Harvard Heart Letter articles from June 2004

Harvard Heart Letter archives from June 2004

Mini-strokes fade away, but danger doesn't.
June 1, 2004... Transient ischemic attacks can come and go in a matter of minutes. Finding the cause can help you plan the best defense against another one, or something worse. People sometimes laugh off a moment of forgetfulness by saying, "I must have...

Sweat can set you free.
June 1, 2004... Investing in exercise and tailored drug therapy lets many people say goodbye to angina without angioplasty. Does everyone who undergoes artery-opening angioplasty absolutely need the procedure? In a perfect world, the answer would be yes....

Erection problems show deep roots of heart disease.
June 1, 2004... Awareness of the two-way street between erectile dysfunction and heart disease can save lives and improve or maintain sexual function. Men: Don't be surprised if a discussion with your doctor about erection problems veers into a talk about...

Two pills in one.
June 1, 2004... Some combination drugs can lower your pill bill. Others cause more problems -- and cost more money -- than they're worth. Do you ever wish you could take fewer pills each day and lower your monthly drug bill? Pills that combine two...

Orange juice evolution.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Once just a tasty way to start the day, orange juice is morphing into a health beverage. With much more tinkering, you might someday need a prescription to buy it. You can get orange juice fortified with extra vitamin C, antioxidants,...

New drug may help when statin response is low.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Cholesterol-lowering statins don't live up to their name in some people. Genes and biology render these folks relatively resistant to the drugs' effects. Hyporesponders, take heart -- you may do exceptionally well with Zetia (ezetimibe), one of...

Sleep hormone may help lower blood pressure.
June 1, 2004... A hormone used to reset the body's internal clock could someday help control blood pressure and improve sleep if preliminary work pans out in larger studies. The body's internal clock sits in a pinhead-sized region of the brain called the...

Leave the driving to them.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... About half of heart attack victims who make it to the hospital arrive by ambulance; the other half get there by car, on foot, or some other way. Does mode of transportation affect who gets to the hospital faster or treated quicker? In the...

Nitrates for chest pain linked with arthritis.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Nitrates have been used for more than a century to relieve or prevent angina (chest pain). Delivered via tablets, sprays, ointments, and skin patches, these drugs improve blood flow by relaxing the smooth muscle that lines artery walls. One way...

Parents' medical histories often a faded memory.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The health histories of your parents can be a lens through which you see ahead to your own risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and many other chronic conditions. Many of us, though, lack some key information about our parents' health,...

Inhaling not necessary for cigars to trouble arteries.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... "But doc, I never inhale" just lost even more ground as an argument for continued cigar smoking, courtesy of Greek researchers and a dozen healthy middle-aged men. Each volunteer smoked a Cuban cigar without inhaling as sensors recorded his...

My doctors disagree on digoxin and warfarin tests. What should I do?
June 1, 2004... Q For the atrial fibrillation I have had for many years, I take digoxin and a beta blocker plus warfarin every day. One week when my heart rhythm wasn't under control, I asked a family friend who is a doctor for some advice. After running some...

Can I lower my LDL level by raising my triglycerides?(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Q In an issue of the Heart Letter you gave this formula for how LDL (bad) cholesterol is estimated from a routine blood test: LDL = total cholesterol - HDL - (triglycerides | 5). Does this mean I can lower my LDL by trying to raise my...