Harvard Heart Letter articles from January 2002

Harvard Heart Letter archives from January 2002

Grief - Can You Die of a Broken Heart?
January 1, 2002... If you scan the obituaries over the next few months, you may spot what seems to be further fallout from the terrorist attacks of September 11 and beyond - death notices of the spouses and parents of people who died in the attacks or in the...

Clot Filters: Preventing Strokes During Carotid Artery Procedures.
January 1, 2002... Balloons and stents offer a relatively easy way to open cholesterol-clogged arteries in the heart. These devices, which are guided into place via an artery in the groin or arm, offer many of the same advantages as open heart surgery - better...

Heart Lines - Vitamin Conflicts.(vitamin-drug interactions)
January 1, 2002... We tend to think of vitamin C, vitamin E, and other antioxidant supplements as "can't hurt, may help" additions to our diets. Years of positive reports in the media and aggressive advertising make it seem as though these agents are proven...

Heart Lines - Dallas Bed Rest Study.(health hazards of inactivity and how to reverse them with exercise)
January 1, 2002... Back in 1966, five healthy young men spent three weeks of their summer vacations in bed. They weren't lazy or depressed or staging an anti-war protest. Instead, they were letting their muscles and cardiovascular systems wither in the cause of...

Heart Lines - Taking a Marathon to Heart.
January 1, 2002... Exercise is a mysterious but highly effective therapy for almost all heart diseases. Although we're years away from understanding all of its benefits, we know that moderate exercise lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels,...

Ask the Doctor.(implantable defibrillator questions)
January 1, 2002... Q Because I had a lot of rhythm abnormalities after my heart attack a few years ago, my doctor gave me an implantable defibrillator. I've gotten so used to it that I forgot I even had it until a few weeks ago when I was sitting at dinner and...

Ask the Doctor (2).(homocysteine test)
January 1, 2002... Q I keep reading that homocysteine is an important new risk factor for heart disease, but my doctor says this test is not yet "ready for prime time." What's the holdup? A Several studies have shown that people with high homocysteine...

Ask the Doctor (3).(questions on statin safety after Baycol recall)
January 1, 2002... Q I know that most of the cholesterol-lowering statin drugs are supposed to be safe. But I am still shaken up by the news that one of these drugs, Baycol, caused several deaths due to muscle damage. If the rest of these drugs can also cause...

Ask the Doctor (4).(statin use for slightly high LDL cholesterol levels)
January 1, 2002... Q I've read about the new guidelines for cholesterol and, like almost everyone I know, my LDL cholesterol is above the "optimal" level of less than 100 mg/dL. For someone like me, with an LDL level of 145 mg/dL but no other major risk factors...