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MONDAY, Dec. 12, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- It’s tempting to follow the latest trend when it comes to health care, but for patients who live with heart failure, some alternative treatments could have serious consequences. To address the issue, the American Heart Association (AHA) has published a new scientific statement covering a wide range of alternative therapies and their impact on heart failure. It also offers guidance for health care professionals and recommendations for patients.“Patients should talk to their health care team first,” said Dr. Sheryl Chow, who was part of the AHA’s writing group for the statement.The AHA paper offers guidance on supplements such as CoQ10, vitamin D, ginkgo, devil’s claw, fish oil, thiamine, hawthorn, vitamin E, blue cohosh, lily of the...

MONDAY, Dec. 12, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Having COPD can make it hard to breathe as it taxes both the lungs and the heart, but a new study offers a possible solution: Using an air purifier helped patients' hearts work better.Researchers found that when people with COPD, also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, consistently used air purifiers, their hearts were better able to adapt their heart rates in response to daily demands, something known as heart rate variability (HRV). HRV is a key measure of overall heart health. In fact, the participants who used air purifiers daily saw a 25% increase in their HRV. Study author Dr. Sarath Raju, an assistant professor of medicine who specializes in lung diseases at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore,...

MONDAY, Dec. 12, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- An experimental immunotherapy appears highly effective in attacking bone marrow cancer, with nearly three in four patients responding to the treatment, new clinical trial results show.The drug, talquetamab, works by binding to the body's immune cells as well as to multiple myeloma cancer cells.The therapy -- called a bispecific antibody -- directs white blood cells to attack and kill multiple myeloma cells. Researchers described the strategy as bringing your army right to the enemy.In phase 2 clinical trials, about 73% of patients were helped by the drug, researchers reported over the weekend at an American Society of Hematology meeting. A phase 2 trial reveals more about the safety and effectiveness of a treatment. The trial included nearly...

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- For some people, dozens of U.S.-approved drugs can lead to a rare but often fatal brain infection. Researchers have now confirmed a strong link between four genetic mutations and this illness, called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).A new study found that in people taking PML-inducing drugs, having one of four genetic variants increased the odds of developing PML 8.7 times on average. One of the variants increased risk 33-fold.The findings give doctors the insight to screen out patients with the highest risk for the condition before prescribing these drugs.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has put its most serious warning — called a Black Box Warning — for PML on eight approved medications. More than 30 drugs carry...