PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 8-Sep-2014 Contact: Emma Dickinson edickinson@bmj.com 44-020-738-36529 BMJ-British Medical Journal http://www.twitter.com/bmj_latest But high doses were no better than dummy (placebo treatment), the findings indicated. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil are able to cross over from the bloodstream into heart cells where they work to stabilise heart rhythm and protect against heart attacks. This is particularly important for people with epilepsy because they have a significantly higher risk of having a heart attack than those without the condition. And experimental research indicates that omega 3 fatty acids can also cross over into the central nervous system, where they reduce the excitability of brain cells which trigger seizures. But previous research looking at the impact of high dose fish oil on seizure frequency in people whose epilepsy no longer responded to treatment, found that it didn't affect seizure frequency. The researchers in the current study wanted to know what difference, if any, low dose fish oil made to seizure frequency and/or cardiovascular health. Twenty four people, whose epilepsy was no longer responsive to drugs were therefore given three separate treatments, each lasting 10 weeks, and separated by a period of 6 weeks. Read this article: Fish oil … Continue reading →

HEALTH Posted TODAY, 4:41 PM Updated TODAY, 5:35 PM ATLANTA - An estimated 800,000 Americans suffer from a stroke every day, according to the Center for Disease Control. Studies show anyone is at risk including teenagers and children. It happened to one mothers young son but now shes fighting a different fight by helping him regain his independence. At just age 18, Jake suffered a stroke. The injury to his brain was devastating to Jake and his mother. Ann Nicolopulos, Jakes mother, told Ivanhoe, He had this handicap and the way that I was treating him, all I was doing was handicapping him even more. The four year long road to recovery hasnt been easy. Ann Nicolopulos told Ivanhoe, "Jake is able to walk independently, it's a little limp but it's ok. He drives and he's definitely left hand dominate now, the right arm is more of an assist. His speech, thats definitely a difficulty. Now at 22, Jake is a college student. Medical experts say successful stroke recovery has challenges, starting with a lack of awareness that stroke does happen in the young. Doctors say early diagnosis is crucial. See the article here: Stroke In Young Adults … Continue reading →

Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors Older Women Reduce Stroke, Death Risks with Potassium-Rich Foods Studied women 50 to 79 over 11 years; women who ate the most potassium were 10% less likely to die Highlights > The health benefits from potassium-rich foods are greater among older women who do not have high blood pressure. > Most older American women do not eat the recommended amounts of potassium from foods. > See list of Potassium-Rich Foods in Story > More below about Potassium and High Blood Pressure Sept. 8, 2014 - Postmenopausal women who eat foods higher in potassium are less likely to have strokes and die than women who eat less potassium-rich foods, according to new research in the American Heart Associations journal Stroke. Previous studies have shown that potassium consumption may lower blood pressure. But whether potassium intake could prevent stroke or death wasnt clear, said Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, Ph.D., study senior author and distinguished university professor emerita, department of epidemiology and population health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY. See the article here: Older Women Reduce Stroke, Death Risks with Potassium-Rich Foods … Continue reading →