Experts estimate that every year, almost 800,000 people experience a stroke of some kind, be it relatively minor or severe, recurrent or new. This number is alarming when you consider that strokes are the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. While strokes occur every 40 seconds here in the U.S., it is equally startling to know that…
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which has analysed data from the Hospital Cost and Utilization project , senior health conditions accounted for 9 out of the 10 most frequent, fastest growing conditions leading to hospitalization in 2011. While seniors may not account for most of the conditions listed, they are common among this age group. .According to AHRQ’s Statistical Brief…
A study by Zhengzhou University in China, as reported in HealthDay News, found that taking vitamin B supplements may help reduce the risk of stroke by as much as 7 percent. Although vitamin B supplements reduced the risk of stroke, it did not appear to reduce the severity of strokes or the risk of death from stroke. Taking Vitamin B…
As a certified physical therapist I advocate movement and exercise for everyone, and that includes seniors. One of the priorities I set for my home aides is to encourage seniors to move during the day. It helps with heart health and even improves mental health. Now there is evidence from a study called REGARDS (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences…
As a Physical Therapist, I have been telling my patients to take their blood pressure medication and take their time getting out of bed in the morning by “rolling” to one side vs doing a sit up to avoid heart attacks and strokes. According to another recent report in HealthDay News, failure to take blood pressure-lowering medicines as directed greatly increases…
Although post-traumatic stress disorder is associated with retuning veterans, a new study published in the journal PLoS ONE found that people who develop PTSD after a stroke could have a greater risk for heart problems or another stroke because of the psychological issues they endure. Reporter Barbara Bronson Gray, writing for HealthDay, found that the researchers “discovered that patients who…
