Heart Med Found to Increase Death in People with Irregular Heartbeat

Heather Callaghan

In An Account of the Foxglove and Some of its Medical Uses, published in 1785, Sir William Withering cautioned readers that extracts from the poisonous plant foxglove, also called digitalis, was not a perfect drug.

He wrote:

...Time will fix the real value upon this discovery, and determine whether I have imposed upon myself and others, or contributed to the benefit of science and mankind.

Fast forward 200 years - researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have finally highlighted that caution with the discovery that patients with atrial fibrillation — a rapid and irregular heart rhythm — who are treated with the digitalis-derivative digoxin are more likely to die than similar patients who received different treatments.

Researchers Discover Flaxseed Regresses Cardiovascular Plaque in Animals

Sayer Ji

Quick Summary

• Researchers discover flaxseed regresses cardiovascular plaque in an animal model
• Flaxseed may provide an ideal estrogen alternative in older women
• Flaxseed has three major beneficial components
• There are over 50 researched health benefits of flaxseed

A promising new study published in the American Journal of Physiologyand Circulation Research titled, "The Effects of Dietary Flaxseed on Atherosclerotic Plaque Regression," looked at whether flaxseed in the diet of rabbits is capable of regressing atherosclerotic plaque, the primary pathological process associated with gradual constriction or sudden blockage in the arteries leading to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. [i]

According to the study, "Dietary flaxseed can retard the progression of atherosclerotic plaques. However, it remains unclear whether these anti-atherogenic effects extend to plaque regression."

Turmeric's Cardiovascular Benefits Found To Be As Powerful As Exercise

Sayer Ji

Nothing can replace exercise, but turmeric extract does a pretty good job of producing some of the same cardiovascular health benefits, most notably in women undergoing age-associated adverse changes in arterial health.

Despite the general lack of interest by conventional medical practitioners in turmeric's role in preventing heart disease, there is a robust body of published research on its remarkable cardioprotective properties, with three dozen study abstracts on the topic available to view on our database alone: turmeric's cardioprective properties.

Last year, we reported on a study published in the American Journal of Cardiology that found turmeric extract reduces post-bypass heart attack risk by 56%. Now, we would like to bring attention to a remarkable study published in the journal Nutrition Research in 2012 that revealed that curcumin, the primary polyphenol in turmeric and which gives the spice its golden hue, is as effective in improving vascular function in postmenopausal women as a moderate aerobic exercise training regimen. [1]