Topic: high-blood-pressure

10 Most Popular Prescription Drugs In America: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

10 Most Popular Prescription Drugs In America: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

IMS Health just released their annual report of American prescription drug use, revealing what’s hiding in America’s pillbox: details that are part good, part bad..and part ugly, too. The pills themselves don’t shed light on any big secrets: Most prescriptions treat high blood pressure, bacterial infections, obesity, and acid reflux. Oh, and did we mention high blood pressure? The bad news is that five of the most-used drugs are prescribed to treat obesity-related conditions — mostly high blood pressure — something that, in many cases, could be prevented or treated by eating a healthy diet and exercising. (But then, we could argue that almost every drug on the list is used to treat a preventable condition.) So where’s the bright side? While the fact remains that many of us are hooked on prescription drugs, we’re starting to slow down our habit. The increase in drug spending and the total use by volume of oral or nasal drugs increased by far less than it has in recent years, giving hope that maybe we’ll start to wake up from our drug-induced haze. More »

April Fool’s Day Is Good for Your Health – Unless You Have a Heart Attack

April Fool's Day Is Good for Your Health – Unless You Have a Heart Attack

Yesterday, Fox News’ website ran a post that claimed April Fool’s Day is good for your heart, and cited studies indicating that laughter reduces stress hormones, may help reduce blood pressure, and may even potentially help prevent a heart attack or stroke. That’s all well and good if your April Fool’s Day prank (or the one someone plays on you) actually makes you laugh, but what if instead the ruse scares the crap out of you, so much so that you have a heart attack out of sheer fright and terror? Then, not so good for your health.

In my experience, April Fool’s Day is less about laughing than it is about trying really hard to fake out and potentially terrify the other person or people, however briefly. A few of my innocent past April Fool’s pranks have included telling people I eloped with someone I barely knew, telling people I was pregnant, telling people I’d been kicked out of school, telling people I’d joined the military, telling people I was moving to Mongolia the following week, telling people I’d been offered a recurring role on a soap opera, et cetera. Sure, the laughs came later, but the real electric charge came from the period of time when the other (gullible) person or people actually bought your story and were fooled into a sudden state of total shock and surprise. More »

Health Care: Why I Love the CVS Minute Clinic

Health Care: Why I Love the CVS Minute Clinic

Three years ago, I was five months into life with my first kid, starting a new part-time gig, and smack in the midst of perfecting a book proposal. I was overworked, overtired, and completely overwhelmed. And then I got sick. Not stuffy nose and sore throat kind of sick, but lie-down-on-the-floor-because-the-room-spinning-and-I-forgot-my-name sick. That’s when I realized that I didn’t have a doctor. Well, at least not one I could call at a moment’s notice.

Desperate and miserable, I remembered a friend telling me about the CVS Minute Clinic (available in 24 states and D.C.) and, fever rising, I drove directly to the nearest location and promptly passed out in the pharmacy (true). After I regained consciousness, downed a Coke, and stretched out on the exam room’s foldout table, I was tended to by not one, but two nurse practitioners. They determined the cause of my collapse (a blood-pressure drop due to some cold medication); they diagnosed me with double ear infections and a bad upper respiratory infection. Then they called my Dad (my husband was an hour away at a work meeting) to come pick me up. Prescriptions in hand, I climbed into the car and was driven home. The next day I received a call on my cell phone from the clinic making sure that I hadn’t had any more fainting spells. A week later, I received a handwritten note in the mail from the nurse practitioners, thanking me for coming in and making sure that I was feeling better. More »

Congrats, Crazy Cat Ladies: You’re Healthier Than the Rest of Us

Congrats, Crazy Cat Ladies: You're Healthier Than the Rest of Us

We’re very opinionated when it comes to cats vs. dogs. Sorry canine-lovers, but a new study claims that cats make their owners happier and healthier than dogs. Theoretically, dog owners should be fairly healthy from all the hours they spend frolicking with their pups in the dog run, but apparently cleaning up messes on the living room floor and throwing away chewed-up shoes render all that exercise moot. And studies show that cats lower their owners’ blood pressure by reducing stress.
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Want Great Sex? Get Off the Couch and to the Gym

Want Great Sex? Get Off the Couch and to the Gym

Check out this post from Ian Kerner via AOL Health.

Whether you’re a man or a woman, your sexual health and your overall health are intimately connected to each other in more ways than one. At Good in Bed, we take sexual fitness seriously. A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that erectile dysfunction is often an early indicator of poor cardiovascular health. Researchers followed more than 2,300 men for an average of four years and found that men with ED had a 58 percent greater risk of coronary heart disease.

Diet, exercise, stress management and nutrition all play a role in healthy sexual function. So are you sexually fit? More »

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