Probably the last thing that you think of when you think of spiders is heart health. In fact, if you’re like my wife, the thought of a spider being close by raises your heart rate and blood pressure…
But new research from the University of Queensland has indicated that venom extracted from funnel web spiders might show promise as being an effective (and completely safe) medication in the fight against heart attacks.
The researchers found that a molecule present in this venom, known as Hi1a, has the potential to help with treatment toward both heart attack and stroke. They state that the molecule can protect cells from the damage that such an event would cause. They ran tests designed to mimic the impact of a heart attack or stroke and found the molecule to be quite effective.
In the past, there has only been a handful of drugs designed to act in a cardioprotective manner. There’s only been one drug that has made it to Phase 3 of clinical trials, and this medication was ultimately shelved because of the side effects that it caused and did not make it to widespread usage or approval by the FDA.
The thing that makes this molecule unique is that it only interacts with cells that were present in damaged areas of the heart and not with healthy areas. The hope is that this will help to minimize or prevent some of the side effects noticed in the past.
The team hopes that any medications based upon this molecule would be more effective without the complications that could arise from similar medications that had been developed in the past.
The team published their findings in the European Heart Journal. The hope is that this research can be built upon to help improve the lives of those who have had or are at risk of suffering from a heart attack in the future.
A heart attack–or any other medical emergency–is a scary occurrence. It can lead to a lifetime of ongoing health issues and concerns and limit someone’s ability to get around and care for themselves in the way that they once did. If you or a loved one are currently in recovery from a major medical event, you might have questions about how professional care can help your family get through this.
If you find yourself in a situation like this, please reach out to one of our professional caregivers today. At Paradise In-Home Care, we do far more than just provide assistance to people within their homes. We offer a whole host of services designed to make senior care far more accessible and understandable. If you have questions about how professional level senior care might help your family to thrive, please give us a call. We can schedule a free consultation session and go into more details about how care can make your entire family’s quality of life better.
Senior care should be about more than just meeting basic needs. It should be about helping families to thrive during hard times. Call us today to start the conversation.
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