ASPIRIN DURING A HEART ATTACK: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Chewing an aspirin tablet during the first symptoms of what could be a heart attack can save your life. But in order for it to work properly, you must understand which kind of aspirin to take, and how to take it.
Why?
A heart attack is usually the result of a blood clot in a coronary artery that blocks blood flow. Aspirin inhibits the formation of a clot and helps restore blood flow.
What?
Chewing one regular-strength adult 325-milligram (mg) aspirin, and swallowing it, should be sufficient. Avoid coated aspirins, as they are absorbed slowly. If you normally take an 81-mg aspirin (baby aspirin) as part of your daily aspirin therapy to prevent cardiac events, you’ll still want the full-size 325-mg version to take during a heart attack.
How?
If you’re over 50, and surely if you have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease, always carry an aspirin tablet in a small pillbox in your pocket or purse. Chewing an uncoated aspirin and swallowing it quickly will speed the medicine through your bloodstream. If you’re wrong, and you’re not having a heart attack, the one aspirin won’t hurt you. If you’re already taking low-dose daily aspirin, you still should chew a regular-strength aspirin at the first signs of a possible heart attack.
When?
Chew the aspirin as soon as you realize you may be having a heart attack. Also call 911. Don’t ever try to drive yourself to the hospital if you think you’re having a heart attack. If possible, have a list available for emergency personnel detailing all the medications you take and other health information. – Harvard Health Letter
LOSING YOUR SENSE OF SMELL?
You may take it for granted that a loss of smell is just part of aging. And to some degree, you’re right.
“After age 65, many people lose some sense of smell, and we don’t know exactly why,” says Dr. Eric Holbrook, assistant professor of otology and laryngology of Harvard Medical School. But if loss of smell lasts longer than a few weeks, it may indicate an underlying problem.
Causes
Our brains detect smell through receptors located high inside the nose and in a channel near the roof of the throat. A reduction in smell and taste may result when there is damage to the smell receptors or there are blockages in the nose.
Blockages may be caused by colds, allergies, sinus infections, and growths in the nose or sinuses called polyps. Nerve damage can result from head trauma, radiation for head and neck cancers, nasal surgery, brain tumors, diabetes, obesity, smoking, exposure to air pollutants, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
“Especially for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, loss of smell is one of the first symptoms,” says Dr. Holbrook. Some medications such as nasal decongestants used for long periods may also cause a loss of smell.
Side effects
A reduction in your sense of smell puts you in some danger. You may not be able to smell smoke from a fire, natural gas leaks, or spoiled food. A loss of smell may also affect your quality of life, since it can reduce your ability to taste food.
“People still get hungry, but eating is not as enjoyable as it used to be,” says Dr. Holbrook. As a result, some people eat less and risk malnutrition.
What you should do
Don’t jump to conclusions about underlying causes of smell loss, advises Dr. Holbrook.
“Just because you’ve lost some of your sense of smell, it doesn’t mean you have a neurodegenerative disorder,” he says. But anything that lasts more than a few weeks is worth investigating. To help your doctor make a diagnosis, report anything that occurred when the loss of smell or taste started, such as a change in medication, headaches, or nasal obstruction.
Treatment for loss of smell caused by inflammation or blockage might involve topical steroids, antibiotics, or surgery. However, sometimes the sense of smell does not return. And when the doctor suspects neurodegenerative causes, brain imaging may be required. But the more serious causes are unusual. – Harvard Health Letter
NO NEED FOR ULCER DRUGS AFTER ERADICATING H. PYLORI BACTERIA?
After eliminating the bacterial infection that causes bleeding peptic ulcers, it may not be necessary to continue taking acid-reducing medications, according to a study in the American Journal of Gastroenterology .
Infection with the Helicobacter pylori bacteria causes ulcers. People with ulcers commonly take a drug to reduce stomach acid secretion. It’s been unclear whether people should continue taking these drugs after being treated for H. pyloriinfection.
Researchers in Spain studied 1,000 people with ulcers. After antibiotic treatment, participants were instructed not to use aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which can cause stomach bleeding. They also stopped taking acid-reducing medications.
After two years of follow-up, only three people experienced ulcer rebleeding, which was attributed to either use of NSAIDs or new H. pylori infection. The study suggests that if people have their H. pylori eradicated and avoid NSAIDs, they may not have to take acid-reducing medications. – Harvard Men’s Health Watch
FALL PREVENTION: WHAT WORKS?
Nearly a third of people ages 65 and older will fall each year, and one in 10 of those falls will lead to a fracture. Over the years, several studies have tried to pinpoint the most effective fall prevention strategies. Recently, a group of researchers reviewed the evidence from 159 fall prevention trials and identified several effective interventions, including these:
1. Making home safety modifications (especially those designed by an occupational therapist)
2. Performing home-based exercise programs and tai chi
3. Having surgery to correct certain conditions, including cataract surgery, and pacemaker insertion in people with carotid sinus hypersensitivity (a condition that causes rapid changes in heart rate and blood pressure)
4. Adjusting doses of anxiety and depression medications
5. Wearing anti-slip shoes in icy conditions.
Other treatments evaluated either didn’t reduce the risk for falls or increased it. For example, changing an eyeglass prescription increased the risk for falls. Taking vitamin D supplements didn’t prevent falls, except in people who had low levels of the vitamin. – Harvard Women’s Health Watch
