I am a 57-year-old man. I understand that moderate drinking may help me avoid a heart attack. But I’ve been diagnosed with hypertension, and I was told that alcohol can raise my blood pressure and stress my heart. So is drinking likely to help or harm me?
I’ve heard you should take an aspirin if you think you are having a heart attack. I already take aspirin (325 mg) every day. Should I still take an aspirin if I feel a heart attack coming on?
Are there any noninvasive, radiation-free tests that can give the same information about possible blockages in my coronary arteries as a nuclear stress test? I’ve had so many CT scans for other conditions that I’d prefer to go non-nuclear for a while.
I heard somewhere that the type of earwax you have is linked to your risk of heart disease. Can that be true?
I had a nuclear exercise test last fall, and it was perfectly normal. Imagine my surprise this spring when I developed burning chest pain that turned out to be a heart attack on the bottom part of my heart. Did the doctors mess up the reading of my test?
Do I need to take antibiotics before dental cleanings and other procedures to prevent infection in my hip prosthesis?
When doctors interpret a blood pressure reading, should they also consider the heart rate? My pressure is often higher when my heart rate is close to its usual resting rate and lower when my heart is beating faster than that.
My wife and I have read that erectile dysfunction can be a warning for future heart disease in men. My wife is experiencing a drop in her sex drive. She’ll be seeing her gynecologist for help, but we wonder if she should see a cardiologist, too.
I’ve heard that apple cider vinegar can clean out the arteries. Is there any truth to that?
I was taking diltiazem and Atacand, which gave me an average blood pressure of 110/65. Recently while in the hospital, my blood pressure got so low I was told to stop taking these medications. My blood pressure has remained at 105/65. How can this be?