Harvard Heart Letter articles from June 2007

Harvard Heart Letter archives from June 2007

Yellow light on pain relievers.
June 1, 2007... American Heart Association guidelines recommend using caution for all medications that ease pain. Like a boulder hurled into a quiet pond, the recall of the painkiller Vioxx sent shock waves through the medical community and the general...

Reception still fuzzy for fast CT scans of the heart.
June 1, 2007... As technology for seeing into the heart improves, how the machines will be used is still up in the air. Machines that peer into the body, such as the familiar x-ray and the alphabet soup of CT, MRI, PET, and SPECT scanners, can make...

COURAGE to make choices.(clinical outcomes utilizing revascularization and aggressive drug evaluation)
June 1, 2007... When it comes to treating angina or a narrowed coronary artery, angioplasty is no better than medical therapy for preventing heart attacks or premature death. What's the best way to "fix" a narrowed coronary artery? That question was the...

Heart Beat; Big bend for blood pressure?
June 1, 2007... Subtle, precise nudges of a misaligned atlas can dramatically lower blood pressure. We are not talking about rearranging reference books, but about lining up the spinal column's topmost vertebra. The C-1 vertebra is a doughnut-shaped bone...

Heart Beat; High pulse pressure poses risk for atrial fibrillation.(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Arteries, like knuckles and knees, can stiffen with age. When this happens, the heart must contract a bit more forcefully with each beat to circulate blood. This extra work can lead to changes in the size and shape of the muscular lower...

In Brief.(fiber diet lowers c-reactive protein)(Norvasc becomes generic)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Norvasc goes generic. If you take the calcium-channel blocker amlodipine (Norvasc) to control your blood pressure, generic versions could save you some money. Although a minor legal kerfuffle could restrict the number of companies bringing...

Heart Beat; A heartfelt legacy from long-lived parents.(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... If one or both of your parents lived to age 85 or beyond, you may have inherited a genetic gift with a cardiovascular wrapping. According to a report from the Framingham Heart Study, individuals with long-lived parents tend to enter middle age...

Heart Beat; More evidence against trans fats.(not good for heart and red blood cells)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Artificial trans fats, found in hard margarines, many commercially baked goods, and the fried foods in many restaurants, aren't good for the heart and blood vessels. At least that's the word from large studies that used diet questionnaires to...

Follow-up.(chest compressions keeps blood circulating)
June 1, 2007... No-breath CPR. When someone suddenly collapses and stops breathing, they are more likely to survive if a bystander does only chest compressions to keep the blood circulating without stopping to do mouth-to-mouth breathing. That's the conclusion...

Ask the doctor; Can I stop taking my blood pressure medicine?(atenolol's reaction on body)
June 1, 2007... Q. After taking 50 milligrams a day of the beta blocker atenolol for several years, my doctor suggested cutting the dose to 25 milligrams, which didn't negatively affect my blood pressure. A couple of months ago, my blood pressure reading was...

Ask the doctor; Should I take nitroglycerin during exercise?(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Q. I have had a prescription for nitroglycerin (Nitrostat) for a number of years, but I rarely need to use it. Every once in a while, though, when I am on the treadmill, I feel my chest start to tighten up. I stop, take a pill, then continue...