Free Republic

The close relationship between the United States and Europe transcends geographic proximity and transactional politics. It represents a unique bond forged in common culture, faith, familial ties, mutual assistance in times of strife, and above all, a shared Western civilizational heritage. Our transatlantic partnership is underpinned by a rich Western tradition of natural law, virtue ethics, and national sovereignty. This tradition flows from Athens and Rome, through medieval Christianity, to English common law, and ultimately into America's founding documents. The Declaration's revolutionary assertion that men “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights” echoes the thought of Aristotle, Thomas...

A study of almost 400,000 people is the first to indicate, in humans, that the signaling of substances called short-chain fatty acids or SCFAs, released when gut bacteria break down dietary fiber, significantly protects against cardiovascular disease and hypertension by up to 20%. A previous clinical trial has shown these SCFAs—when provided as a supplement—lead to lowered blood pressure. Another trial is underway. The current study used data from the UK Biobank database and found rare genetic variants that profoundly impact the function of receptors that bind to SCFAs essentially prevent people from utilizing the cardiovascular protection offered by their...

The lives of untold thousands have been lost or permanently diminished.It is an undeniable scandal of mammoth proportions, but one that is – surprise, surprise – still being ignored by major media. It all began in February of 2021, shortly after Joe Biden took the oath of office with the pandemic still raging. Health officials in Israel sent a dire warning to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) detailing “large reports of myocarditis, particularly in young people” who received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Many doctors and vaccinated individuals witnessed the same phenomenon here in the US. The affliction strikes...

COVID vaccines cause myocarditis, which is debilitating and deadly. The Israelis told Team Biden in February 2021. Team Biden kept a lid on that. So now we learn not only that Joe Biden has Stage Five prostate cancer, but that starting in February 2021, the POC/LGBTQ committee that was operating Biden like a Muppet concealed, then downplayed the risk of heart disease from the COVID vaccines. It’s funny how we find out all this dirt, within 48 hours after the committee’s announcement about Joe’s cancer. Because he’s got a few months to live, he’s now officially the “Fall Guy.” Everything...

Scientists have discovered a promising new therapy for resistant high blood pressure, leading to a 15-point drop in systolic levels. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a potential new treatment for individuals with uncontrolled or treatment-resistant hypertension, a condition commonly referred to as high blood pressure. The investigational drug, lorundrostat, showed encouraging results in a recent clinical trial. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study found that participants who received lorundrostat experienced an average 15-point reduction in systolic blood pressure, the upper number in a blood pressure reading, compared to...

The list of potential benefits of the shingles vaccine continues to grow. Beyond protecting against the viral infection and resulting painful rash, the shot has also been linked to a reduced risk of dementia, as Fox News Digital previously reported. And now, a new study has found that the vaccine could lower the risk of heart disease for up to eight years. DEMENTIA RISK COULD DIP WITH COMMON VACCINE, STUDY SUGGESTS In the long-running study, researchers analyzed up to 12 years of data for more than 1.2 million people aged 50 or older in South Korea, focusing on shingles vaccination...

Research shows a significant proportion of patients who suffer a stroke due to carotid artery narrowing can be treated with medication only. A risky carotid artery operation may then no longer be necessary for this group of patients. People with carotid artery stenosis are operated on after they have had a stroke. Thirty years ago, large studies showed that an operation in which a narrowing in the carotid artery is removed reduced the risk of a new stroke. Since then, the medications these patients receive alongside their surgery—such as blood thinners, medication for cholesterol and high blood pressure—have improved significantly....

New research shows a polymer injection can help hearts heal after an attack by targeting inflammation at the molecular level. eart attacks remain a significant health concern in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 805,000 Americans experience a heart attack each year. Heart disease, encompassing heart attacks, is the leading cause of death in the U.S., accounting for about 1 in every 5 deaths. Despite advancements in acute care, many heart attack survivors face a heightened risk of developing heart failure, a chronic condition where the heart cannot pump blood effectively. Addressing...

Researchers report a discovery in cardiac regeneration that offers new hope for the treatment of ischemic heart failure. The study reveals a novel approach to promoting cardiomyocyte proliferation. "When the heart cannot replace injured cardiomyocytes with healthy ones, it becomes progressively weaker, a condition leading to heart failure. In this study, we investigated a new way to stimulate cardiomyocyte proliferation to help the heart heal," said Dr. Riham Abouleisa. Previous studies showed that calcium plays an important role in cardiomyocyte proliferation. In the current study, Abouleisa and her colleagues explored how modulating calcium influx in cardiomyocytes would affect their proliferation....

From diet sodas to zero-sugar ice creams, artificial sweeteners have long been marketed as a guilt-free way to satisfy a sweet tooth. However, new research published in Cell Metabolism suggests that one of the most common sugar substitutes, aspartame, may have unintended consequences for heart health. A team of cardiovascular health experts and clinicians at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden found that aspartame increases animal insulin levels, contributing to atherosclerosis—a buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries. Over time, this buildup can lead to inflammation, an increased risk of heart attacks, and even stroke. Starting with a Can of Soda...

When and what you eat might play a role in maintaining good mental health, a study suggests. Researchers found that folks with heart disease were more likely to keep depression at bay if they ate a big, calorie-rich breakfast. There's evidence that heart disease patients "are more likely to develop depression when compared to the general population—and dietary factors have been shown to play an important role in depression occurrence and development," noted a team led by Hongquan Xie. According to the researchers, the timing of calorie intake "can regulate circadian rhythms and metabolism," and disruptions in circadian rhythms may...

A dietary supplement has been found to stop the progression of heart failure in animal models. The paper has shown that feeding mice a diet that included this supplement, elevated energy-boosting, anti-oxidant fats that circulate in our blood, called plasmalogen lipids, which restores the integrity of damaged cells in a failing heart. Plasmalogens make up about 15% of cell membranes—the outer layer of cells—and are predominantly found in the brain and heart. Disruptions to the cell membrane can change the composition of the lipids within cells and that can contribute to and exacerbate the seriousness of diseases including obesity, neurological...

A research team found that a subset of artificial heart patients can regenerate heart muscle, which may open the door to new ways to treat and perhaps someday cure heart failure. There is no cure for heart failure, though medications can slow its progression. The only treatment for advanced heart failure, other than a transplant, is pump replacement through an artificial heart, called a left ventricular assist device. Said Hesham Sadek, MD, Ph.D., "When a heart muscle is injured, it doesn't grow back. We have nothing to reverse heart muscle loss." Sadek led a collaboration between international experts to investigate...

I told you here about Pfizer’s abstract of its Interim Report 5, showing at least 23-40% higher risk of some heart-related conditions in the vaccinated, but that the MHRA, the U.K. medicines regulator, was withholding publication of the full report. As I said at the time : “In summary, if, as I suspect, MHRA is worried by the results in Pfizer’s ‘Interim Report 5’ then no wonder it is sitting on it.” Well, MHRA is still sitting on the report but I’ve managed to obtain a copy. It looks like I was right – the detailed results in the full...

All patients who have had a heart attack are typically treated using beta blockers. According to a study conducted earlier in 2024, this drug is unlikely to be needed for those heart patients who have normal pumping ability. Now a sub-study shows that there is also a risk that these patients will become depressed by the treatment. Beta blockers are drugs that block the effects of adrenaline on the heart and have been used for decades as a basic treatment for all heart attack patients. In recent years, their importance has started to be questioned as new, successful treatments have...

Researchers have identified a new target to treat atherosclerosis, a condition where plaque clogs arteries and causes major cardiac issues, including stroke and heart attack. In a study, the team identified an inflammation-reducing molecule—called itaconate (ITA)—that could be the foundation of a new approach to treat such a common and deadly disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women and people of most racial and ethnic groups, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Medications help but don't completely protect patients from cardiovascular risk. So, doctors also recommend lifestyle changes, such as a...

Trendy weight-loss drugs making headlines for shrinking waistlines may also be shrinking the human heart and other muscles, according to a new University of Alberta study whose authors say should serve as a “cautionary tale” about possible long-term health effects of these drugs. “If people have been prescribed these drugs, then the benefits should likely far exceed the risks,” says Jason Dyck, lead author on the study, pediatrics professor in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry and a member of the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute. “However, the growing number of people who may be taking these drugs who...

People infected with the COVID-19 virus in 2020 may have double the risk for future heart attacks, strokes or premature death from any cause up to three years later – even if they never showed signs of severe illness, according to new research. The risk may be considerably higher in people hospitalized for COVID-19 in the first year of the pandemic. The findings suggest that being hospitalized for COVID-19 in 2020 was a "coronary artery disease risk equivalent," conferring a higher risk for future heart attacks, strokes or death in people without a history of cardiovascular disease than the risk...

Doctors have used a new catheter-based approach to draw out resistant pockets of infection that settle in the heart, known as right-sided infective endocarditis, without surgery. Unless treated quickly, the walled-off infections can grow, severely damaging heart valves and potentially affecting other organs as well. In a recent study, over 90% of the participants had their infection cleared, and they had lower in-hospital mortality compared to those whose infections remained. The research is part of a Mayo Clinic-led study across 19 U.S. sites involving patients who were not good candidates for surgery and whose right-sided heart infections had not responded...

The levels of caffeine in your blood could affect the amount of body fat you carry, a factor that in turn could determine your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Those are the findings of a 2023 study that used genetic markers to establish a more definitive link between caffeine levels, BMI, and type 2 diabetes risk. The research team, from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, the University of Bristol in the UK, and Imperial College London in the UK, said calorie-free caffeinated drinks could be explored as a potential means of helping reduce body fat levels....