Harvard Heart Letter: August 2007

An iPod or other digital music player held too close to the chest of a person with a pacemaker can interfere with the heart device's function. Cell phones can also cause this interference.

Cardiologists found a case where too much talking was a trigger for atrial fibrillation.

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.

The medication Actiq was incorrectly identified in a previous article as a treatment for pain related to heart disease. As it is a narcotic, it should only be used in special cases.

have been taking Crestor (10 mg) for several years. Now my insurance company tells me it is dropping Crestor from its preferred drug list and suggests I replace it with Lipitor. Will this be okay?

Is my long-term use of beta blockers and ACE inhibitors setting me up for heart failure? I understand these drugs keep my heart rate low. If the heart is a muscle, and muscles are strengthened by exercise, won't slowing the heart weaken it?

The diabetes drug Avandia may increase the risk of heart attack in those taking it. Other medications are as effective at lowering blood sugar without Avandia's risks.

People at risk for heart attack or stroke will likely benefit from taking low-dose daily aspirin, but for some there are greater risks (such as ulcers or gastrointestinal bleeding) that outweigh aspirin's help.

Exercise helps boost the body's production of HDL cholesterol, but the amount of the increase can vary. The longer the workout, the more the body's HDL cholesterol level is likely to be raised.