Barb's Daily Dose

Patients With Pacemakers Should Avoid MRI Scans

Study Examines Potential for When Doctors Decide Benefits of Imaging Outweigh the Risks

Today's Featured Article is from Caring.com

TUESDAY, Dec. 15 (HealthDay News) -- MRI scans can pose a serious risk to people with heart pacemakers, researchers warn.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration researchers exposed pacemakers to a simulated MRI magnetic field and then measured the electrical voltage produced at the tip of the pacemaker lead, where it would touch the interior of the patient's heart.

The exposure to MRI magnetic pulses caused certain pacemakers to deliver a drastically altered pulse and stimulate the heart inappropriately, which could have serious consequences for a patient, the study authors reported in the Dec. 14 edition of BioMedical Engineering OnLine.

Biotech Soybeans Good Source of Omega-3

Featured Article is From Caring.com

Written by:  Robert Preidt

Oil From Engineered Beans Might Help Reduce Heart Attacks, Researchers Say

TUESDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Oil from genetically modified soybeans boosts levels of an important omega-3 fatty acid in the body, which may reduce the risk of heart attacks, U.S. researchers say.  They created soybeans that produce oils rich in stearidonic acid (SDA), which is converted by the body into an omega-3 fatty acid called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

How to Tell if Someone Is Having a Heart Attack

Our Featured Guest Writer Today is Stephanie Trelogan, Senior Editor of Caring.com

Jump to…

• Pay special attention to heart attack symptoms in women
• How to respond if you see signs of a heart attack
• The five signs of heart attack

Quick Summary

Although you're probably familiar with the classic heart attack scenario from movies and TV, most people don't just clutch their chests and fall to the ground. Heart attacks usually start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort, or even more subtle flu-like symptoms.

Whole Grains, Bran May Fight Hypertension in Men

New Findings Replicate Similar Data for Women, Experts Say

Submitted to Caring.com, by Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Aug. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Men, want to keep high blood pressure at bay? Try reaching for whole grains.

That's the message from a Harvard study that found that whole grain foods and foods high in bran bring a boost to heart health. Although this study is among men, data from the Women's Health Study found similar results, the researchers say.

"Whole grains as a part of a prudent, balanced diet may help promote cardiovascular health," said lead researcher Dr. Alan J. Flint, project director at Harvard School of Public Health of the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, on which the new analysis was based. "Higher intake of whole grains was associated with a lower risk of hypertension in our cohort of over 31,000 men," Flint said.

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Hearts & Anger Don't Mix

Recently, researchers at Yale University, found that when people with a known history of irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmia's) were asked to remember an anger inducing experience, their hearts were more likely to develop a certain type of beat that could lead to sudden death. This is more research by a team led by Dr. Rachel Lampert, who have published on this subject in the past. The theory is that when people who are already at risk for a serious arrhythmia experience anger, the flood of stress hormones affects the way the heart beats and can lead to a very rapid heart rate and even death. It's known that it takes a while for those stress hormones to dissipate.