It’s a known fact that African Americans have a higher risk of some illnesses, such as hypertension (high blood pressure) but researchers have discovered that they are also at a higher risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or blood clots in the deep veins, usually the legs. This also puts them at a higher risk of pulmonary embolism, which is the result of a clot breaking loose and going to the lungs.
Dr. Garth Graham from the Office of Minority Health at the Department of Health and Human Services, spoke about minorities and DVTs at the Venous Disease Coalition (VDC) …read more

Not too many years ago, it was found that drinking grapefruit juice while taking certain medications could affect the medication, making it much stronger than it should be. Since then, there have been warnings to check with your pharmacist if you like to drink grapefruit juice. It’s not that you can’t have it, it’s just that you shouldn’t drink it within a certain time of having your meds.
Medications affected by grapefruit juice include medications to treat high cholesterol, such as simvastatin (Zocor), lovastatin (Mevacor), and atorvastatin (Lipitor); for seizures, carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol); blood pressure medications, felodipine (Plendil), nifedipine (Procardia), nimodipine …read more

In the past birth control pills had high levels of progestin and estrogen, which caused women to be at a greater risk of heart disease and stroke. If the women were smoker’s and over the age of 35, they were at a greater risk.
The birth control pills that are prescribed today contain lower levels of hormones and considered safe. Women that are younger than 35 that do not have a history of high blood pressure or smoking are in this category.
Those women over the age of 35, with high blood pressure and other high risk factors including smoking still put …read more

I am not trying to push dark chocolate, but the fact is that we are all trying to improve our health. Our heart is the jewel of our body, when the heart is not functioning properly the whole body suffers.
While looking for ways to improve our heart health we all look for everything available on heart. Finding that a small amount of dark chocolate daily is good for the heart, is a great treat. Dark chocolates are fully loaded with many flavaniods. So by simply eating 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate daily we may improve our heart health.
A spot on …read more

Before you start any drug regiment, make sure to ask your health care provider first. This is even more important if you have any health issues.
Some over the counter drugs can cause problems for a number of people, especially those with heart problems and high blood pressure.
Not everyone can take an aspirin daily due to the fact some people are resistant to them. Women have proven to be more likely to be resistant to the blood-thinning effects of aspirin.
An aspirin daily is used by millions of people to prevent heart attacks. The aspirin breaks up platelets in the blood …read more

During the holidays we find ourselves attending more social events, at these events there is always an abundance of food and alcohol. Before attending these events it is always wise to ask your health care provider some questions. Ask them if consuming alcohol could cause any problems with your heart or interfere with any medication that you are presently taking.
Research that has taken place suggest that moderate alcohol consumption my actually be beneficial for your heart. Drinking one drink a day for women or lightweight individuals and two drinks per day for men is suggested. Some examples are 12 ounces …read more