Stroke survivor Richard Samuelian (top) with his daughters, Emily (left) and Abigail. (Photo courtesy of Richard Samuelian) Richard Samuelian recently got back from a hike in Yosemite National Park. A few years ago, the 52-year-old couldn’t walk down the hallway of his home in Fresno, California, without help. Richard was watching television one day when…

(Sebastian Kaulitzki/Science Photo Library via Getty Images) The sudden death of celebrated sportswriter Grant Wahl at a World Cup match in Qatar last week shocked those who knew him – and of him. He had just turned 49 and seemed healthy, aside from recent complaints about chest pressure, which he attributed to exhaustion and bronchitis….

Dr. Gustavo Vargas and Dr. Arianna Heyer (bottom row, third and fourth from left) with some of the more than 200 doctors from south Florida hospitals who meet up to play soccer twice a week. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Gustavo Vargas) Lea en español When Dr. Arianna Heyer left medical school in Philadelphia for an…

(Yana Tatevosian/500Px Plus via Getty Images) Lea en español Peppermint, like Santa Claus, seems to be everywhere you turn at the holidays. And also like Santa, when it comes to evaluating claims about it, the most scientific minds will tell you they need more evidence. An internet search will turn up all kinds of statements…

(Christoph Burgstedt/Science Photo Library via Getty Images) A type of “bad” cholesterol could raise the risk for first heart attacks, strokes and death from heart disease, new research suggests. But the increased risk only appears in people who already have high blood pressure. Lipoprotein(a), like low-density cholesterol (LDL), is a subtype of lipoprotein that can…

Kentucky Wildcats center and congenital heart defect survivor Tionna Herron. (Photo courtesy of University of Kentucky Athletics) When Tionna Herron was 8, she learned some valuable things: She was good at playing basketball. And she had a rare heart condition that sometimes made her chest hurt after she played. Her condition had a long name…

(Erik Isakson/Tetra Images via Getty Images) How heart attacks and heart-related chest pain are treated may need to be modified for people 75 and older because of age-related changes in the heart and blood vessels as well as overall health, according to a new report from the American Heart Association. The scientific statement, published Monday…

(Patcharapong Sriwichai/iStock via Getty Images) Extreme temperatures – both hot and cold – may increase the risk of dying for people with cardiovascular disease, especially those with heart failure, new research shows. The study, published Monday in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, analyzed more than 32 million cardiovascular deaths over four decades in 27…

(grinvalds/iStock via Getty Images) Jumping into icy cold water in the dead of winter might seem like a crazy idea, but the so-called polar bear plunge has become a popular activity, often paired with raising money for charity. Boosting its allure is another anything-but-hot trend, the practice of cold therapy, based on the belief that…

(Courtney Hale/E+ via Getty Images) Using complementary and alternative medicines to manage heart failure symptoms offers some benefits but also risks, according to a new science report from the American Heart Association. The scientific statement, published Thursday in the AHA journal Circulation, encourages people to disclose their use of such treatments to their health care…