Aspirin for heart attacks: Chew or swallow?
Physicians recommend that people who are having a heart attack take an aspirin to stop blood clots from forming in the arteries. But should you take a chewable aspirin? A tablet? Something else? In a small study from the University of California, researchers had 14 people ages 20 to 61 swallow regular aspirin, chew regular aspirin or take chewable aspirin. Their blood was then checked to see which technique led to the highest levels of the drug in the body. The result? Those who took the chewable aspirin had the highest levels compared to people who either swallowed or chewed whole regular pills. So before you stock up on aspirin, ask your healthcare provider if you should switch to chewable—it just might save your life.

Laughter really is good medicine
Got diabetes? Lighten up. Laughter could help you improve your cholesterol levels and lower your risk of heart attack. In a small study from Loma Linda University, 20 adults with type 2 diabetes were assigned to one of two groups. Both groups had high blood pressure and high cholesterol and were taking standard diabetes medications, high blood pressure medicines and cholesterol-lowering drugs. Half were asked to watch something they thought would make them laugh, such as sitcoms or funny movies, for at least 30 minutes a day. After a year, researchers measured both groups’ cholesterol and their C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammation indicator linked to heart disease. The laughers had a 26 percent increase in “good” HDL cholesterol. The non-laughers only saw a 3 percent increase. Harmful CRP was lowered by 66 percent in the laughter group but by just 26 percent in the non-laughter group. It seems a little humor can lower bad chemicals and increase good chemicals. And that’s nothing to laugh at!

Dash your way to a healthier heart
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, designed to help prevent and lower high blood pressure, seems to reduce the risk of heart failure in women. The diet features plenty of fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy foods and whole grains and a low intake of total and saturated fat. In a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers analyzed data and dietary habits from more than 36,000 women. They found that women who most closely adhered to the DASH diet had a 37 percent lower rate of heart failure than women with the lowest DASH diet scores.

Did you know?
New recommendations state that the clot-busting drug tPA can safely treat some stroke patients for up to four-and-a-half hours after symptoms begin, not just three hours, as previously believed.

Every 34 seconds or so, someone in this country has a heart attack.

A typical fatty fast-food lunch contains 1,660 calories and costs $6.79. A brown-bag healthy lunch has just 530 calories and costs $3.61.

Do fries supersize your risk?
It’s not a lovely day in your neighborhood if your block is packed with fast-food eateries, say researchers from the University of Michigan. Here’s what they found:

• People who live in neighborhoods with the highest number of fast-food restaurants are 13 percent more likely to suffer a stroke than those who don’t live near burger-and-fry joints.
• The risk of stroke increases 1 percent for each fastfood restaurant in the neighborhood. The researchers don’t know whether the restaurants themselves raise stroke risks or if the eateries are just more apt to pop up in unhealthy neighborhoods. Either way, if you find yourself pulling up to the drive-through, bypass the burger and order a salad or a grilled chicken sandwich.

Air pollution: Exercise with caution
If you live in an area with polluted air, that after-dinner walk could do more harm than good, says the American Lung Association (ALA). Why? When we exercise, we breathe more deeply, mostly through the mouth. This bypasses the natural filtering function of the nasal passages, making us more vulnerable to the damage air pollutants can cause. Breathing lead, fine particles and gasses such as ozone and carbon monoxide can increase the odds of developing health problems like heart or lung disease, especially for older adults and children. The ALA recommends these tips to deflect the damage: Avoid midday or afternoon outdoor activities, when pollution levels tend to be highest. Steer clear of congested streets. Up to 50 feet from the roadway, pollution can be high. Skip outdoor workouts if health officials issue a high-ozone alert or other health warning.

Stroke signs: Still a mystery to many
Quick, list the warning signs of stroke. Give up? Many people, especially those most likely to suffer a stroke, don’t know the signs, according to researchers at the International Stroke Conference in San Diego. They polled more than 86,000 people and found that fewer than two in five knew these important stroke warning signs:

• sudden weakness in the face, arm or leg
• sudden severe headache with no known cause
• sudden vision problems in one or both eyes
• sudden confusion or difficulty speaking
• sudden dizziness, loss of balance, loss of coordination or problems walking

Many also didn’t know to call for emergency medical assistance immediately. Your job: Memorize those warning signs, as the faster you’re treated for stroke, the better your odds of surviving and limiting disability.

Good nutrition important at any age
We should eat right at every stage of life, but this is especially true for older adults. Most don't get all the nutrients they need, which can lead to malnutrition. They could be depressed, have difficulty chewing or take medicines that suppress appetite. Not eating well can lead to digestive and heart problems, muscle weakness, a weakened immune system and a greater chance of infections. If you think a loved one may be malnourished, observe his or her eating habits and look for outward signs of malnutrition (easy bruising, poor wound healing, dental problems, weight loss). Or ask your loved one's physician to test his or her protein levels, which can help spot malnutrition.

The buzz on energy drinks
Energy drinks are the perfect way to give you some added oomph, right? Not if you have a heart problem. While many of the drinks claim to help your concentration, rev up your metabolism and boost your athletic performance, they may really only deliver a whole lot of sugar and caffeine. Excessive caffeine consumption has been tied to higher heartbeat rates, high blood pressure, anxiety, headaches, sleep problems and dehydration. And although some drinks' labels warn people with heart ailments or those under age 18 to avoid them, not all drinks do. A better energy bet? Trail mix and a glass of low-fat milk or diluted juice.

Roll up your sleeves and donate
Maybe you just never thought about giving blood. Or maybe you wanted to donate but were too busy. Whatever the reason, now is the time to do it. Log on to the American Red Cross' blood donation site at www.givelife.org to find a blood drive near you. Or just head to your local blood bank-most don't require an appointment. Check out www.aabb.org to find a blood bank near you. Need more inspiration? Check out these facts about donating blood, courtesy of America's Blood Centers:

• Thirty-eight percent of Americans are eligible to donate blood, but fewer than 10 percent actually do every year. To give, you must be at least 16 or 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in overall good health. Certain conditions, such as pregnancy, make you ineligible.
• You can't get AIDS or any other infectious disease by donating blood.
• Blood can be separated into different parts: red blood cells, plasma, platelets and cryoprecipitate.

These lifesaving components can help everyone from burn victims to cancer patients.

Heart danger: Where the fat is at
Fat around your belly is bad for your heart, but it turns out that fat around your heart may be even more dangerous. Researchers divided 160 people ages 55 to 74 into four groups based on the amount of pericardial fat (fat deposits around the heart) they had. What they found: People with the highest pericardial fat levels were nearly five times more likely to have calcified coronary plaque, or atherosclerosis, than those with the lowest levels. Pericardial fat secretes more inflammatory cytokines, proteins that regulate inflammation, than fat under the skin. Authors of the study, published in the journal Obesity, say that constant exposure to these proteins may speed plaque development.

To sleep, perchance to avoid hypertension
Adolescents who don’t get enough sleep or who sleep poorly risk more than bad grades: Today’s poor sleep habits may be tomorrow’s hypertension, according to a National Institutes of Health–funded study of nearly 240 teens ages 13 to 16. Teens who had trouble falling asleep or who woke up too early were 3.5 times more likely to have elevated blood pressure. Sleeping fewer than six-and-a-half hours boosted risk 2.5 times. And 14 percent of study participants had prehypertension—meaning they don’t have high blood pressure now but are likely to develop it in the future—or hypertension, with blood pressure levels in the 90th percentile for their height, age and gender. Study authors say adolescents need about nine hours’ sleep a night.

Keep moving to stave off irregular heartbeat
You don’t need to run a marathon or climb mountains to keep your heart in good working order as you age. Research shows that older people who are lightly to moderately active have a significantly reduced risk of irregular heartbeat, a common condition that can lead to chronic fatigue, heart failure and stroke.
Harvard University scientists examined more than 5,400 senior citizens and found that those who engaged most frequently in leisure activities such as gardening, dancing, swimming, golfing or outdoor chores reduced their likelihood of irregular heartbeat by 36 percent. Regular walking also did the heart good: Participants who walked at least 60 blocks a week cut their incidence of irregular heartbeat by 44 percent. Even those who walked just five to 11 blocks a week slashed their risk by 22 percent.

Iron: Too much of a good thing
Iron is an essential component of hemoglobin, a protein that helps transport oxygen throughout the body. Not having enough iron causes fatigue, poor work performance and a weakened immune response. But having too much iron can create a host of problems, too. In addition to damaging your liver, heart and pancreas, hemochromatosis—a disease in which too much iron builds up in the body—can cause an irregular heart rate and lead to heart failure. Although some people never have symptoms or complications, others can have serious side effects or die from the disease. One of the most common genetic diseases in the United States, hemochromatosis is diagnosed based on your medical and family history, a physical exam and diagnostic tests and procedures. Treatment includes: periodic blood removal, which is like donating blood, once or twice a week until iron levels return to normal iron chelation therapy, which uses medicine to remove excess iron from your blood dietary changes like limiting your intake of vitamin C, which increases the amount of iron your body absorbs; staying away from uncooked fish and shellfish to avoid infection-causing bacteria; and avoiding alcohol, which increases liver-disease risk and can make liver disease worse.

Statins may be doing double duty
Statins are routinely prescribed to lower LDL, or bad, cholesterol, but it looks as if they may help lower blood pressure, too. A recent study published in Archives of Internal Medicine shows that statins produced drops in blood pressure as early as one month into the trial. Nearly 1,000 adults were given either the cholesterol-lowering medication or a placebo. After six months, statin takers lowered their blood pressure significantly. Lower blood pressure may help cut risk of stroke and other cardiovascular episodes.

How you can help in an emergency
What should you do if someone nearby suddenly collapses and you don’t know how to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)? Immediately call for emergency medical assistance and begin 100 chest compressions per minute—pushing hard and fast in the middle of the person’s chest until more advanced care arrives. The American Heart Association says this hands-only CPR method improves the survival odds but shouldn’t be used on infants and children or adults whose cardiac arrest is from respiratory causes, such as drug overdose or near drowning. It doesn’t replace conventional CPR—combined chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth breathing—but can be used in an emergency if you’re an untrained bystander. Each year, about 166,000 adults in the United States die from sudden cardiac arrest outside a hospital or emergency room setting. Learn conventional CPR—it takes only a couple of hours and you never know when you may need it.

A silent threat
An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a weak, bulging area on the wall of the aorta, the body’s largest artery. It’s often found by accident because most aneurysms have no symptoms. Your doctor may discover you have an AAA during a routine exam, for example, or as you’re undergoing a CT scan for another reason. Aneurysms can be life threatening if they rupture, but they don’t necessarily require emergency surgery. Fortunately, most aortic aneurysms grow slowly and don’t reach the rupture point. Many start small and stay small, but others expand over time. Your doctor will closely monitor your aneurysm so surgical repair can be planned if needed. In the meantime, treatment may depend on the aneurysm’s size: Small (less than 4 cm)—You probably have no symptoms, but you may need to take a beta-blocker, a drug that reduces the force of blood being ejected from the heart. If you smoke, you’ll need to quit. Your doctor also may prescribe a cholesterol-reducing drug. Medium (4 to 5.5 cm)—In addition to prescribing medicine, your doctor will discuss with you the benefits and risks of watching and waiting versus surgery. Large (more than 5.5 cm)—An aneurysm that’s large, growing quickly, leaking or feeling tender or painful will probably need to be repaired with either surgery or a minimally invasive procedure.