Harvard Heart Letter articles from March 2007

Harvard Heart Letter archives from March 2007

New drug fizzles at raising HDL.
March 1, 2007... Tried-and-true strategies are still excellent ways to boost good cholesterol. When pharmaceutical giant Pfizer pulled the plug on torcetrapib, its experimental HDL-raising drug, media reports made it sound like we were losing our last,...

Some blood pressure drugs act as a skeleton key.
March 1, 2007... Three commonly used antihypertension medicines may also protect against brittle bones. Most medication side effects are irritating, harmful, or downright deadly. Here's one that is good for you: stronger bones. Thiazide diuretics, beta...

Late blood clots tarnish drug-coated stents.(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Uncommon complication raises questions about who really needs a drug-coated stent and how long to continue drug therapy after getting one. Medicine is both science and art. It's also a balancing act, teetering between the benefits of...

Heart Beat; Alcohol and high blood pressure.(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Lay off alcohol is one of the first things people with newly diagnosed high blood pressure are told. Alcohol can cause high blood pressure as well as contribute to it. Abstinence, though, might not be necessary, and may even deny some folks a...

Heart Beat; Fatal attraction?(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... That magnetic brooch or necklace may set off more than your eyes or sweater -- it could also set off, or turn off, your pacemaker or implanted cardioverter/defibrillator (ICD). Jewelry, reading glasses, name tags, and even some clothing...

In Brief.(blood pressure control)(folic acid doesn't prevent heart attack)(heart rehabilitation)
March 1, 2007... Blood pressure control improving. Statistics usually paint a gloomy picture of heart disease in America. Here's a ray of sunshine: The percentage of us who have our high blood pressure under control jumped from 29.2% in 1999 to 36.8% in 2007....

Ask the doctor; Do grapes and grape juice protect the heart like wine does?
March 1, 2007... Q. For the health of my heart and arteries, how does regular consumption of red wine compare with grape juice or the equivalent in grapes? A. You are asking a question that science hasn't caught up with, especially when it comes to grape...

Ask the doctor; Is it dangerous for me to go over my target heart rate?
March 1, 2007... Q. I am 79 years old and exercise five days a week, three on the treadmill for my heart and two for strength training. Because I complained of chest pain one day (which I believe was due to my gastroesophageal reflux), my doctor sent me for a...