Heart Health Archive

Lifestyle changes — along with other proven therapies — can help improve these often-overlapping conditions.

Everyone goes through periods of feeling gloomy, irritable, or listless at least once in a while. And these emotions are perfectly normal after a diagnosis of a serious health problem such as heart disease. But if those unpleasant feelings drag on for weeks and gradually erase your sense of well-being, you may have depression.

Over a lifetime, about one in five Americans is affected by depression. But the risk of depression in people who've had a heart attack is three times as high as the risk among the general population.

A good one can provide motivation and customized advice on a safe, effective, and well-rounded exercise routine.

Exercise is one of the pillars of heart disease prevention. But at some point, you may need help shoring up your workout habits. Maybe you exercise only in fits and starts, without sticking to a regular routine. Or perhaps you're in a rut, doing the same old 30-minute trudge on the treadmill every day.

Another possibility: You have a health condition (such as high blood pressure or arthritis) or another physical problem (an old knee or back injury, for example) that makes you hesitant to exercise. For all of these reasons and more, hiring a personal trainer can be a sound investment.

Your genes affect how your body responds to many drugs. But pharmacogenomic testing still isn't ready for routine use.

Most genetic tests focus on your odds of developing certain diseases or health conditions. But some — known as pharmacogenomic (or pharmacogenetic) tests — can reveal how your body may respond and react to different medications. To date, researchers have identified more than 400 genetic variations known to affect the metabolism of numerous drugs, including some that help lower cholesterol or prevent blood clots (see "Pharmacogenomics of common heart drugs").

In theory, knowing how people metabolize specific drugs could help doctors choose the safest, most effective treatment for their patients. But in practice, it's not that straightforward, says Dr. Jason Vassy, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a primary care physician at the VA Boston Healthcare System.

Tropical fruits are those native to warm, tropical climates and include everyday favorites such as bananas and oranges. Here, we're highlighting a few slightly more exotic choices that deserve a place on your shopping list at least once in a while. Try these suggestions when you're craving something sweet for a snack or after dinner.

Pineapple. Sure, canned pineapple is convenient, but the flavor of a fresh pineapple is far more vibrant. Try pineapple chunks tossed with chopped fresh mint.

Listening to music may boost exercise ability, ease stress and anxiety, and enhance recovery from strokes.

 Image: © shironosov/Getty Images

Whether you prefer Stravinsky's symphonies or the Beatles' ballads, you probably listen mostly because you simply like how they sound. You might not realize that music engages not only your auditory system but many other parts of your brain as well, including areas responsible for movement, language, attention, memory, and emotion.

"There is no other stimulus on earth that simultaneously engages our brains as widely as music does," says Brian Harris, certified neurologic music therapist at Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. This global activation happens whether you listen to music, play an instrument, or sing — even informally in the car or the shower, he says. And it helps to explain how and why music therapy works (see "Singing — and striding — stroke survivors").

On call

Q. What is the significance of mild narrowing of the carotid artery detected by an ultrasound? I have never had any symptoms of stroke.

A. "Mild" narrowing ranges from 15% to 49% blockage of the artery. Over time, this narrowing can progress and lead to a stroke. Even if it doesn't progress, mild narrowing is a sign of early blood vessel disease and calls for preventive measures.

Known as orthostatic hypotension, this condition can leave people dizzy and lightheaded. For some, it may also be a harbinger of heart disease.

Have you ever felt a bit woozy just after standing up? When you transition from sitting to standing, gravity causes blood to pool in your legs. Sometimes — especially if you're dehydrated or overheated — it takes your body a moment to push blood upward, causing a brief delay in blood flow to the brain.

For most people, this phenomenon occurs just once in a while and usually isn't a serious problem. But age, some medications, and certain medical conditions can interfere with the body's normal mechanism for regulating blood pressure (see "Responding to pressure: The role of baroreceptors"). If that happens, your blood pressure may drop dramatically when you stand up. Known as orthostatic hypotension (OH), the problem affects about 5% of people younger than 50. But up to 20% of people ages 70 and older may have OH.

Omega-3 fatty acids from fish and fish oil have been recommended by the American Heart Association for the past 20 years to reduce cardiovascular events in people who already have cardiovascular disease. But the results of studies of omega-3 supplements have been mixed, leaving both doctors and patients still wondering what to do.

Research we're watching

Reliable blood pressure readings are vital for diagnosing high blood pressure and estimating a person's risk of heart disease. New research suggests that using a home blood pressure monitor may be more dependable than other methods.

Doctors have long relied on office visits to check people's blood pressure. But growing evidence shows that readings done outside a doctor's office are more closely linked to a person's risk of heart-related problems. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) involves wearing a device that automatically records blood pressure every 30 to 60 minutes for 24 hours, but it's not widely available.