Diet helps control healthy blood pressure. One option is the DASH diet. It has stringent requirements, including salt restriction to as low as 1500 milligrams per day. Mediterranean-style eating also lowers blood pressure and is heart healthy.
Many people try chelation therapy for a variety of reasons, but it is unproven and potentially risky as a therapy for heart disease. Instead, use proven measures like daily aspirin, exercise, blood pressure control, and lowering “bad” cholesterol.
One way to get more nutrients into the diet is to eat more “superfoods,” such as broccoli, salmon, eggs, beans, walnuts, oatmeal, olive oil, tea, quinoa, and dark chocolate.
People with heart disease will soon be able to transmit information about their heart rhythm to their doctor’s office using an iPhone app.
Anyone at risk for complications from the heart-lung machine during open-heart surgery should have the procedure performed without it, or “off-pump.” For everyone else, whether or not to use the pump should be left up to the surgeon.
Pertussis rates are rising in all age groups. An Australian study found that older adults with pertussis are more likely to need hospitalization, which underscores the need for older adults to get vaccinated.
In a study of healthy people, taking high doses of a statin drug to lower “bad” cholesterol doesn’t cause muscle weakness but does trigger minor muscle pain in a small number of cases.
Acupuncture may be helpful for reducing pain in many chronic conditions, such as back pain, neck pain, and headache.
High-intensity interval training offers an excellent cardiovascular workout. Anyone with heart disease who has not been very active and wants to try this approach should have a stress test first.