You may have heard of red yeast rice as a simple way to lower your cholesterol. After all, that's what some manufacturers want to believe. But don't fall for it -- it's a scam. What's more, many red yeast rice manufacturers have been spiking their product with statins to make them seem more effective.

If you're interested in lowering your cholesterol, there are better ways to do it than wasting your money -- exercising and eating well will do more for your health than any so-called miracle cure will.

A dose of Rover might just be the perfect medicine for heart patients. Research, reported by the American Heart Association, has found that spending time with a dog helps heart and lung function by lowering blood pressure, diminishing the release of harmful hormones, and decreasing anxiety.

The best news, is that it doesn't take much time with a furry friend to see results. In the study, hospitalized heart patients spent just 12 minutes with the dogs -- so even short-term exposure to dogs has beneficial physiological and psychosocial effects on patients.

Personally, I can attest that dogs are a great comfort ... they make people happier, calmer, and feel more loved ... this has to be a huge help when you are scared and not feeling well.

Treadmills can be hard enough to master if you've never been on one, but over at That's Fit, Brian recently wrote about a new split-belt treadmill that's being tested as a new tool to help stroke survivors walk normally again.

The treadmill has two separate belts, which can be adjusted separately. One belt can move the leg backward, while the other belt moves the opposite leg forward. Researchers say that if you try to think about it, you'll fall right off this treadmill, but if you let your brain take over, it can master it pretty quickly. In fact, when healthy people were put on the treadmill and "taught" to lurch, they couldn't walk normally for 10 minutes after stepping off the machine! When stroke victims are put on the machine, it improves their gait for a similar amount of time.

Now researchers are looking into how the machine may help retrain nerve pathways in the brain so that those who have suffered a stroke can enjoy those physical benefits for a longer period of time. It's exciting news for those who suffer physical disabilities due to stroke.

Hypertension is common today, and nearly 1/3 of adults suffering from the condition. Though medication can help to bring your blood pressure back in line, according to Dr. Andrew Weil, there are other natural methods you can try as well that may eventually allow you to reduce or stop your medication altogether (under the supervision of your doctor, of course). Some of his suggestions include:

• losing 10% of your total weight
• limiting caffeine and alcohol
• eliminating cigarettes
• reducing salt and processed foods

Dr. Weil also believes that relaxation techniques, including yoga and breathing exercises, can help calm the involuntary nervous system. Read more about relaxation techniques for controlling blood pressure here at Mayo Clinic.

My friends often joke that because I didn't cry at the Notebook, my heart is ice-cold, frozen from all compassion and feeling. But as That's Fit has reported, there's a new treatment out there that will involve freezing the heart -- literally.

A condition called Atrial Flutter may respond to treatment using Nitrous Oxide to freeze the heart for a few seconds. Freezing the heart, in turn, treats the areas around the heart that are responsible for abnormal rhythms. It sounds interesting ... and dangerous. Even if it's only frozen for seconds, the thought of intentionally stopping a heart gives me ... well .... heart flutters. What about you?

The FDA hasn't approved the treatment yet, but their advisers are recommending they do.

When having an asthma attack, the bodies first instinct is to breathe more. But according to That's Fit, the key for asthmatics -- and everyone else for that matter -- is breathing less. Hyperventilation is linked to a number of health problems and it's believed that if people can slow their breathing, they'll be healthier overall especially asthmatics.

The solution? It's called The Buteyko method and it's a series of exercises that people can do to improve their breathing. And in clinical trials, use of broncodilators dropped 90% and use of inhaled steroids dropped by 50% when the method was employed. That's pretty promising, huh?

If you're interested in learning more about the method, check out this article.

Sometimes medication is necessary in order to get your blood pressure under control, but if you haven't reached that critical stage yet, there are some natural remedies that you can use to lower your blood pressure. So if you're serious about getting heart healthy, try these solutions from eDiets:

• Exercise: 30 minutes a day is all it takes ... so how about a walk this evening?
• Quit Smoking: Qutting's not easy, but it will make a world of difference
• Lower Salt Intake: Use a low-sodium salt alternative, or try cutting it out altogether
• Get More Fiber: Increasing your fibre intake doesn't have to mean eating cardboard-like cereal. Ask your doctor how to get more fibre
• Eat Dark Chocolate: Don't overdo it but in moderation, dark chocolate is heart-healthy
• Munch on Celery: 4 stalks a day can help relax blood vessels
• Add Garlic: Garlic has many health benefits, including lowering blood pressure. Eat lots of it -- or as much as those around you can stand
• Calcium and Magnesium Supplements: Experts don't know why but taking the two together can help with blood pressure. But ask your doctor before taking any supplements.

Nourishing your emotions is the first way to nourish your heart, according to Dr. Rangesh Paramesh, an Ayurveda specialist. Ayurveda, literally translated, means the knowledge of life in Sanskrit. According to Dr. Paramesh, the heart is at the centre of all emotions -- stress, sadness, anger, and so on -- and to heal your heart, you must heal yourself first.

The heart can also benefit from herbs, like Arjuna. As for the diet, Dr. Paramesh recommends eating moderate amounts but eating enough to sustain you too -- no skipping meals. Fluids are of the utmost importance, in order to cleans the body of toxins that wear it down. To read the full article, click here.

What do you think -- sound advice, or a load of new-age babble?

I always love a story about the unusual or fantastical aspects of life. One such story I recently encountered entails a study revealing that African-American men who frequent barbershops are more apt to seek treatment for hypertension than those who do not.

An eight-month study conducted by Dr. Paul L. Hess of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas revealed that black men who are faithful barbershop attendees are more open and willing to control their high blood pressure. The study also concluded that the barbers might be a perfect venue for hypertension education and monitoring for their clients.

Although this study is a bit off the beaten path, it gets to the core of many communities that traditional medical efforts might not effectively reach. Since many barbershops in African-American communities are social gathering places as well as places of business, they present a perfect opportunity to spread the word about high blood pressure in a population where nearly 40% of the men suffer from hypertension.

Pycnogenol, a natural extract from the French maritime pine tree, may help slow the damage done to the heart by high blood pressure, in addition to other benefits such as lowered blood pressure, lowered cholesterol, and prevention of thrombosis.

The American Heart Association says nearly 5 million Americans are currently living with heart failure, with over half a million new cases diagnosed every year. Alternative treatments such as pycnogenol could provide another choice for patients and doctors to look into when prescription medications may not be indicated or have adverse side-effects. This test was only on mice, though, so does that mean they're already endorsing it for human use? Talk to your doctor, of course!

For years, researchers and exercisers alike have spoken about a mind/muscle connection. The assertion is that by focusing on a particular muscle or group of muscles while you work them (for example, if you are doing squats you would focus on your leg muscles), you will stimulate a greater amount of muscle activity than if your mind was on, say, that presentation you have to do for the board of directors tomorrow morning. The same goes for your overall health.

Harvard scientists put this theory to task by explaining to a group of forty housekeepers that their work keeps them in shape. Then, they chose another group of forty housekeepers to study, only they did not say anything to these people. Four weeks later, the researchers found that the group that were told that their work was keeping them fit actually lost an average of 2 pounds and reduced their body fat, BMI, blood pressure, and even their waist size. The other group -- the housekeepers to whom the researchers did not say anything -- showed no sign of physical change.

Without a change of diet, exercise program or anything else, the mere thought that their work was making these forty housekeepers healthier actually made it come true. This clearly supports the mind/muscle connection, in addition to giving creedence to all that mumbo-jumbo I've been reading in the book "The Secret."

The recent discovery of a substance that can block sperm production without changing a mans testosterone levels could mean a new contraceptive male Pill available in the next few years -- one without the emotional and physical side effects experienced by the millions of women taking birth control pills everyday.

It works like this: a sustance called adherin blocks immature sperm from bonding with the tissue in the testes which prevents their development into mature, fertilization-capable sperm. In effect, it renders the male infertile -- although once the contraceptives use is discontinued, sperm production returns to normal in as little as three months.

After extensive testing, scientists found the male contraceptive had no adverse side effects on any vital organ, including the heart. For women over 35 taking hormonal contraceptives, they run the risk of heart attack from the formation of blood clots. A survey from the 2000 British Medical Journal found that only 2 percent of women wouldn't trust their partner to take a contraceptive pill.

A new study redefines the way red wine benefits cardiovascular health -- drinking about two glasses a day protects the brain from damage caused by stroke.

A compound found in red grape skins and seeds, called resveratol, helps build cell resistance to free radical damage -- reducing the effects of stroke by up to 40 percent. Drinking red wine turns on a particular antioxidant system in the body that protects against nerve damage -- an enzyme in the brain, called heme oxygenase.

The Johns Hopkins University study results from testing on mice. Scientists emphasize that more testing on humans is needed to finalize results -- but they are very excited to have pinpointed the substance in red wine that benefits health.

Stable congestive heart failure patients can benefit greatly from dietary supplements of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). These particular patients had suffered damaged ventricular function after a heart attack, preventing the heart from being able to pump blood to the body.

In conjunction with normal drug treatment, PUFA supplements help improve heart function including improved heart rate, heart rate variability, beat-to-beat blood pressure and other factors. By normal drug treatment, I mean the state-of-the-art heart failure drugs such as beta-blockers and ACE-inhibitors. The patients in this study were on full dose treatments of these drugs in addition to the 2 g daily dose of PUFA supplements that added greatly to their treatment.

Heavy drinking can contribute greatly to heart disease, as well as many other ills over time. While I wouldn't necessarily recommend this interesting method of treatment, the facts are intriguing. Did you know that in the 50's and 60's, pioneering psychiatrists experimented with treating alcoholism with a single dose of the hallucinogenic drug LSD, in a safe and nurturing, yet clinical environment?

The records also show that the small group of individuals who underwent this particular treatment still have not taken a drink to this day. Published in the journal Social History of Medicine, the study was founded on the theory that LSD could produce a similar effect of hitting rock bottom in the bottle -- but without the pain of delirium tremens. For the full-fascinating-report, click here.