heart-letter
Doctors used to worry that the potential harm of blood pressure medication outweighed any benefit to elderly patients, but a study found that the medication did reduce the incidence of heart disease, stroke, and premature death in older patients.
The American Heart Association has revised its guidelines for administering CPR to a victim of cardiac arrest, and now recommends using only firm, quick chest compressions.
Eating soy nuts may lower blood pressure slightly. Allegedly natural male enhancement products were found to contain substances almost identical to ED medications, which could be dangerous to men taking a nitrate medication for chest pain.
Tilapia has been criticized because it is lower in omega-3 fats and higher in omega-6 fats than other kinds of fish, but it is still a good source of protein and has other nutritional value.
Many nights I wake up once, twice, or several times with leg cramps. The only medications I take are a statin, niacin, Plavix, and baby aspirin. Are any of them causing these aggravating cramps?
A German study suggests that, because of the antioxidants it contains, eating a small amount of dark chocolate daily may lower blood pressure by a few points.
People with artery disease may have a choice between bypass surgery and angioplasty, depending on the circumstances of one’s condition and other factors such as whether or not a person can take the medication clopidogrel.
Sleep apnea causes increased production of stress hormones, faster heart rate, increased blood pressure, and inflammation. Research has found that people with the condition are more likely to die of cardiovascular disease.
The exercise stress test is used to identify potential problems with heart rate, rhythm, or blood pressure. It is used when there is cause to suspect a person has heart disease, but it does not make sense for healthy people to have the test.
Coffee lovers should be reassured by a study showing that death rates among coffee drinkers were no higher than for people who did not drink coffee.