More people are dying from heart failure, doctors warn: give up these 4 habits now

The World Health Organization (WHO), the World Heart Federation, and the American Heart Association estimate that heart failure (HF) is a global pandemic affecting at least 26 million people worldwide, and its prevalence is rapidly increasing, according to a study published in Science Direct.

Heart failure doesn’t mean the heart is no longer working but that it isn’t pumping as it should, and the body relies on it to pump oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood to its cells. When the heart loses strength and can’t deliver enough blood, it leads to fatigue, shortness of breath, and sometimes a chronic cough. Over time, even routine activities such as walking, climbing stairs, and carrying bags become increasingly difficult.

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While heart failure, HF, is a lifelong condition, you may have HF remission with treatment and healthy lifestyle changes. 

In fact, doctors warn of four habits that can be linked to heart failure, advising to break them for the sake of a healthy heart and overall well-being.

1. Excessive Salt Intake

A study published by AHA/ASA Journal, “Dietary sodium restriction is arguably the most frequent self-care behavior recommended to patients with heart failure (HF), and is endorsed by all HF guidelines.”

Excessive sodium intake is associated with fluid retention, which can lead to increased blood pressure. Over time, high blood pressure weakens the heart and increases the strain on it, eventually leading to heart failure.

“In 2005, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association HF guidelines recommended 3000 to 4000 mg daily sodium intake, and, for patients with volume overload, restriction to 2000 mg/d. This recommendation was subsequently updated to moderate sodium restriction. The Heart Failure Society of America recommends 2000 to 3000 mg daily sodium intake and <2000 mg for patients with moderate to severe HF symptoms.”

How to avoid this habit: Limit processed and salty foods like canned soups and packaged snacks. Instead, opt for home cooked meals with fresh ingredients, adding flavor with herbs and spices instead of salt. Also, check food labels for hidden sodium.

2. Sedentary Lifestyle

Sitting too much has become part of modern life, but it puts the heart at risk.

Most of us spend great part of the day sitting at desks, on the couch, or in cars, probably not being aware that this for of lifestyle increases the risk of heart disease and heart failure. On the other hand, regular exercise boosts circulation, keeps weight in check, and helps lower blood pressure.

How to avoid this habit: Try to get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of intensive activity each week. Break up long sitting periods by standing, stretching, and walking. Low-impact options like walking, cycling, swimming, or dancing are great for your heart and easy on the joints.

3. Smoking and Excessive Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol and smoking may worsen the condition of heart failure, so it is crucial that people with heart failure reduce their alcohol intake and quit smoking.

Smoking affects blood vessels, increases blood pressure, and reduces the amount of oxygen delivered to the heart. In the same manner, excessive alcohol consumption weakens the heart muscle and increases the risk of heart failure. The sad reality is that many people fail to realize the long-term damage these habits do to the heart and the overall health.

How to avoid this habit: If you are a smoker, try to quit. And of course, if you find this difficult, which is likely you do, then seek support. The same goes for the alcohol. Reduce the intake to moderate levels (one drink per day for women, two for men), and if you have trouble cutting back on alcohol, consider seeking professional help or support groups.

4. Chronic Stress and Poor Sleep

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Chronic stress and poor sleep can take a serious toll on your heart health. Ongoing stress raises cortisol levels, which can increase blood pressure and strain the heart. At the same time, not getting enough sleep prevents the body from repairing cells and disrupts metabolism, raising the risk of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and ultimately heart failure.

How to avoid this habit: Practice stress-management habits like deep breathing, meditation, or mindfulness on a daily basis. Try to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep during the night and keep your bedtime routine calm, screen-free, and comfortable.

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Bear attack survivor wrote chilling final note to loved ones after picking up pieces of his own flesh

Jeremy Evans ventured into the woods in Alberta, Canada, hunting for a ram, but what he stumbled upon was way bigger and far more dangerous.

It was on August 24, 2017, when Evans went to the woods. There, he hid behind trees, camouflaged, when he spotted a Bighorn Ram through his binoculars. However, beside what he believed would be his catch that day, he suddenly noticed something huge and brown running towards him and it didn’t take long before he realized a grizzly bear was less than 10 feet away from where he was standing.

“I knew exactly what it was, I had this just feeling of… I knew I was in trouble,” he told Noiser. “With grizzly bears, most of the time, the cubs are running around, and the mom is following. So, I knew that Mom was close, and I knew that trouble would be coming.”

Being an experienced hunter, he reached for the bear spray in his backpack, but before he even get it, the momma bear appeared right in front of him.

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“And as I went to turn and look, their mama […] was about four feet away,” he explained, per Noiser. “Her right front paw was stretched straight out. I could see the claws. I could see the whites of her eyes, and the left side of her mouth was slightly open, and she was on a full charge…”

Jeremy threw the bike at the bear, hoping to save himself some time as he ran towards a tree that he climbed, but the bear wrapped her claws around his leg as he dangled from a branch.

In the next moment, he was brutally attacked.

“My left eye was hanging out of the socket. It was facing down. In order to really see, I either had to lift up my eye or lean my head way back,” he told the Daily Mail.

“I remember feeling my face and nothing felt the same. My jaw was hanging down on the left side and all my teeth were exposed.”

After the attack, the bear left the scene, and Jeremy started picking peaces of his own flash from the ground — That’s how severely injured he was.

“I remember fiddling around the mountainside and I found a large chunk of flesh. I could feel the bristles and hair, and it was the part of my right side of my scalp.”

At that moment, Jeremy was convinced he would die from the injuries so he decided to take his own life right there and then. He pulled a trigger, but the gun failed to fire. “That kind of scared me a little bit,” he explained. “So that’s when I decided that I was going to try to make it out.”

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He then pulled out his phone and wrote final messages to his wife. “Whoever finds this please let my wife know I tried to make it,” one message shared with UNILAD read. “But there is [no] chance, that bear really [f***ed] me up.”

Another text read: “I am pretty sure this is the end. I am very tired and I feel like I am going to pass out. If I do I won’t wake up.”

Miraculously, Jeremy managed to get inside his car and drive 22 km before reaching help. He was then taken to the hospital where he spent five weeks and underwent five major surgeries and 15 minor procedures. Today, there are still part of his body he has limited function of, but the fact he managed to survive is truly incredible.

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Coach goes viral online for this one act during kids’ basketball game

Getting inside the classroom every day and trying to cope with all those students who have different personalities and learn using different strategies isn’t that easy. However, watching a shy student raising their hand and speaking in front of the whole class, or seeing a struggling student getting an ‘A’ makes you realize that it’s all worth it. It requires only special people to be teachers, because not everyone can rise to the task of shaping young minds into compassionate and responsible people who’d become a valuable part of the community. 

The ideal teachers always go the extra mile just to make sure their students are doing their best to achieve the most they can. This help usually expands outside of the classroom too. And even if this effort may not be recognized by the parents, the school’s principal, or the community, that doesn’t really mater, because teachers know how great of an impact they make. 

One coach from Valdosta, Georgia was giving his students a lesson in basketball when one of them, a girl named Kristin Paulk, approached and asked him whether he could do her a favor.

He said yes even before he knew what the girl would ask. The girl then said: “Can you tie my hair in a ponytail?” The teacher didn’t think twice before he knelt down and started doing her hair. Meanwhile, a fellow colleague named Kandice Anderson noticed the quite unusual sight and decided to put it on tape. She later posted the video on her Facebook page, writing:

“When your job goes beyond teaching… #CoachO #Love”

Kandice only wanted to show her friends what it really takes to be a teacher, and never did she think the video would be seen more than 3 million times. The phys ed teacher had no idea his kind act vent viral and he became famous. People found this way too adorable, and he was featured on Good Morning America. 

“It was shocking to me that it got that much attention because we all do it.”

The coach has three children on his own so he happens to know how to make a ponytail. He jokes how his expertise in hair styling stops there and if sweet Kristin wanted a more complex hairstyle she should have probably asked someone else to do it for her. 

Kristin’s mother was also a guest at Good Morning America where she shared how she felt like after watching the video. She says she is more than happy knowing her girl has a teacher who cares so much. 

We hope there are more teachers like this coach out there, who would do anything for their students’ well being. 

This video is the sweetest thing you’ll see all day. 

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Jennifer Lopez wears nothing but diamonds on stage, fans are divided

Jennifer Lopez is more than a singer and actress; she’s a style icon and a trendsetter. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at her latest fashion stunt at the American Music Awards 2025 which she hosted this year. In fact, her appearance as a host marked ten years since she first landed that role.

Lopez opted for eight different outfits that she changed during the night, and although she was stunning in each and every one of them, one particular wardrobe choice made fans stunned… and well, also divided.

Lopez’ first time on the AMAs stage was back in 1991 when she performed as a backup dancer for New Kids on the Block at just 21 years old. “The awards show has been such a big part of my music journey and history,” she shared. “We’re going to celebrate the year in music.”

Though she admitted hosting isn’t usually her thing—”Believe it or not, I’m quite shy,” she said—Lopez nailed it with effortless confidence and flair. “I’m a performer, so if I have a script or a song, I can do that, and I love doing that. But hosting is a different thing, a different skill set,” she added.

At the AMA, Lopez turned heads in a dazzling, diamond-studded outfit from Bronx and Banco’s Fall 2023 collection.

The look featured bold cutouts and a sheer fringe skirt, perfectly highlighting her curves and famous abs. She described her style for the evening as “glam, cool, chic, elegant, and sexy”—everything fans associate with her iconic fashion sense. Social media buzzed with reactions: many praised her fearless and stunning fashion at 55, calling her legendary, while a few thought the outfit was a bit over the top for a hosting role.

Whether fans loved or questioned her bold choices, one thing is clear: Jennifer Lopez knows how to make a statement—and she’s not slowing down anytime soon.

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Controversial evidence that proves Jesus was real has been ‘confirmed’ as authentic

The Shroud of Turin remains a valuable religious relic for many Christians and one of the most well-studied artifacts in history.

Many believe it is the clothing Jesus Christ was wrapped in following his crucifixion, and scientists have long debated its authenticity.

This famous stretch of holy linen cloth, which is kept in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, hence the name, is said to feature the faint of image of the Son of God.

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Now, biblical scholar Dr Jeremiah Johnston claims to have verified some of the blood on it as human. According to him, a testing from the 1990s identified blood type AB on the Shroud. 

“The Shroud has type AB blood, identified as Semitic, present in only six percent of the population, confirmed as human and male, ruling out animal blood or a hoax,” Dr Johnston told the Tucker Carlson Network.

Further, he noted that testing showed it was human, male blood that was both premortem and postmortem.

“You would have to actually kill someone if you were trying to reproduce the shroud because we have premortem and post-mortem blood all over the shroud,” he explained.

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The fact that the Shroud contains traces of both pre- and post-mortem blood is highly unusual, indicating processes that differ from what would be expected in natural decay. For some, this detail supports the idea of resurrection.

This comes after an AI program revealed a possible image of the face of Jesus Christ using the imprint found on the Shroud.

However, despite the blood found on it being identified as authentic human claret, the Shroud of Turin remains controversial since some analysis claim it was made some time between 1260 and 1390, and since we’ve stated counting the years based on Jesus himself, it makes it too recent to be genuine. On the other hand, later studies questioned that analysis, saying the sample tested might have been from a repaired section, not the original cloth.

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No one knows why 13 trucks are blocking the highway, when the truth is revealed, tears flow

Life becomes better when we hear stories about compassionate people who do good to others. Even though it seems like the empathy in people is somehow fading away, there are still those who never hesitate to offer a helping hand.

What was happening on the Highway, under a bridge on Interstate 696 in Huntington Woods, Michigan, left everyone both puzzled and speechless.

People who were driving along this road got stuck in a traffic jam, but when they learned the reason why 13 trailer trucks were placed in line and not moving an inch blocking the road, they knew the waiting was worth it.

The truck drivers came to help after State trooper Michael Shaw got an emergency call about a person who wanted to commit suicide by jumping off the bridge. Shaw who is a really clever man immediately came up with a brilliant idea, but in order to put it into action he needed some additional help, so he rushed to call a traffic cop and asked him to redirect the traffic.

All of the truck drivers were more than happy to assist.

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By parking under the bridge, the trucks covered the entire area under it so in case officials and experts failed in convincing the man to let go of his intention, the trucks could prevent him from jumping directly on the ground and help avoid any serious injuries.

However, there was a happy ending to this story, because after four long hours, the man was taken off the bridge and offered psychological help.

The truck drivers never hesitated to help, even if that meant waiting for so much time.

We are thankful that there are still people out there like these kindhearted drivers.

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The little girl who fights illness every day but never loses her smile

A single photograph of a little girl named Emily, dressed in hospital clothes, standing beside her bed and clutching her beloved teddy bear, has captured the hearts of thousands on social media.

Sadly, what also caught the attention of many were the endless tubes and a wristband that revealed the treatments she endures for leukemia. Despite that, her face shone with a pure, radiant smile that lit up the hospital room.

At just seven years old, Emily faces challenges that would crush most adults. Every day brings tests, chemotherapy sessions, and exhausting procedures, yet she meets them all with extraordinary courage. Her spirit remains unbroken, and her smile a beacon of hope for everyone who hears her story. Her family describes her as a source of joy and inspiration, a little girl who spreads love and light even in the toughest moments.

For the doctors and nurses who care for her, Emily is more than just a patient; she is a hero, showing that resilience can come from even the smallest hearts.

Despite the pain and uncertainty, Emily finds joy in small things such as drawing colorful pictures, playing with her stuffed animals, and making her younger brother laugh with silly jokes.

Communities near and far have rallied around Emily, sending messages of love, prayers, and encouragement. People call her a little warrior, because she is a reminder that true strength isn’t measured by age or size, but by the ability to face challenges with grace.

Emily’s story shows that heroes aren’t only found in books, movies, or on screens. Sometimes, they are children whose courage and innocence shine brighter than anything else.

We pray every child in this world who is suffering to be cured.

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UPS driver sees note scribbled on package, calls 911

One UPS driver found himself in the right place at the right time and helped save a mother and her 3-year-old son from an ordeal their husband and father forced them to go through.

The movie-like rescue took place all thanks to the observant UPS driver who noticed the message the abused woman managed to pass to him through the package he picked up from her.

The abuser, James Jordan did the unthinkable. He locked his young son inside a room and left him there for 15 hours without any food or water. The boy could hear how his mother was severely abused, both physically and sexually. Jordan took her phone so she couldn’t contact anyone and beat her severely.

Once, she tried to escape, but Jordan caught her and dragged her back to the house by pulling her hair.

And then, as she was convinced there was no way out of the situation she found herself in, she came up with an idea and prayed God it worked. All she hoped for was for a person to be observant while on the job. Luckily, God listened to her prayers and sent the right UPS driver at her door. As she handed him the package he was about to pick up, while her husband held a gun behind her and told her not to speak to the driver, she pretended everything to be fine. What Jordan didn’t know was that the woman managed to write a message on the box. She scribbled “contact 911.”

Luckily, the UPS driver noticed the message and could feel it wasn’t a joke. He immediately contacted 911 and in no time, a SWAT team responded to the call and rescued the woman and her child from Jordan.

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