Battling Heart and Stroke

When I and my family went mountain walking last weekend, I observed a young man donning on protective gear as he gear as he prepared for his downhill bicycle ride down from the 1400-meter mountain we were on. Helmet, elbow pads, knee pads - and pads around the torso. I’m not a mountain cyclist myself so I’d only imagine the dangers of such a sport. And I wondered - can his protective gear protect him if he falls?

Commotion of the heart

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Red yeast extract also know as Xuezhikang or XZK for short, has been the subject of great controversy. Is it or is not good for cardiovascular health?

On August 9, 2007, the US FDA issued a warning to consumers against the use of red yeast rice products in the treatment of high blood cholesterol. These products which are sold as nutritional supplements (and therefore bought over-the-counter (OTC)) contain lovastatin, the active ingredient of anti-cholesterol prescription drugs such as Mevacor.

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Last May 21, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the government agency that is in charge of civil aviation safety issued a ban on the use of the smoking cessation drug varenicline by airline pilots and air traffic controllers, as reported by the New York Times.

The following day, on May 22, the US Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the agency in charge of safety in the interstate trucking and bus industry also issued the ban for bus and truck drivers.

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We all get spam emails about cheap drugs sold over the Internet. However, these drugs and their distributors not only clutter your inbox, they actually present serious health hazards to those who actually buy and use them.

Here are examples of drugs that can harm your heart and badly affect your blood pressure:

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