Harvard Heart Letter articles from May 2007

Harvard Heart Letter archives from May 2007

Heart scans hold intermediate promise.(Report)
May 1, 2007... CT scans for calcium in the heart's arteries only benefit people in the gray zone of heart disease risk. A debate over whether fast CT scanners should be used to go looking for "silent" heart disease still rages. These machines can detect...

A new way to control blood pressure.
May 1, 2007... Inactivating renin, which is made by the kidneys, may open the door to better blood pressure. With more than a hundred blood pressure medicines already on the market, the FDA's approval of yet another one might seem like ho-hum news. It's...

New tool refines heart risk prediction.
May 1, 2007... Adding C-reactive protein and family history modernizes and improves the standard risk tool. When should the tried-and-true make way for something new? That's a question we all face from time to time, whether it has to do with Thanksgiving...

What the latest diet trial really means.
May 1, 2007... Any diet that helps you take in fewer calories will help you shed pounds. The "Atkins is best" headlines you may have seen in March 2007 had champions of the low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet smiling -- and hoping that people wouldn't read...

Heart beat; As the hammock swings.(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Siesta. Just the thought of a lazy lunch followed by a peaceful nap is enough to lower blood pressure and reduce stress. Whether actually taking one is good for the heart, though, is still swinging in the breeze. In Greece, at least,...

Heart beat; States of the heart.(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... While the country may be politically divided into red states and blue states, when it comes to heart disease there are only red states and redder states. A survey of more than 350,000 people by the federal Centers for Disease Control and...

Heart beat; Study suggests limiting use of aspirin plus warfarin.(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... The combination of low-dose aspirin and warfarin (generic, Coumadin) is prescribed for a growing number of people with various forms of heart disease. For some, this dual therapy is just what they need. For others it may do more harm than good....

Ask the doctor; Is weight lifting safe if I have a stent?(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Q. Although I am only 58 years old, I have had several stents implanted to open some severely blocked coronary arteries. I used to love to lift weights, but stopped after getting the stents. My blood pressure is good, and I take all the usual...

Ask the doctor; Is my breathlessness a heart or lung problem?(Author abstract)
May 1, 2007... Q. I had a quadruple bypass seven years ago and felt fine until recently. A few months back I found myself taking frequent short breaths when I climbed the stairs in my home. Once I stopped exerting myself, my breathing soon returned to normal....

Ask the doctor; Does a low ejection fraction doom me to inactivity?(Disease/Disorder overview)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Q. Two years ago, at age 64, I had a severe heart attack in the left ventricle that left me with a 20% ejection fraction. A recent echocardiogram showed that my heart is getting larger. I have no shortness of breath or swelling, but wonder how...

Ask the doctor; Can eye drops for glaucoma affect the heart?(Drug overview)
May 1, 2007... Q. I was recently diagnosed with glaucoma. My eye doctor prescribed eye drops called Timoptic to reduce the pressure inside my eyes. After just a short time I had to stop using them because they made me dizzy and my heartbeat felt strange....