Harvard Heart Letter articles from July 2005

Harvard Heart Letter archives from July 2005

Heal the heart, the mind will follow.(heart health affects brain function)
July 1, 2005... Strategies that protect you from a heart attack or stroke can work against aging-related memory loss. Research is beginning to show how emotions, isolation, and a host of other psychological and social factors affect the heart. It works the...

Nitroglycerin: A blast from the past remains a trusted standby.
July 1, 2005... Nitrates offer quick, effective relief from a common heart disease symptom, often for just pennies per dose. Nitroglycerin, a key component of dynamite, is also famous for relieving the crushing chest pain known as angina. The drug's...

Opening up treatment for peripheral artery disease.
July 1, 2005... Lessons from the heart may translate to better treatment for blocked arteries in the legs and elsewhere. The heart isn't the only place in the body where the onslaught of high blood pressure, inflammation, and an overload of circulating fat...

New tests for heart disease: Promise but no payoff.
July 1, 2005... Three blood tests designed to detect early heart disease aren't quite ready for prime time. "It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." -- Yogi Berra Cardiologists share Yogi's sentiment. Part of their job is to...

Heart Beat; Can ACE inhibitors trump heart-valve calcium buildup?(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... How is an aging aortic valve like an old water pipe? Both get gummed up by mineral deposits. In the case of the aortic valve, the main culprit is calcium. Bone-like nodules of calcium can choke off the opening available for blood flow that...

Heart beat; Forgo fried fish for heart protection.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... If you are trying to eat more fish to protect your heart -- an excellent idea, by the way -- forget fried fish sandwiches and fish sticks. That's the advice from a long-term follow-up study of 5,000 men and women in four very different...

Ask the doctor; Is an enlarged heart bad for you?(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Q. Is it bad to have an enlarged heart? If so, what are some of the symptoms? A. Whether an enlarged heart is bad depends on why a person has one. Marathon runners and other athletes who routinely pump a lot of blood for long periods...

Ask the doctor; Can a nicotine patch boost my blood pressure?(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Q. On the day I stopped smoking a few weeks ago, I started using a nicotine patch. When I smoked, my blood pressure was great -- 100/70. Now it is up to 160/90. I would hate to stop the patch, since it really helps, but I'm worried that it...