heart news stories on Newser

Heart Patients Told Sex Is Safe—but Not Affairs

Rob Quinn — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:23:33 CST

Having sex is safe for the vast majority of heart patients as long as they use a little common sense, according to a report from the American Heart Association. Fewer than 1% of heart attacks are linked to sex and patients cleared for physical activity and capable of climbing two...

Comedies Are Good for Your Heart

Matt Cantor — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:56:10 CDT

To give your heart a boost, turn on The Hangover —but make sure you avoid Halloween. Movies that make you chuckle are good for your vascular function, while stressful war and horror movies hurt your system, a study finds. Researchers showed bits of funny movies one day and the opening...

How to Sync Up Your Heartbeat With Loved One's

Kevin Spak — Thu, 05 May 2011 15:37:05 CDT

Want your heart and your lover's to beat as one? Well, it’s simple: Just have one of you walk over burning coals. In a recent study, researchers monitored people’s heartbeats while they watched their friends or relatives take part in a fire-walking ritual, National Geographic reports. They found that the...

Heart Symbol Latest 'Word' in Oxford Dictionary

Matt Cantor — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:16:05 CDT

The latest addition to the Oxford English Dictionary is beyond words. Today’s online update to the definitive work adds a graphic symbol for the first time: a heart, as in “I heart NY.” Listed under the word “heart” and defined as a verb meaning “to love,” the heart is now...

Now Pulseless, Dick Cheney Rejoins the Living

Evann Gastaldo — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 19:30:05 CST

Dick Cheney no longer has a pulse. But he is still alive, thanks to the mechanical heart pump he received in July. The pump, reports the New York Times , both saved his life and allowed him to start living it again. Case in point: Last month, after being out of...

Farmer Makes Manure Valentine

Nick McMaster — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:51:00 CST

Some might say it's gross, but you have to give Bruce Andersland an "A" for effort. As a Valentine for his wife, the Minnesota farmer created a half-mile-wide heart made out of manure. His wife of 37 years says it's the biggest and most creative Valentine she's ever seen. And...

Achy Hearts Are Breaky

Emily Rauhala — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:00:36 CST

Turns out hearts can actually "break" for those who suffer meltdowns. Doctors have identified a mysterious ailment called broken-heart syndrome that mimics heart attacks but is not connected to coronary artery disease. It's "a heart attack which is triggered by stress rather than by a blocked artery," one cardiologist tells...

Heart Doc's Tips for a Healthy Ticker

M. Morris — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:56:09 CDT

Arthur Agatston, the cardiologist who cooked up the South Beach Diet, takes no medications and embraces a philosophy of moderation—he's not starving himself or downing dozens of vitamins. He clues Prevention magazine in on his advice for keeping your heart in tip-top shape: Eat four times a day: Three...

Child Cancer Survivors Risk Heart Trouble Years Later

Matt Cantor — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:10:44 CDT

Kids who’ve conquered cancer can end up battling the effects of treatment years later as young adults, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some 10% of kids treated with drugs called anthracyclines, powerful against leukemia and other cancers, later suffer from progressive weakening of the heart that can lead to congestive...