Category: heart-letter

If you have a slow heart rate (bradycardia), is it safe to drink wine? If so, how much per day? Does alcohol affect the heart rate?

Your article on mitral valve surgery didn’t mention how often someone like me – with mild regurgitation from a leaky mitral valve but no symptoms – should have his or her valve checked. Are there any standards for this?

I have an electrocardiogram as part of my yearly checkup. After the last one, my doctor mentioned that my ST segment was longer this year than it was last year. He recommended that I have a stress test to check this out. I passed with flying colors. When I asked the cardiologist who did the stress test about the ST segment, he said the length isn?t really important, that the height and shape are what matter. Can you explain?

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?

I’ve heard that apple cider vinegar can clean out the arteries. Is there any truth to that?

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.

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?

I heard somewhere that the type of earwax you have is linked to your risk of heart disease. Can that be true?

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’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?