Medicare now approves weight-loss drugs for people with heart problems
There has been much attention in the media to an announcement from Medicare in mid-March 2024. In essence, it said that it has now agreed to start paying for one of the leading weight-loss drugs for people with heart problems when it is prescribed to treat overweight or obese patients if they are at risk […] Treating Heart Failure
What is heart failure? Heart failure is a term that describes what happens if the heart can’t pump enough oxygen-rich blood to support all of the other organs in the body. Treating heart failure can involve a range of medications, as well as lifestyle changes and, in extreme cases, surgical interventions or implants of specialized […] Infection with COVID-19 can endanger the heart
It was already known that people with pre-existing heart conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure) were more likely to suffer more severe symptoms if they became infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. A recent analysis of electronic medical records for more than 45,000 people found that the converse may also be true. Infection with COVID-19 […] Heart Failure and Heat: A Recipe for Disaster
As summer wanes and temperatures moderate, our focus naturally moves from the unprecedented extreme temperatures that have created dangerous weather in so many parts of the country. As healthy as it is to move forward, it is important to remember some lessons learned – especially regarding how high temperatures can affect heart health and even […] A balanced approach to treating Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be the leading cause of death among adults in America, not only because of its direct effect on the heart (through heart attacks or congestive heart failure) but also because of stroke and renal failure. At the same time, […] New (and improved) diabetes meds for heart and kidney disease
Often, in the world of medicine, progress is made in unexpected ways. Researchers sometimes find solutions to problems not by carefully planned experiments but by happy accidents. A prime example of this is in recent advancements in treating heart and kidney disease with new families of medications initially intended to treat people with type 2 […] FDA approval of Farxiga for treatment of heart failure
In May 2023, the FDA allowed the treatment of heart failure with Farxiga (dapagliflozin), a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor. The first SGLT2 inhibitor to be FDA-approved was Invokana (canagliflozin) in March 2013, followed by the approval of Farxiga (dapagliflozin) and Jardiance (empagliflozin) later on in 2014. They were approved for managing diabetes. Under […] ED medication can boost heart health
Most of the widespread knowledge about drugs like Viagra, Levitra and Cialis, which are based on variants of PDE-5 inhibitors, is focused on their ability to induce more vigorous and sustained erections in men suffering erectile dysfunction (ED). A quick search in Google for “PDE-5 harder longer” shows thirty-three million matches! But now research is […] The dangers of thrombosis from blood clots
The dangers of thrombosis from blood clots are that when a clot forms inside the veins and arteries, it could dislodge and travel downstream to other parts of the body, leading to life-threatening events. Pulmonary embolism, heart attack, or stroke become real dangers to the lungs, heart, and brain, respectively, from blood clots. Blood clotting […] Understanding how Norvasc helps fight heart disease
This article focuses on one of the main types of heart disease: hypertension (often called high blood pressure). We will address many of the symptoms and highlight how Norvasc, one of the most preferred forms of treatment today, helps fight heart disease. Putting aside the sudden appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic, heart disease is among […] 
