Study: Music Helps Reduce Pain After Heart Surgery newsmax.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newsmax.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Ernie Mundell and Cara Murez
HealthDay Reporters
FRIDAY, Jan. 29, 2021 (HealthDay News) Heart surgery can be stressful, but researchers may have found a way to reduce patients anxiety and postoperative pain without any extra side effects.
A team from the Netherlands found that the simple act of listening to music around the time of surgery may help patients as they recover. This is a fascinating question for heart surgeons because we perform the most invasive procedures that require opening the chest, stopping the heart, using a heart-lung machine while we fix the heart, and then allowing the patient to return to life again, said Dr. Harold Fernandez, a U.S. cardiac surgeon unconnected to the new study.
If you have high cholesterol, you’ve probably been warned: Failure to control this beast ups your odds of heart disease and can cause a heart attack or stroke. It’s a no brainer to take your meds, right? Wrong.
Remarkably, 50% of all people who’ve been prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs don’t take them even though the consequences to heart health can be dire. Blowing off your cholesterol meds can be deadly, says Guy L. Mintz, M.D., director of cardiovascular health and lipidology at Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in Manhasset, NY. “The stakes are high.”
So, what’s keeping folks from staying the course with a treatment plan? Some people just hate the side effects. Others say routinely remembering to take a pill (or pills) is the problem. As is failing to understanding just how important it is to take your meds.
When Lifestyle Changes Don’t Control Cholesterol
Medication may be a must to protect your heart health, even if you’re doing everything else right.
January 20, 2021
You take care of yourself. You exercise. You limit the booze, fried fare, and sweet stuff, too. So,
why, you ask yourself in the mirror with more than a little frustration, is your cholesterol so out of whack?
High cholesterol, or hyperlipidemia, drives up your risk of a heart attack and stroke. It can be a silent killer, since it has no symptoms. Scary as that sounds, you have it in your power to bring your cholesterol back down. Some people can curb high cholesterol by living healthier lives. But the truth is, if you have high cholesterol, you’ll likely need to take medication, too. The good news? Doing so can save your life.
Alcohol and High Blood Pressure: What You Should Know Denise Mann, MS
Replay Video
Does alcohol cause high blood pressure?
With Sober October, Dry January, and the increasing availability of alcohol-free spirits, many people are taking breaks from drinking to boost their physical and mental health. And improved blood pressure may be one of those benefits.
Untreated high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. Quitting alcohol or drinking moderately may help keep your numbers where they need to be, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).
Systolic blood pressure, the upper number in a blood pressure measurement, is the force your blood is exerting against your artery walls when your heart is beating. Diastolic blood pressure, the lower number, is the pressure when your heart is at rest. A blood pressure of less than 120/80 mm Hg is considered normal. High blood pressure is 130/80 mm Hg or higher.