Harvard Heart Letter articles from May 2004

Harvard Heart Letter archives from May 2004

Blood pressure position.
May 1, 2004... Poor technique can distort your blood pressure readings. Here are some tips for doing it right. The last time a doctor, nurse, or medical assistant checked your blood pressure, were you sitting, standing, or lying down? Was your arm flexed...

Cholesterol: Low is good. Lower is better.
May 1, 2004... PROVE IT has doctors rethinking how to treat high cholesterol and what's a good target. Even if you believe your cholesterol is under control, don't be surprised if your doctor suggests increasing your statin dose or, if you aren't yet...

Is your daily aspirin falling down on the job?
May 1, 2004... Not everyone gets the full effect of aspirin. A test can show if it's working for you. You might bristle a bit if someone told you that you were just like everyone else. Yet the idea that we all respond in much the same way to medications...

Putting the cuffs on chest pain.(External counterpulsation)
May 1, 2004... Inflatable pants may help ease angina when drugs and surgery aren't enough. It's often hard to pinpoint when a medical curiosity morphs into an accepted treatment. Take the idea of using inflatable pants that rhythmically squeeze the legs...

Hot-headed approach to heart disease.
May 1, 2004... Anger is a normal, healthy emotion. It can also be bad for your heart. A phrase often used to describe an angry moment -- "that made my blood boil" -- isn't so far off the mark. Anger can turn up the heat inside arteries by sparking a...

Beauty sleep for the heart.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Getting too little sleep and having trouble sleeping have been linked with cardiovascular disease in a handful of studies. What's the connection? Lack of sleep seems to promote low-level inflammation throughout the body. And it's just this kind...

Get with the guidelines to survive a heart attack.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... People who recover from heart attacks or unstable angina (chest pain that comes on at rest or during sleep) really want to know how to keep these problems from happening again. University of Michigan researchers have one answer: Follow the...

One reason cardiologists stay busy.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... The percentage of Americans with important risk factors for heart disease and stroke grew moderately (high blood pressure and high cholesterol) and markedly (diabetes and obesity) between 1991 and 2001. In contrast, the percentage of those...

Should I keep eating fish?
May 1, 2004... Q With all the news reports about fish and contamination with mercury or PCBs, confusion reigns supreme. Can you help? A News about pollutants in seafood can make fish eaters feel like they're caught between the devil and the deep blue sea....