Stroke

Researchers have some reassuring news for the legions of coffee drinkers who can't get through the day without a latte, cappuccino, iced mocha, double-shot of espresso or a plain old cuppa joe: That coffee habit may help you live longer. A new study that tracked the health and coffee consumption of more than 400,000 older adults for nearly 14 years found that java drinkers were less likely to die during the study than their counterparts who eschewed the brew. In fact, men and women who averaged four or five cups of coffee per day had the lowest risk of death, according to a report in Thursday's edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Amonth ago, I found myself at the hospital bedside of my friend Willie Middlebrook, as he lay paralyzed on his right side. It was a week before his latest solo show was due to open at Avenue 50 Studio, the community art gallery in Highland Park, and a few weeks before his work "Wanderers" would be unveiled at the Expo Line's new Crenshaw station. Willie, a great photographer, master technician and storyteller, had been working in his Inglewood studio the day before, printing the final piece for the Avenue 50 show.

It was evidently good enough for Gilligan and Robinson Crusoe. But is coconut water a healthy choice for people who aren't stranded on a deserted island? A longstanding treat in tropical regions across the globe, coconut water hit U.S. supermarkets a few years back and is now being marketed with a vengeance. Sometimes billed as nature's sports drink, the slightly sour beverage has also acquired a reputation for being able to improve circulation, slow aging, fight viruses, boost immunity, and reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke.

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois has released a video showing him walking with the help of a cane and a harness as he talks about his rehabilitation since suffering a stroke in January. "I'm walking again," the Republican says, seated before a camera as he narrates a three-minute video showing him walking with a cane and on a hospital treadmill while fitted in a harness. At times he speaks haltingly, and the video shows him struggling to move his left side. Kirk was released last week from the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and is continuing treatment there as an outpatient.

WASHINGTON - An experimental treatment for multiple sclerosis has caused death, strokes, nerve damage and abdominal bleeding and has no proven benefits for sufferers of the disease, the Food and Drug Administration warned Thursday. Known as liberation therapy, the treatment targets chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency - or CCSVI - a narrowing of the veins in the head and neck. It involves inserting balloons or stents into veins to widen them in an attempt to relieve the symptoms of MS. The FDA received reports in 2011 of a patient who died from bleeding in the brain after undergoing the treatment and another who was left permanently paralyzed by a stroke.

L.A.'s smog problem might not be as visible as it was in the bad old days of the 1970s and '80s, but city residents might be at an increased risk of stroke even at levels of pollution that meet EPA standards. Oh yeah, and memory loss. A new study published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that Boston residents experienced more strokes when exposed to “moderate” amounts of particulate air pollution, as opposed to “good” amounts of pollution, according to EPA standards.

Who knew yoga could be so dangerous? Or is the risk overblown? A woman falls asleep in seated forward fold and damages both sciatic nerves. A man sits on his heels for hours (over a period of days or weeks) and deadens nerves in his lower legs. A woman practices Kapalbhati — forceful exhaling — and collapses a lung. A woman attempting the wheel — essentially, making the body arc like a croquet wicket — balances on her head, bends her neck backward and suffers a stroke. Author William J. Broad, a yogi since 1970 and the chief science writer for the New York Times, remains devoted to the practice.

One more reason to keep your glass half full: Optimists might be less likely to have a stroke. In new research, the more people believe good things will happen, the less likely they were to suffer a stroke within two years. Psychology researchers from the University of Michigan examined data from 6,044 stroke-free adults from the Health and Retirement Study. The adults answered how much they agreed with statements like “In uncertain times, I usually expect the best,” and two years later the researchers tracked which participants had suffered a stroke.

When it comes to stroke, neurologists are fond of reminding us that "time equals brain. " What they mean is that, if you are experiencing any of the warning signs of stroke, the faster you get to the hospital, the more often physicians can take measures that limit the brain damage and  long-term disability that stroke can cause. But apparently, Americans are not getting that message -- and it may be costing us brain cells we can ill afford to lose. A " Research Letter " reported in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.

Women whose mothers had a stroke have a higher risk of both stroke and heart attack, researchers reported Tuesday. It's well-known that heart disease in one's parents increases the risk in their offspring. However, there appear to be sex-specific tendencies in how cardiovascular disease is inherited. In the study, researchers from the University of Oxford examined data from more than 2,200 women. Women with heart disease were more likely to have mothers who had a stroke than fathers who had a stroke.

In a short video produced by LA Louver in advance of Ben Jackel's solo show, one encounters the artist taking an ax, quite literally, to one of his sculptures. He's chipping away at a block of Douglas fir to form an enormous replica of the head of a pole-mounted weapon called a halberd, in a style traditionally carried by the personal guards of the elders of Saxony around the year 1600 - as he quickly clarifies when I mistakenly call it a spearhead. The piece, which, at 131/2 feet tall, would clearly do damage if it fell on you, is titled "Pay Attention.

Scientists have developed a “proof of concept” drug for stroke patients that helped afflicted mice recover the ability to walk normally. In laboratory experiments, the researchers also found biological evidence that the drug helped grow new neurons in the brain, according to a study published online Tuesday by the journal Stroke. An estimated 795,000 Americans have a stroke each year, according to the National Stroke Assn. in Centennial, Colo.  They occur when the brain is suddenly deprived of oxygen and nutrients, either by a blockage in a vessel (which causes an ischemic stroke)

HOUSTON — The recurring ups and downs of James Loney at the plate are on the upswing again. After going hitless in his first 16 at-bats this season, the left-handed Loney has gone 10 for 30 (.333) in his last 10 games. The first baseman didn't start Sunday against Houston Astros left-hander Wandy Rodriguez , who has held Loney to two hits in 13 plate appearances. But after Rodriguez left the game, Loney hit a pinch-hit single against reliever Fernando Rodriguez in the eighth inning.

Ben Curtis remained in position for his first PGA Tour victory since 2006 despite his first stumbles at the Texas Open, shooting a one-over 73 to take a three-stroke lead into the final round at San Antonio. Matt Every was second after a 73 in a bid for his first PGA Tour victory. Mayakoba winner John Huh (67), Seung-Yui Noh (68) and Charlie Wi (71) followed at four under. David Frost and Michael Allen birdied nine of the first 13 holes and combined for a nine-under 63 for a share of the second-round lead with Tom Purtzer and Brad Bryant in the Legends of Golf at Savannah, Ga. Bryant and Allen had a 65 to match Frost and Allen at 19 under at the Club at Savannah Harbor.

Dick Clark might have been one of Hollywood's shrewdest businessmen, but for many Americans, his lesser-known role as a stroke survivor determined to live a normal life likely will be a more lasting legacy. Clark died Wednesday at age 82, suffering a massive heart attack after a medical procedure. He had had a debilitating stroke in 2004 and had to learn to walk and talk again -- often with difficulty. But Clark didn't give in to the symptoms of that stroke, which included slurred, slowed speech and partial paralysis.

Reporting from Carlsbad -- Yani Tseng had led after the first, second and third rounds of the Kia Classic golf tournament, and by the ninth hole of the final round, she was five shots ahead of the field. So the top-ranked women's golfer in the world played the final nine holes without much pressure from those behind her and enjoyed the accolades she received on the course. Plus, the cries of "Go, Yani" distracted the large groups of birds walking alongside the golfers. Tseng, in only her fifth year on the LPGA Tour, collected her 15th title after a safe two-under-par 70 in Sunday's final round at the La Costa Resort course led her to a six-shot victory over South Korea's Sun Young Yoo. Tseng, of Taiwan, had a four-day total of six-under 274 and won $255,000.

If you're an adult shuttling this holiday between the homes of divorced parents -- or just remembering that hectic obligation from earlier days -- here's some news about as welcome as spoiled eggnog: Your parents' breakup all those years ago may mean you are at higher risk of stroke. Among 13,000 participants in the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey, respondents who said their parents had divorced when they were young were 2.2 times as likely as those who grew up in intact families to report they had suffered a stroke at some point in their lives.

There's more reason to worry (about yourself, that is) if Dad had a heart attack than if he had a stroke, researchers have found. In a study published Tuesday in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics, scientists at the University of Oxford in England showed that people are more likely to inherit the risk of having a heart attack than the risk of having a stroke. The team looked at data collected in England from 906 patients who'd suffered acute heart ailments such as a heart attack and 1,105 patients with acute cerebral events, which include stroke and transient ischemic attack (or mini-stroke)

When it comes to stroke, neurologists are fond of reminding us that "time equals brain. " What they mean is that, if you are experiencing any of the warning signs of stroke, the faster you get to the hospital, the more often physicians can take measures that limit the brain damage and  long-term disability that stroke can cause. But apparently, Americans are not getting that message -- and it may be costing us brain cells we can ill afford to lose. A " Research Letter " reported in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.

Dabigatran (marketed as Pradaxa) is a new drug used by a growing number of Americans with atrial fibrillation. It's both easier to take and more effective at reducing the risk of stroke than warfarin, a drug that's been in use since the 1950s. But a case report published this week underscores a danger with the new medication: If a patient taking it is bleeding into the brain or elsewhere, there is currently no fast, effective way to reverse the blood-thinning agent's effects. For one 83-year-old man who was taken to the University of Utah Hospital's emergency department after falling and hitting his head, the result was death.