A new nano-biochip tht can analyze a few drops of saliva could possibly help give early diagnosis of a heart attack, report researchers at the University of Texas at Austin. The device, the size of a credit card, can produce results in as little as 15 minutes. It could someday be used to assay a patient's saliva on board an ambulance, the doctor’s office or even the local drugstore, helping prevent unnecessary damage from cardiac disease.

As women begin to enter middle age, and they start to experience menopause, their risk of heart attack goes up dramatically. Cardiologists even suggest that women of this age get a good handle on their family history with regard to heart disease problems. They also suggest that women do everything they can to control their other risk factors like diet and smoking.

At one time, heart disease was considered to be only a risk for men. Scientists in the country stressed that men control their risk factors, as they seemed to be more prone to having heart attacks. However, recent studies have shown that women, particularly those who are over fifty and who have already experienced menopause, have the same risk that men do at that age.

A study from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine has shown that microscopic air pollution - smaller than one-tenth of the diameter of a human hair -- causes hyperclotting of the blood. The study found that lungs inflamed by particulate pollution produce an inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-6, that causes an increased tendency for blood to coagulate or clot. (3) This in turn raises the risk of a fatal heart attack or stroke in people with cardiovascular disease such as coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure or a history of stroke.

Missing Puzzle Piece

Implantable defibrillators were first used to treat patients suffering from heart rhythm abnormalities like arrhythmias and ventricular fibrillations during the early 1980s. Throughout the years, more than 35000 implantable defibrillators have been implanted annually.

Today, the use of implantable defibrillators is rapidly growing because medical professionals are spreading awareness of the success of defibrillator technology in preventing life-threatening ventricular fibrillations and arrhythmias that often cause sudden cardiac arrests.

A wide variety of physical therapies are utilized to normalize the heart rhythm of patients suffering from arrhythmias and ventricular fibrillations. This means that an implantable defibrillator is not intended to cure or even prevent such heart rhythm abnormalities.

High blood pressure (hypertension) is when your blood pressure is consistently high. A normal adult blood pressure is 120/80. The top number is the systolic or first number and the lower number is the diastolic or second number.

You often hear high blood pressure referred to as the "silent killer", because the symptoms of high blood pressure cannot usually be felt.

There are several factors that can affect a person's risk for high blood pressure including family history, being overweight, and also chronic stress.

Foods that can benefit those trying to offset their risk for high blood pressure are:

Cold water fish such as halibut, herring, mackerel, salmon and tuna

Onions and garlic

Olive oil

Celery

Whole grains

Legumes

Organically grown fruits and vegetables that have been washed.

Leafy greens like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage

Whole grains

Legumes

Potatoes