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The Shot That Prevents Heart Attacks By Lisa Collier Cool Nov 26, 2012 If you’re tempted to skip your flu shot, consider this: Getting vaccinated cuts risk for a heart attack or stroke by up to 50 percent, according to two studies presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress. Scientists from TIMU Study Group and Network for Innovation in Clinical Research analyzed published clinical trials involving a total of 3,227 patients, half of whom had been diagnosed with heart disease. Participants, whose average age was 60, were randomly assigned to either receive flu vaccine or a placebo shot, then their health...

ESPN NFL analyst Mike Ditka is in the hospital after suffering a minor stroke on Friday.

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and his state of health is so precarious that he has trouble feeding, speaking and recognizing people, said a Venezuelan physician who assured El Nuevo Herald that he has access to firsthand sources and information. “He suffered an embolic stroke and recognizes absolutely no one,” said José Marquina, a respected doctor who in the past has claimed to have direct information about the illness affecting President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela. “The people with a condition of this nature have difficulty eating and, of course, they end up with total deficit in...

It may be possible to use a drug to prevent some of the lasting and crippling damage caused by a stroke, according to doctors in the US and Canada. A safety trial, published in the Lancet Neurology medical journal, suggested the chemical NA-1 was safe to use. The study on 185 people also hinted that patients given the drug developed fewer regions of damaged brain tissue. The Stroke Association said that it was promising, but needed more research. Tests in primates had suggested NA-1 prevented brain cells dying when a stroke starved them of oxygen.

The Healing Power of Touch: Tickling Reduces Stroke-Induced Brain Damage in Rats Tickling a rat's whiskers after it has a stroke prevents brain damage By Mark LescroartJuly 11, 2011Strokes cripple more people in the U.S. than any other disease. Modern drugs can unblock clogged arteries if patients get to care facilities in time. But the longer the trip to the hospital, the more nerve cells die from lack of blood. Better ways to avert brain damage could dramatically improve patients’ quality of life. Recently a team of neuroscientists stumbled on a very low tech way to completely prevent stroke damage...

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation Not Associated With Lower Risk of Major Cardiovascular Disease Events In a study that included nearly 70,000 patients, supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids was not associated with a lower risk of all-cause death, cardiac death, sudden death, heart attack, or stroke, according to an analysis of previous studies published in the Sept. 12 issue of JAMA. "Treatment with marine-derived omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) for the prevention of major cardiovascular adverse outcomes has been supported by a number of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and refuted by others. Although their mechanism of action is not clear,...

Regularly indulging in chocolate may actually help men decrease their risk of having a stroke, according to a Swedish study. Researchers writing in the journal Neurology found that of more than 37,000 men followed for a decade, those who ate the most chocolate—typically the equivalent of one-third of a cup of chocolate chips—had a 17 per cent lower risk of stroke than men who avoided chocolate. The study is hardly the first to link chocolate to cardiovascular benefits, with several previous ones suggesting that chocolate fans have lower rates of certain risks for heart disease and stroke, like high blood...

United States Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) reveals the progress that he has made in his recovery after suffering an ischemic stroke in January. Sen. Kirk recently completed a 9-week mobility study at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, where he worked tirelessly to improve his walking, speech, and mobility. During the course of the study, Sen. Kirk walked a total of 14.79 miles and climbed 145 flights of stairs.

GT'er 23Skidoo Needs Prayers (Glocktalk) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He's had another stroke, his second in 2 years. This one sounds even worse than the first, from what his sister-in-law has said so far. This is what she posted initially, on 7/31 "I AM ASKING FOR PRAYERS FOR MY BROTHER-N-LAW. HE HAS HAD ANOTHER STROKE THIS MORNING AND AS OF RIGHT NOW THINGS DON'T LOOK VERY GOOD. SO PLEASE ASK GOD TO HELP HIM RECOVER." And this is the update she gave me later, "LONE UPDATE.....HE HASN'T WOKE UP YET BUT WHEN I GOT UP THERE I STARTED I STARTED PESTERING HIM TO...

UT Dallas researchers recently demonstrated how nerve stimulation paired with specific experiences, such as movements or sounds, can reorganize the brain. This technology could lead to new treatments for stroke, tinnitus, autism and other disorders. In a related paper, UT Dallas neuroscientists showed that they could alter the speed at which the brain works in laboratory animals by pairing stimulation of the vagus nerve with fast or slow sounds. A team led by Dr. Robert Rennaker and Dr. Michael Kilgard looked at whether repeatedly pairing vagus nerve stimulation with a specific movement would change neural activity within the laboratory rats'...

A scientific study likely to stir the souls of chocoholics has suggested that eating dark chocolate every day for 10 years could reduce the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes in some high-risk patients. The researchers, whose work was published in the British Medical Journal on Friday, stressed the protective effects have only been shown for dark chocolate containing at least 60 to 70 percent cocoa - not for milk or white chocolate. This is probably due to higher levels of flavonoids in dark chocolate.

Neither aspirin nor warfarin is superior for preventing a combined risk of death, stroke, and cerebral hemorrhage in heart failure patients with normal heart rhythm, according to a landmark clinical trial published in the May 3, 2012, New England Journal of Medicine. The 10-year Warfarin and Aspirin for Reduced Cardiac Ejection Fraction (WARCEF) trial is the largest double-blind comparison of these medications for heart failure, following 2,305 patients at 168 study sites in 11 countries on three continents. The research was led by clinical principal investigator Shunichi Homma, MD, of Columbia University Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and statistical principal investigator John...

oday U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) released a video outlining the progress of his recovery after suffering from an ischemic stroke in January and expressed his deep gratitude to the people of Illinois for allowing him the time he needs to recover. "I want to thank everyone especially for the patience they have given me to recover from a big stroke," said Kirk. "[And also] to the people of Illinois for granting me the honor to represent them in the United States Senate. I cannot wait to get back to work to vote to spend less, borrow less and tax...

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, who suffered a stroke in January, has gone home. Kirk (R-Ill.), 52, had been hospitalized since he first suffered stroke symptoms on Jan. 21. Since February, he has been at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, where his doctors said he has made steady progress and will be involved in a research project that involves more field rehabilitation than normal. Though he will be spending nights at the homes of “various relatives,” his staff said, he will be reporting by day to the RIC to continue his rehab. A lift has been installed on the stairs at...

Today I said goodbye to my 83 year old father Richard G. Pulido. I brought him home 1 week ago as he decided to stop doing dialysis because there were so many other things going wrong with him. It was my first hospice expeience and for the most part it went ok. My father, a man of Mexican decennt was the most " unlikely Conservaive" Teaching me and my sibling the golden rule first and foremost PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY! My father handed down to me a great work ethic. He made himself successful with out a college degree. He had smarts...

Researchers from the University of East Anglia found that flavonoid-rich foods, like oranges and grapefruit, can help protect against strokes in women. This study was published in the journal, Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. In this study, the researchers followed 69,622 women for 14 years. The researchers monitored the protective nature of flavonoids, an antioxidant found in fruits, vegetables, dark chocolate and red wine. During the study, every four years, the women reported their fruit and vegetable intake. As a result, the researchers were able to look for relationships between flavonoid intake and the risk of ischemic, hemorrhagic...

The Republican senator elected in 2010 to fill the seat once occupied by Barack Obama suffered a stroke Saturday and underwent surgery today to repair related damage, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Mr. [Mark] Kirk, 51 years old and a freshman Republican, checked himself into Lake Forest Hospital on Saturday, and doctors found damage to his carotid artery on the right side of his neck. He was transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where tests revealed he had suffered a stroke. His office said the surgery was successful.“Due to his young age, good health and the nature...

Sen. Mark Kirk undergoes surgery after suffering stroke 9:31 a.m. CST, January 23, 2012 U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk underwent surgery today at Northwestern Memorial Hospital after suffering a stroke, his office said. "On Saturday, Senator Kirk checked himself into Lake Forest Hospital, where doctors discovered a carotid artery dissection in the right side of his neck," his office said in a statement.

Doctors believed Sam Goddard would be in permanent vegetative state after eight strokesFiancée who stood by him discovered Ambien had helped other sufferers Read more: here

Taking aspirin regularly can cut the long-term risk of cancer, according to the first major study of its kind. British researchers found it can reduce the risk by 60 per cent in people with a family history of the disease. The landmark research covering 16 countries is the first proof that the painkiller has a preventive action that is likely to benefit anyone using it every day.