn on how best to treat digestive health issues. Though the use proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) has dramatically risen in the last decade, opinions are quickly changing on how to best treat digestive disorders like heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).Read
Loading up on beans, lentils, spinach and broccoli could do as much to reduce blood pressure as lifestyle changes. And, the amino acids in meat, fish and dairy could be a good way to reduce arterial stiffness. Research published in the Journal of Nutrition, from the University of East AngliaRead
Folic acid may reduce the risk of stroke in hypertensive people by as much as 21% when taken with enapril, according to a study released this week in JAMA. Study commentators from Harvard surmise that there is no reason to doubt the same results with non-hypertensive people. The study authorsRead
When Pamela Nelson suffered a stroke last June, she was treated at Denver’s Swedish Medical Center by Donald Frei, MD, a neuro-interventional surgeon. Dr. Frei used endovascular therapy on Nelson, who is now fully recovered. Frei’s work is outlined in a new study published in the New England J ofRead
Folklore deemed the avocado an aphrodisiac because of its likeness to the male family jewels. The tortilla chip should be forever grateful to this orb of green velvety pulp, after all it’s really about the guacamole. But until now, the heart has been left out of this love fest. ARead
Olive oil polyphenols are know for beneficial properties that reduce cardiovascular risk factors. Consumption is a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet for its ability to produce health high-density lipoprotein profiles (HDL). However, data on polyphenol effects of HDL quality are scarce. This study assessed whether polyphenol-rich olive oil consumption could enhance the HDL main function, its cholesterol efflux capacity, and some of its quality-related properties, such HDL polyphenol content, size, and composition. The results once again show extra-virgin olive oil’s capacity for improved health. This article also give you some healthy advice from Today’s Practitioner editor as to how to tell your patients to buy good quality extra-virgin olive oil. By Alvaro Hernaez et al, published by the American Heart Association, Sept. 2014.
By now you’ve heard that niacin is no longer recommended for reducing heart attacks and strokes. After 50 years of being a mainstay cholesterol therapy, niacin should no longer be prescribed for most patients due to potential increased risk of death, dangerous side effects and no benefit in reducing heart attacks and strokes, writes Northwestern Medicine® preventive cardiologist Donald Lloyd-Jones, M.D., in a New England Journal of Medicine editorial published July 16. The study is no doubt controversial among physicians who rely on niacin for cardiovascular patients. Read the slideshow for a review of the study.
Weekly round-up, access to thought leaders, and articles to help you improve health outcomes and the success of your practice.
