At home or away, a rehab program can do wonders for your heart.

When cardiovascular disease rears its head, protecting your heart assumes extra importance and urgency. But so many threads are needed to weave a blanket of protection that it's easy to get tangled up or lose hold of what you need to do. A rehabilitation program, commonly called cardiac rehab, can help. Think of it as one-stop shopping for all your cardiovascular needs, from getting more exercise and learning about your medications to adopting a more healthful diet and easing stress.

Sadly, most people who could benefit from ...

Farmers' markets and growing your own trump the grocery store.

What's better than fruits and vegetables from the supermarket? Those you buy from a local farmer or grow yourself. Frequenting a farmers' market or growing your own produce can give you a new relationship with food, and perhaps with people; be good for your heart and muscles; and help you eat more fruits and vegetables.

Up on the farm Wandering through a farmers' market on a breezy summer day is a feast for the senses — writer John McPhee captures this in his timeless essay, "Giving Good Weight." It is ...

 

A sudden spasm of the coronary arteries can feel like a heart attack.

Variant angina. Coronary syndrome X. Prinzmetal's angina. All have this in common: a sudden constriction of coronary arteries that feels like a heart attack, but isn't.

Vasospasm is the sudden narrowing of a blood vessel, usually an artery. It happens when the muscles within the vessel's wall quickly contract and stay that way. Vasospasm can occur anywhere in the body. It is part of the process that causes migraines and some strokes. In the fingers and toes, it is responsible for Raynaud's phenomenon. In the coronary ...

Balloon angioplasty is getting better at unblocking carotid arteries, but surgery still has the edge.

Opening a blocked heart artery with a balloon and then propping it open with a wire-mesh stent has become a near-equal partner with bypass surgery for restoring blood flow to the heart. Although coronary angioplasty plus stenting isn't quite as durable as bypass surgery, it is much easier on the body, since it doesn't require opening the chest. Giving up a tiny bit of effectiveness for a much shorter recovery is an excellent trade-off for some people.

The situation is different in the carotid arteries, ...

Researchers comparing diets found that the type of diet a person follows (low-fat, low-carb, etc.) is not so important, as long as it provides the necessary nutrition and matches a person's metabolism.

Wide-ranging daily blood pressure readings could be an indicator of increased risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Controlling heart rate is one strategy for managing atrial fibrillation. Keeping the heart rate below a more lenient number of beats per minute may be just as effective as aiming for a lower number.

People who believe they have been overcharged for medical care or services can enlist a company to examine their bills.

I am 86 years old and have high blood pressure and diabetes. My doctor ordered tests to check my carotid arteries. They showed that one was nearly 70% blocked. My doctor said I had to have surgery right away or I would have a stroke. Is she right?

Last year I had a deep-vein thrombosis with a small pulmonary embolism, apparently precipitated by flying across the country without getting up and walking around. Is it safe for me to fly again? If so, what precautions would you recommend?

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

I have been taking CholestOff for a few years to lower my cholesterol. Does CholestOff have any long-term side effects that might be a problem for breast cancer survivors like me?

I am a 59-year-old man. The results of my latest blood test showed that my LDL cholesterol was 67, which was flagged as low. (I do not take any cholesterol-lowering drugs.) Should I be worried, or do anything to raise my LDL?