The final days of acclaimed actor Gene Hackman are heart-rending — a man with Alzheimer’s disease wandering his home for nearly a week after the untimely death of his wife, before collapsing himself. Experts have speculated that Hackman, 95, might have died from takotsubo syndrome — more commonly known as “broken heart syndrome” — after…  read on >  read on >

Lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, smoking and blood pressure have a greater impact on the heart health of women than men, a new study says. Women with poor health have nearly five times the risk of heart disease compared to women with ideal health, according to findings scheduled for presentation Saturday at a meeting of…  read on >  read on >

Mammograms can be used to screen for more than just breast cancer, researchers say. The X-ray breast scans also can be used to assess calcium deposits in arteries, which is an indicator of heart health, researchers are scheduled to report Monday at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology in Chicago. Using artificial intelligence…  read on >  read on >

A rare red meat allergy, usually linked to a bite from the lone star tick, may also be caused by other tick species found in different parts of the U.S., a new report shows. “Alpha-gal syndrome is relatively rare, but those who have it can have a full-on anaphylactic shock,” Douglas Norris, a professor of…  read on >  read on >

Folks frequently use their smartwatches to monitor their daily step count, aiming to get enough physical activity to improve their health. But smartwatches are tracking another measure of health that could prove even more important, a new study suggests. Smartwatches also capture a person’s average daily heart rate, and dividing that by their daily number…  read on >  read on >

Colon cancers have been steadily increasing among people younger than 50, even as cases have declined among seniors. That’s why guidelines now recommend that colon cancer screening start at 45, five years earlier than previously advised, Dr. Jennifer Davids, chief of colon and rectal surgery at Boston Medical Center, told HealthDay TV in an interview.…  read on >  read on >

Night owls — people who stay up late — have been shown to have an increased risk of depression. And now a new study says why that might be. Dusk dwellers tend to be less mindful — that is, less engaged in the present moment, researchers found. That, along with poor sleep quality and higher…  read on >  read on >

There are a ton of suggestions out there for soothing an aching lower back — acupuncture, heat, cannabinoids, muscle relaxants, TENS electrical pulses, dry cupping, opioids, massage and more. But not much actually eases back pain, including those suggestions, according to a new evidence review. Only painkillers like aspirin or ibuprofen — non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs…  read on >  read on >