Warning: Herbal Supplements Don't Always Mix Well With Heart Drugs
Herbs and other natural supplements are becoming increasingly commonplace in medicine cabinets as Americans attempt to preserve health and defy the diseases of aging. But in some people, pills and extracts dubbed "all natural" don't play nice, say some experts. In a literature review published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Mayo Clinic heart doctors warn of the potentially dangerous interactions that some herbal supplements can cause in heart patients who take blood thinners and drugs to treat high blood pressure, U.S. News's Sarah Baldauf reports.
"All these products do have a biologic effect; they are taken because of these effects," explains Arshad Jahangir, cardiologist and researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. But a potential interaction with other medications is not something people always consider when popping supplements derived from plants or roots. "Natural does not always mean safe," he adds. The supplements can lessen the effects of a prescribed medication—say, a drug to control atrial fibrillation, which can put the person at risk of a stroke. Alternatively, herbs might intensify the way a prescribed medication works. For example, the effect of hypertension medications might be enhanced to the point that dangerously low blood pressure results, increasing the risk of dizziness, fainting, falls, and in extreme cases, shock. Read more.
[Slide Show: Taking Heart Drugs? 9 Supplements to Avoid (and Some Alternatives).] [Read Herbal Remedies Can Cause Cardiac Problems and Cancer and Supplements: What Vitamins, Herbs, and Botanicals Can (and Can't) Do.]
'The Lancet' Retracts Study Linking Vaccines and Autism
More than a decade after publishing a study that linked the MMR vaccine to autism, The Lancet is formally retracting it, BBC News reports. The journal's statement follows a General Medical Council ruling that lead author Andrew Wakefield acted unethically when conducting the research. Since Wakefield's study was published in 1998, vaccination rates have declined even though experts have discredited the research, according to BBC News.
[Read Autism and Vaccines: Is the Case Closed? and Vaccine Schedule: The Pros and Cons of Taking a Flexible Approach.]
Online Tool Helps Parents Manage Kids' Sleep Problems
Children's sleep problems are among the big headaches of parenthood. U.S. News contributor Nancy Shute spoke with Ben MacNeill, a Web designer in Raleigh, N.C., who offers parents one way of figuring out how to get a child on a sane sleep schedule: the Trixie Tracker. This online database lets you record your child's sleep patterns, and then it charts them using nifty graphs, a dashboard, and a daily sleep summary. "Once you find out what your baby's natural rhythms are, you aren't going to fight those rhythms," says MacNeill, a confessed data geek. "It augments your parental instincts." Not to mention helping to compensate for a parent's sleep-deprivation-induced memory loss.
Since 2006, when MacNeill launched the Trixie Tracker, 10,000 people have registered with the website to track their children's sleep cycles, diaper use, food consumption, and medication intake. Storing that information in a central place would make a lot more sense, particularly for kids who are taking multiple medications. Read more.
[Read Visiting Your Doctor Online Is a Virtual Reality and Getting Medical Advice on the Web From Other Patients.]
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