Harvard Heart Letter articles from February 2002

Harvard Heart Letter archives from February 2002

Nutrition - Spreading Your Way to Lower Cholesterol?(evaluation of cholesterol-lowering margarines)
February 1, 2002... Although a cholesterol-lowering margarine sounds too good to be true, many grocery stores now carry one brand, if not two. This seeming contradiction in terms certainly can't replace a heart-healthy diet, exercise, or medications. But it just...

Keeping Heart Failure from Putting You in the Hospital.
February 1, 2002... Despite its ominous name, heart failure can be a controllable condition. New and old medications combined with lifestyle changes help many people with heart failure live relatively normal lives. That said, its progression and flare-ups send...

Growing Around Blocked Arteries.("collateralization" of vessels around blocked arteries)
February 1, 2002... The heart is a little like an old city. Its main thoroughfares, the coronary arteries, carry most of the traffic. A network of narrow side streets and unused alleys weave along, around, and across the main arteries. These possible alternate...

New Angina Drugs on the Horizon?
February 1, 2002... Over the last two decades, procedures that relieve the heart ache of angina have improved rapidly. Angioplasty, which can open blocked heart arteries without surgery, has become increasingly popular as researchers and clinicians have gained...

Heart Lines - Cutting Salt Better Than Exercise at Controlling Blood Pressure.
February 1, 2002... Physicians almost seem to relish giving patients with hypertension a daunting list of lifestyle changes to help lower their blood pressure: lose weight, exercise more, eat less salt, drink less alcohol, eat more foods rich in calcium,...

Heart Lines - Making Blood Pressure Movies.(treating white-coat hypertension with ambulatory blood pressure monitoring)
February 1, 2002... Your blood pressure, like your energy, activity, moods, and hormone levels, fluctuates throughout the day. That means the blood pressure reading your doctor or nurse records during an office visit is like a single image from a long movie. For...

Heart Lines - Aggressive Therapy for Older Hearts.
February 1, 2002... There's no question that coronary artery bypass grafting and angioplasty can relieve the pain of angina, prevent heart attacks, and add years to the lives of people with blocked coronary arteries. Actually, make that younger people with...

Ask the Doctor.(effect of grapefruit pectin on clogged arteries)
February 1, 2002... Q Does grapefruit pectin powder unclog arteries? Are there any side effects? A Pectin is a type of soluble fiber found in citrus fruits, apples, peaches, other fruits, and some vegetables. It's the substance that makes jellies gel. Over...

Ask the Doctor (2).(pacemakers and their effect on airport metal detectors)
February 1, 2002... Q Because I have a pacemaker, I've always avoided going through the big scanners at the airport and have gone around to the person with the hand-held device. As airport security gets tighter, I'm worried that my reluctance to go through metal...