Barb's Daily Dose

Health Habits Key to Recovery From Heart Disease

Today's Featured Article is from nurse.com News., by Sidney C. Smith Jr., MD, chairman of the guideline writing group and professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Those who are at high risk for myocardial infarction or stroke, or who have already had such an event, can live longer, experience a better quality of life and lower the chance of a repeat attack or the need for artery-opening procedures through healthy habits and medication.

That statement was the crux of joint guidelines released Thursday from the American College of Cardiology Foundation and the American Heart Association. The Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association endorsed the guidelines.

7 Natural Cures for Migraines

Our Featured Guest Writer Today is Nikki Jong, Contributing Editor at Caring.com

For most people who experience an occasional headache, a couple of aspirin will usually do the trick. Migraine sufferers don't have it so easy. Not only do many migraine meds have side effects that range from nausea and stomach ulcers to an increased risk of stroke and even heart attack, but up to two-thirds of users have also reported that they don't deliver satisfactory results.

What to do? Plenty, according to the latest research.

Read more here.

Optimism Decreases Stroke

A recent study found that optimists over 50 had fewer strokes than people with a more negative world view. The exact mechanism isn't known, but it's an interesting finding.  I know that researchers have identified a few genes that are associated with optimism and seeing the glass as half full, and I wonder if those genes also make the brain more resilient.

To learn more about the study and to see a report on ABC news.

MRI Images May Pinpoint Time of Stroke

Today's Special Article was Featured on Caring.com by Staywell Communications

Tuesday, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- MRI images can serve as a "surrogate clock" to pinpoint stroke onset in patients whose symptoms began during sleep, increasing the number of patients eligible for highly effective clot-busting therapy, according to a new study.

Researchers found that MRI data could accurately determine if patients had experienced stroke symptoms within a three-hour period or less, which would allow the use of a clot-busting drug that works best if administered within that window of time.  Tissue plasminogen activator, known as tPA, can dramatically reverse stroke symptoms in those whose strokes are caused by blood closts and blockages, which account for an estimated 85 percent of all strokes.