Latest news with #AmericanHeartAssociationNews
The Star
28-06-2025
- Health
- The Star
A neurologist shares his journey with Alzheimer's disease
It was 2006 when Dr Daniel Gibbs first noticed he was losing his sense of smell. But it wasn't what he didn't smell that tipped him off that something might be wrong. It was what he did smell: perfume, mixed with baked bread – 'The same thing, every time,' he said. The neurologist in Portland, Oregon, United States, knew this was an olfactory hallucination. And that meant something wasn't working properly in his brain. 'I attributed it to getting older, which is a common cause of decreased ability to smell,' he said. But Dr Gibbs was just 57 – not so old that he should be losing his sense of anything. 'I also knew losing your sense of smell was an early sign of Parkinson's disease, so I thought it might be that.' It wasn't. Dr Gibbs was experiencing an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease. But it would be another six years before he knew it. He has since written a book about his experience, which was turned into a documentary. He also keeps a regular blog to help people understand what it's like to live with Alzheimer's. These days, he spends a lot of his time learning and talking about how to slow progression of the disease – something he's been trying to do since he got his diagnosis more than a decade ago. Dr Gibbs and his wife, Lois Seed, discussed what he's learned about Alzheimer's dementia and how he navigates the condition for The Experts Say , an American Heart Association News series in which specialists explain how they apply their professional knowledge to their own lives. Their remarks have been edited in the below Q&A. When did you realise your symptoms were due to Alzheimer's disease? Dr Gibbs: In 2012, Lois was doing a genealogical project, so we did some genetic testing. Mine came back showing I had two copies of APOE4, a gene known to influence the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, which totally gobsmacked me. Having two copies means it is almost certain to eventually cause Alzheimer's. I had no measurable cognitive impairment at that time. I was in charge of the neurology resident training programme at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, and I was seeing patients in the clinic, so it was a very busy year for me. Even though it was difficult, I was still able to get all the balls to balance in the air. What did you do once you knew your genetic risk for Alzheimer's? Dr Gibbs: The first thing I did was to go to one of my colleagues and have some cognitive testing done. It was essentially normal with the caveat that all of my cognitive domains were in the 90th percentile except verbal memory, which was in the 50th percentile. So there was a strong hint that there was some incipient loss of function of verbal memory. With that in hand, I went to my department chair and explained the situation. I had no impairment, but did not feel it was safe for me to continue to practice. I retired in 2013. Seed: You also went looking for studies you could join, because it's a big deal to see people before they experience symptoms. Dr Gibbs: That's right, I went to the University of California in San Francisco, because they have a ton of studies there. The first study I was involved with was a longitudinal neuroimaging study. I had PET (positron emission tomography) scans of abnormal amyloid and PET scans for tau proteins – two protein clusters in the brain that play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. And I had cognitive testing. They loved having me down there because they rarely have people with as early a stage of disease as I showed up with. About a year later, I joined a clinical trial for an anti-amyloid antibody drug that is now approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat early Alzheimer's disease. What else did you learn about how to slow progression of the disease? Dr Gibbs: This is not rocket science. The sort of things that are good preventive behaviour for brain disease are also good for preventing heart and vascular disease. There are evidence-based lifestyle changes that include: Getting daily aerobic exercise Eating a Mediterranean-style diet, such as the MIND diet Getting mentally-stimulating activity Staying socially engaged Getting at least seven hours of sleep nightly, and Getting good control of any cerebrovascular risk factors, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and smoking. What's good for the heart is good for the brain! Dr Gibbs notes that it is difficult to know what to expect as his Alzheimer's progresses as previously, most people with the disease were only living three to five years after the diagnosis as they were being diagnosed late. How do you put this knowledge into practice? Dr Gibbs: Walking is just built into my day. I do it with my dog, Jack, an 11-year-old English cocker spaniel who is about to age out. He can't keep up with 10,000 steps as easily any more, so I take some walks by myself. We live in the hills, so I'm getting very good aerobic exercise, short of running. I used to go to the gym, but that stopped at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. I also have a short workout at home. The first thing I do is I use resistance bands, which is a strength exercise. That takes about 15 minutes, and then I do tai chi pretty religiously, something I started six months ago. I can clearly see that it helps my balance, but I can't see if it helps my brain, which is continuing to do more poorly. And thanks to Lois, I've been eating a healthy diet, really forever. Seed: I didn't have control over those french fries you were eating. Dr Gibbs: I don't eat red meat any more. I closely follow the MIND diet, which is essentially the Mediterranean diet with more berries and nuts. It includes a heavy focus on fruits and vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains, seafood, lean poultry, and uses olive oil to cook. I'm quite happy with it. ALSO READ: What is MIND, the diet that may help protect against Alzheimer's disease? Because I lost my sense of smell, which is totally gone now, I have virtually no taste either. I eat the same thing for lunch and breakfast every day. I enjoy it. I make a sandwich on whole wheat bread that has tuna salad and garbanzo beans, avocado and arugula to get the dark leafy greens. Then some grapes or bananas, and half a dark chocolate bar. Breakfast is homemade granola, and I add cranberries or blueberries. I throw walnuts in as well. Dinner is whatever Lois picks that I can eat. I stopped drinking alcohol. There's no safe amount of alcohol if you are on this trajectory. So I got rid of it, but I used to love red wine. Do you know what to expect as the disease progresses? Dr Gibbs: That's a difficult question to answer. In the old days, when people got a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, they were only living three to five years after that because we made the diagnosis so late. There's less information out there about people who have known they have the disease for a long time and how they will do going forward. Seed: There's a lot of confusion and misconception because there are different types of dementia. Alzheimer's tends to progress more slowly. The early stage can last 20 years. Here we are 13 years after his diagnosis and Dan's really doing well. I'm a little more of a caregiver than I was a few years ago, but not by much. He dresses himself and monitors medications, and people who talk to him casually wouldn't even know. We've been at that plateau for quite some time. How would you describe the stage you're at right now? Dr Gibbs: Right now, I have mild Alzheimer's dementia. To say you have dementia is to say you are having trouble managing your personal affairs. I'm just at a stage now where I can't balance a chequebook. And as things go along, I will have more problems with memory and the ability to recognise people and remember their names. I've lost my train of thought. Seed: You were talking about what stage you're at. Dr Gibbs: When I'm not remembering where I am, then I will have severe dementia. There are memories I have going back through my whole life. They tend to be events that are emotionally-laden. I'm terrible with names. I know my immediate family members. My neighbours, I forget their names. Lois is taking over the things I can't manage any more, like the financial part of our lives, anything that involves planning ahead, scheduling, calendars, remembering all the family stuff, managing the household. She also goes with me when I have a talk to give. Seed: He gives talks on Alzheimer's, but almost every time that Dan is getting ready to speak to a group, he gets frustrated and says, 'This is the last time I'm doing this,' because getting his thoughts together is challenging. He writes out notes. Most of the talks he gives now are screening events for the film with question-and-answer sessions. Dr Gibbs: It works well if Lois is there to find ... Seed: Words. Dr Gibbs: That makes it easier. – By Laura Williamson/American Heart Association News/Tribune News Service
Japan Today
08-06-2025
- Health
- Japan Today
Want to stay healthy when you fly? Here's the plane truth
By Michael Merschel, American Heart Association News Whether your vacation plans involve a romantic getaway to a faraway locale or just a summer visit with the grandkids, odds are an airplane will be involved. For the most part, planes are a great way to go, health experts say. "Overall, it's a very safe mode of transportation," said Dr. Leigh Speicher, an aerospace medicine specialist who is president of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. But commercial air travel does come with some health baggage. Issues range from simple stress to "complex physiologic changes occurring in the setting of air travel that can affect the heart, the blood vessels and the brain-heart axis," said Dr. Laurence Sperling, the Katz Professor in Preventive Cardiology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Here's what the doctors say you can do to stay grounded in health before you're cleared for departure. Beware of the air? In the jet-travel anthem "Come Fly With Me," Frank Sinatra sang that once you're up there, where the air is rarefied, you can just glide, starry-eyed. But that rarefied air can pose a health challenge for some. On commercial flights, cabin air is usually pressurized to the equivalent of around 6,000 to 8,000 feet in altitude, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's roughly the elevation of Estes Park, Colorado, or Mount Olympus in Washington, and it means passengers are inhaling less oxygen than they might normally. That pressurized air can also be dry – around 5% to 25% relative humidity, according to a research review published in Clinical Cardiology in 2017 about air travel's cardiovascular effects. Sperling, a preventive cardiologist who founded the Emory Center for Heart Disease Prevention, was senior author of that review. Speicher, who started piloting planes as a teenager, said most healthy people will be fine breathing the cabin air. But the CDC says the lower pressure can exacerbate problems for people with anemia, underlying lung issues, cerebrovascular disease such as stroke, or other conditions that require supplemental oxygen. The Clinical Cardiology review adds heart disease and heart failure, where the heart can't pump efficiently. If you have any concerns about whether it's safe for you to fly, ask a doctor, Speicher said. "Your best resource to talk to is your own primary care provider. Or, if you've had a recent heart attack or a stroke, it might be the specialist who's cared for you." The lower air pressure in the cabin also causes gas trapped inside the body to expand. That can affect someone who has had bypass surgery within the past 10 days, the Clinical Cardiology review said. Expanding air inside the body also can lead to abdominal pain, sinus pain or "airplane ear," Speicher said. The CDC says decongestants can help with ear and sinus symptoms. But because decongestants can raise blood pressure, they should be used for the shortest duration possible or avoided altogether in people with severe or uncontrolled high blood pressure, according to guidelines from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology. Flying dry The low humidity inside a plane can lead to problems such as dry eye or a cough, Speicher said. To combat dehydration, she recommends traveling with your own water bottle, which you can fill once you clear airport security. Be careful with caffeine and alcohol, she said, both of which can be dehydrating. The air aboard modern planes is filtered and "cleaner than most of our homes and buildings that we're in," Speicher said. So when it comes to airborne viruses and bacteria, "it's not like you're being exposed to everyone in the whole plane." But you can still be exposed to germs from the people around you, she said, and if you're sick, you can expose them as well. "I'm not at the point where I would say, 'Everyone needs to wear a mask for every flight,'" she said. But in case you end up next to somebody who is coughing and not wearing a mask themselves, "I think it's lovely to have one on hand." Blood clot risks The long periods of immobility that come with air travel can elevate the risk for deep vein thrombosis – clots that begin in large veins, often in a leg. If a clot travels to the lungs, it can be fatal. Such clots are rare, but Speicher and Sperling both recommend using compression socks on longer flights. Stay well-hydrated, Sperling said, and keep blood flowing by not crossing your legs and by flexing your leg muscles while seated, or "get up and walk in the aisle." But don't loiter. Turbulence can strike without warning, Speicher said. So when you're seated, buckle up, she said. "It'll save you from injury." Stressful? Yes Air travel can be frustrating, to put it mildly. "It's a very stressful time for some people," Speicher said. And that can affect mental health. So "pack your patience," she said. Try to be understanding of your fellow passengers, and listen to the instructions you're given. "The cabin crew and the pilots are trying to do their job. They're trying to get everyone there safely." Nervous fliers should "do the things that help you stay calm in regular life," such as deep breathing, meditation or listening to music, Speicher said. "Travel with someone who centers you and helps you feel safe." Also avoid alcohol, she said. In addition to being dehydrating, it "can compound all the issues going on, instead of calming things down." Pre-flight prep Sperling, who has been on the receiving end of several "Is there a doctor on board?" calls to help people when he's flown, emphasized the importance of checking with your health care team to make sure you're ready to fly. "The physical stress of air travel should not be underestimated," he said. "For many people, it can be the most significant stress test they've had in days, weeks, months or that year." It takes effort to haul luggage through the airport or even just wait in line. "So it's not uncommon for people to unmask some underlying health conditions as they're navigating the stress of air travel." If you're cleared to fly, Sperling said, make plans for keeping up with your regular medications. Keep them in your carry-on luggage. "It's really helpful for a person to have a list of their medications, just to be able to share with whoever is trying to help," he said. People with heart rhythm disorders should carry a copy of a baseline electrocardiogram reading – you can take a photo and store it on your phone, Sperling said. People with implanted devices such as pacemakers or defibrillators should carry the device's card with them. Overseas travelers should make sure they are up to date on vaccinations. Many hospitals have travel specialists who can help. Keep in mind basic needs as well, Speicher said. "I recommend having some snacks or food with you in case there are delays." Don't skimp on sleep Travel can interfere with sleep, which is considered essential for heart health. Adjusting to a new time zone is trickiest when traveling east, Speicher said. "You just stay up a bit later when you travel west." Her simplest advice is to get exposure to mid-morning light to reset your body's internal clock when you travel east. "It's great to get sleep where you can," she said. But be careful with alcohol, which might make you sleepy but can interfere with staying asleep. Sperling cautioned against taking any type of sleep aid or anti-anxiety medication that you don't take regularly. "Stick to your routine," he suggested. If your normal bedtime routine involves reading a book, try the same while you travel. Have fun "Air travel is important for people to see the people they love, their families, their friends, to experience new places and new beauty on this planet," Sperling said. So while putting in the work required by flying, don't lose sight of its rewards. "We should be aware of the risks," Sperling said. "We should be equally aware of the joy." © Copyright 2025 American Heart Association News
San Francisco Chronicle
04-06-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
How a neurologist faces the disease that is slowly stealing his cognitive powers
It was 2006 when Dr. Daniel Gibbs first noticed he was losing his sense of smell. But it wasn't what he didn't smell that tipped him off that something might be wrong. It was what he did smell: perfume, mixed with baked bread. "The same thing, every time." Gibbs, a neurologist in Portland, Oregon, knew this was an olfactory hallucination. And that meant something wasn't working properly in his brain. "I attributed it to getting older, which is a common cause of decreased ability to smell," he said. But Gibbs was just 57 – not so old that he should be losing his sense of anything. "I also knew losing your sense of smell was an early sign of Parkinson's disease, so I thought it might be that." It wasn't. Gibbs was experiencing an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease. But it would be another six years before he knew it. He has since written a book about his experience, which was turned into a documentary. He also keeps a regular blog to help people understand what it's like to live with Alzheimer's. These days, he spends a lot of his time learning and talking about how to slow progression of the disease, something he's been trying to do since he got his diagnosis more than a decade ago. Gibbs and his wife, Lois Seed, discussed what he's learned about Alzheimer's dementia and how he navigates the condition for " The Experts Say," an American Heart Association News series in which specialists explain how they apply their professional knowledge to their own lives. Their remarks have been edited. In 2012, Lois was doing a genealogical project, so we did some genetic testing. Mine came back showing I had two copies of APOE4, a gene known to influence the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, which totally gobsmacked me. Having two copies means it is almost certain to eventually cause Alzheimer's. I had no measurable cognitive impairment at that time. I was in charge of the neurology resident training program at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, and I was seeing patients in the clinic, so it was a very busy year for me. Even though it was difficult, I was still able to get all the balls to balance in the air. What did you do once you knew your genetic risk for Alzheimer's? The first thing I did was to go to one of my colleagues and have some cognitive testing done. It was essentially normal with the caveat that all of my cognitive domains were in the 90th percentile except verbal memory, which was in the 50th percentile. So there was a strong hint that there was some incipient loss of function of verbal memory. With that in hand, I went to my department chair and explained the situation. I had no impairment but did not feel it was safe for me to continue to practice. I retired in 2013. Lois: You also went looking for studies you could join, because it's a big deal to see people before they experience symptoms. That's right, I went to the University of California in San Francisco, because they have a ton of studies there. The first study I was involved with was a longitudinal neuroimaging study. I had PET scans of abnormal amyloid and PET scans for tau proteins – two protein clusters in the brain that play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. And I had cognitive testing. They loved having me down there because they rarely have people with as early a stage of disease as I showed up with. About a year later, I joined a clinical trial for an anti-amyloid antibody drug that is now approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat early Alzheimer's disease. What else did you learn about how to slow progression of the disease? This is not rocket science. The sort of things that are good preventive behavior for brain disease are also good for preventing heart and vascular disease. There are evidence-based lifestyle changes that include getting daily aerobic exercise; eating a Mediterranean-style diet, such as the MIND diet; getting mentally stimulating activity; staying socially engaged; getting at least seven hours of sleep nightly; and getting good control of any cerebrovascular risk factors, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and smoking. What's good for the heart is good for the brain! How do you put this knowledge into practice? Walking is just built into my day. I do it with my dog, Jack, an 11-year-old English cocker spaniel who is about to age out. He can't keep up with 10,000 steps as easily anymore, so I take some walks by myself. We live in the hills, so I'm getting very good aerobic exercise, short of running. I used to go to the gym, but that stopped at the start of the COVID pandemic. I also have a short workout at home. The first thing I do is I use resistance bands, which is a strength exercise. That takes about 15 minutes and then I do tai chi pretty religiously, something I started six months ago. I can clearly see that it helps my balance, but I can't see if it helps my brain, which is continuing to do more poorly. And thanks to Lois, I've been eating a healthy diet, really forever. Lois: I didn't have control over those french fries you were eating. I don't eat red meat anymore. I closely follow the MIND diet, which is essentially the Mediterranean diet with more berries and nuts. It includes a heavy focus on fruits and vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains, seafood, lean poultry and uses olive oil to cook. I'm quite happy with it. Because I lost my sense of smell, which is totally gone now, I have virtually no taste either. I eat the same thing for lunch and breakfast every day. I enjoy it. I make a sandwich on whole wheat bread that has tuna salad and garbanzo beans, avocado and arugula to get the dark leafy greens. Then some grapes or bananas and half a dark chocolate bar. Breakfast is homemade granola, and I add cranberries or blueberries. I throw walnuts in as well. Dinner is whatever Lois picks that I can eat. I stopped drinking alcohol. There's no safe amount of alcohol if you are on this trajectory. So I got rid of it, but I used to love red wine. Do you know what to expect as the disease progresses? That's a difficult question to answer. In the old days, when people got a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, they were only living three to five years after that because we made the diagnosis so late. There's less information out there about people who have known they have the disease for a long time and how they will do going forward. Lois: There's a lot of confusion and misconception because there are different types of dementia. Alzheimer's tends to progress more slowly. The early stage can last 20 years. Here we are 13 years after his diagnosis and Dan's really doing well. I'm a little more of a caregiver than I was a few years ago, but not by much. He dresses himself and monitors medications, and people who talk to him casually wouldn't even know. We've been at that plateau for quite some time. How would you describe the stage you're at right now? Right now, I have mild Alzheimer's dementia. To say you have dementia is to say you are having trouble managing your personal affairs. I'm just at a stage now where I can't balance a checkbook. And as things go along, I will have more problems with memory and the ability to recognize people and remember their names. I've lost my train of thought. Lois: You were talking about what stage you're at. When I'm not remembering where I am, then I will have severe dementia. There are memories I have going back through my whole life. They tend to be events that are emotionally laden. I'm terrible with names. I know my immediate family members. My neighbors, I forget their names. Lois is taking over the things I can't manage anymore, like the financial part of our lives, anything that involves planning ahead, scheduling, calendars, remembering all the family stuff, managing the household. She also goes with me when I have a talk to give. Lois: He gives talks on Alzheimer's, but almost every time that Dan is getting ready to speak to a group, he gets frustrated and says, "This is the last time I'm doing this," because getting his thoughts together is challenging. He writes out notes. Most of the talks he gives now are screening events for the film with question-and-answer sessions. It works well if Lois is there to find … Lois: Words. That makes it easier.
Japan Today
02-05-2025
- Health
- Japan Today
Ace your finals – healthwise, at least
By Michael Merschel, American Heart Association News Even without final exams looming, Andrea Rivera is all too familiar with stress. Rivera, a 23-year-old journalism major, is taking classes at not one but two schools: San Joaquin Delta College in her hometown of Stockton, California, and an hour away at Sacramento State. She's paying her way by working full time as a restaurant manager. Finals make everything more hectic. "My stress just goes completely up," she said, tallying her end-of-semester workload that includes a group project for Spanish, a social media package for journalism and a five-part project for geology. The pressure of finals is familiar to anyone who's been to high school or college, said Dr. Raychelle Cassada Lohmann, a licensed counselor in Cary, North Carolina. "It's a time when all of a sudden everything is coming down the pipeline at once," said Lohmann, who also is an associate professor at the University of Mount Olive and spent 20 years working as a school counselor. In high school, she noted, many courses include state-mandated exams that can affect teachers, "so students may feel that pressure coming from the educators." Finals stress has many layers, said Dr. Leslie Ralph, a licensed clinical psychologist who is coordinator of communications for Counseling and Psych Services at the University of Arizona in Tucson. The most obvious one for many students is that "the final exam can make or break their grade" when a lot of hopes might be pinned on the results. Being cut off from social support or relaxing hobbies during finals only adds to the stress. In general, stress can affect both physical and mental health. Although short-term stress can help you stay alert while you study, long-term stress has been linked to problems such as the risk for developing high blood pressure or having a heart attack or stroke. Stress, which Ralph defined loosely as feeling you have too many demands to keep up with, can also lead people to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as substance abuse. It also can lead to anxiety, where people are consumed by worry and overthinking even when a stressful period is over. That can lead to headaches, sleep difficulties, an upset stomach and more. Here's advice on how to cope with finals stress in a healthy way. Come to terms with procrastination Procrastination isn't always negative, Lohmann said. "Sometimes we're procrastinating because we don't have the pieces we need to solve the problem yet." But close to finals, "procrastination is not your friend." Looking at the big picture of everything that lies ahead can make the challenges seem overwhelming. Her advice is to not see the forest but individual trees – that is, small, achievable tasks that can get you toward your goal. Start by looking at what you need to do for each class, Lohmann said. "You're going to realize that some of the courses that you're taking aren't as difficult as other courses." Figure out which ones need the most work, then divide your time accordingly. "Start with the course that you dislike," she advised, "because that's the one we want to procrastinate on, and that's the one that needs to be at the front of the line." Take care of the basics Include time for your own well-being by making sure you're getting enough sleep and eating healthy food, Ralph said. "Basic self-care is really important," she said, "because we know that when we're stressed, we don't learn or perform optimally, and we can get into a vicious cycle," where the more stressed you are, the worse you perform, and the worse you perform, the more stressed you are. Sleep, Ralph pointed out, is when our brains process memories and consolidate learning. (Sufficient sleep also happens to be essential to heart health.) Lohmann advises carrying healthy snacks to study sessions. Otherwise, you're going to be tempted by fast food, which is hardly the best fuel for your brain as you try to learn. Steer clear of excessive caffeine and energy drinks, she said. Stress can feel like a stimulant, and energy drinks can exacerbate the symptoms of anxiety. And don't skimp on exercise, she said. "Go for a walk, go for a run, do something just to get some fresh air and get that heart rate up." Physical activity can help you learn, problem-solve and improve memory, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Stay connected Ralph said a sense of community is an important barrier against stress, but many students end up feeling lonely in intense academic situations. So studying with friends can help. Lohmann said it can be validating to be around other people who share in your struggles. "You'll hear that you're not alone, that many of them are feeling the same thing that you're feeling." But choose your study groups carefully, Lohmann said. If you're someone who needs help focusing, you don't want to be surrounded by people with the same problem. "You're going to want some of those that are really self-disciplined." Get help High school counselors and college wellness centers can help with problems such as test anxiety, a condition that can cause someone to forget what they've studied under the pressure of an exam. "There are definitely resources available to help you learn to cope with those levels of stress, especially if it's beginning to affect your daily functioning," Lohmann said. Pace yourself Ralph likens finals preparation to training for a marathon. Ideally, you've been "slowly and steadily working toward that end goal" instead of using "big bursts of stressed-out energy, followed by a collapse." But if you find yourself in that latter category, you can still pause to make a plan that makes the best of whatever time you have now. "The last thing we want to do is get very anxious and stressed and procrastinate, and then try to pull an all-nighter or cram right before," Ralph said. "That's like if you were to run a marathon the day before you ran your marathon. It doesn't work that well." Your plan should leave out using drugs or alcohol to cope with stress. You also should avoid beating yourself up if you're in a tough situation. But your plan should include breaks, Ralph said. "It can be scary to say, 'I need to take a break from studying,'" she said, but treating yourself "like a robot" and ignoring warning signs isn't healthy. Keep perspective Students can help themselves by stepping back and looking realistically at the expectations they've put on themselves, Ralph said. Otherwise, they can enter a spiral of "'if I don't pass this final, then I don't get into my major. And if I don't get into my major, then I won't get into graduate school. If I don't get into graduate school, I will never get a job.' And it can just spin on and on." That kind of tunnel vision isn't necessarily accurate, Lohmann said. "I mean, if you've gotten good grades throughout the duration of the semester, this one exam isn't going to break you. But if you are a perfectionist, or you put a lot of pressure on yourself to succeed, you begin to feel that way." She tells students to "keep your eyes on the end goal. Know that this is just a moment in time, and within two or three hours, it's going to be over." And once you pass this course, "you're done with it forever." Rivera, who recently wrote about student stress in the Delta College news publication, acknowledged that she's fallen into some of the traps, getting help from caffeine while sleeping about four hours a night. But she makes time to find a balance by reading, watching TV or talking to someone she knows is watching out for her, such as her dad, whom she describes as her "go-to guy." After her finals end, Rivera plans to take a day off, maybe head to the beach, acknowledge the work she's done – and get ready for the summer class she's taking. But she's indeed focusing on the end goal – in her case, graduating from college debt-free and the life that happens after that. "I'm looking forward to the payoff." © Copyright 2025 American Heart Association News
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Flossing may reduce risk for stroke and irregular heart rhythm
Feb. 21—Laura Williamson American Heart Association News Flossing regularly may lower the risk of some strokes as well as a type of irregular heart rhythm that can increase stroke risk, new research suggests. The findings, which will be presented Wednesday at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles, show people who flossed at least once a week had a lower risk for strokes caused by blood clots coming from the heart and for an irregular heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation, or AFib, that can lead to a stroke. The findings are considered preliminary until the full results are published in a peer-reviewed journal. "I wouldn't say dental flossing is the only thing you need to do to prevent a stroke, but our findings suggest it is one more thing to be added to a healthy lifestyle," said lead researcher Dr. Souvik Sen, a professor and chair of the neurology department at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Sen said prior studies have shown a link between oral health, oral infection and damage to white matter and small blood vessels in the brain, as well as to a buildup of plaque in the arteries that supply blood to the brain. The new study included 6,278 participants who had answered questions about home use of dental floss. About 65% of the participants reported flossing at least once a week. Participants were followed for 25 years to see if they developed AFib or had an ischemic stroke, which occurs when a blood vessel to the brain is blocked. The researchers also looked at the risk of specific types of ischemic stroke: thrombotic strokes, caused by a blood clot in large arteries in the brain; cardioembolic strokes, caused by a clot traveling to the brain from the heart; and lacunar strokes, clots that occur in small arteries deep in the brain. Compared to non-flossers, people who flossed experienced a 22% lower risk of an ischemic stroke, a 44% lower risk of a cardioembolic stroke, and a 12% lower risk of AFib, which developed in 20% of study participants. The analysis showed no link between flossing and thrombotic or lacunar strokes. "Dental flossing reduces oral infections and gum disease, which are linked to inflammation," Sen said. Because inflammation can contribute to the risk for stroke, "it would make sense that if people flossed regularly, it might also reduce the risk of stroke and AFib." Dr. Karen Furie, neurologist-in-chief at Brown University Health in Providence, Rhode Island, said she wasn't surprised that flossing might help reduce stroke risk. "Flossing does help get debris out from between teeth that brushing alone might miss," said Furie, who also is chair of neurology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. "Things that cause inflammation to the gums might be retained food or seeds, things that if not removed might inflame the gums and contribute to a systemic inflammatory state that might affect the health of the blood vessels." But Furie, who was not involved in the study, was surprised the investigation found no association between flossing and thrombotic strokes, because of their link to inflammation and atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaque in the arteries. "I would have thought this type of stroke would have been the most reduced," she said. "It's possible that people who have thrombotic strokes, which you can anticipate because you can see evidence of atherosclerosis in the arteries, were being managed more vigorously than people who had cardioembolic strokes, which come out of the blue." The lower stroke risk could stem from "something fundamentally different about people who floss," Furie said. "The 65% who floss may be people who follow the recommendations of their dentists and doctors and are attentive to the small details of health maintenance. They might be different than the 35% who don't floss, who might not be as compliant or might have other lifestyle or medical factors that reduce their compliance." Managing blood pressure and cholesterol, maintaining a healthy weight, staying physically active, eating a healthy diet and getting enough sleep are all important steps people can take to help prevent strokes, Furie said, but the new study "shows good dental health also matters. That is an important message and something people don't appreciate. Many neglect their oral hygiene, and hopefully this calls attention to it being an important aspect of total good health." American Heart Association News covers heart and brain health. Not all views expressed in this story reflect the official position of the American Heart Association. Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved.
