Recent Blog Articles
PTSD: How is treatment changing?
Virtual mental health care visits: Making them work for you
How healthy is sugar alcohol?
A bird flu primer: What to know and do
New urine test may help some men with elevated PSA avoid biopsy
Dupuytren's contracture of the hand
Why play? Early games build bonds and brain
Moving from couch to 5K
How — and why — to fit more fiber and fermented food into your meals
Tick season is expanding: Protect yourself against Lyme disease
Heart Health Archive
Articles
Your heart’s desire: A daily practice to relieve stress
Every day, carve out a little time to release your worries and relax your mind. It may counteract the heart-damaging effects of stress.
Image: © Photodjo/Getty Images
Stress is an inevitable part of life. People often fret over day-to-day hassles such as traffic jams and unpaid bills, not to mention the relentless news about natural disasters and political crises. Many are also coping with the added anguish of divorce, illness, or death within their families.
All of these so-called psychosocial stresses first take hold in your mind. But the effects spread throughout your brain and body. Sometimes, you can even feel it: your heart pounds, you breathe faster, and your muscles tense. However, chronic stress also has more insidious physical effects that can harm your heart (see "Stress and your cardiovascular system").
An unusual type of heart attack
Ask the doctor
Image: © patrickheagney/Getty Images
Q. Is it possible to have a heart attack even if you don't have any blockages in your heart's arteries?
A. Yes, you can. Doctors refer to heart attacks without blocked arteries as MINOCA, which stands for myocardial infarction (that is, heart attack) with non-obstructive coronary arteries. When it occurs, people may experience typical heart attack symptoms, such as chest pressure or pain in the center of the chest (or the arms, jaw, neck, or stomach) and trouble breathing. They also have elevated blood levels of a protein called troponin, a marker of heart damage that is used to diagnose a heart attack. But the next test — a special x-ray of the heart's arteries called an angiogram — shows no evidence of a significant buildup of fatty plaque blocking any of the heart's arteries.
How to spot questionable nutrition advice
The Internet is rife with dubious dietary advice for heart health. Here's how to separate the wheat from the chaff.
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Surfing the Web nearly always involves running into a few ads, blogs, and articles about diet and health. Perhaps you also have relatives or friends who send you links about what you should (or shouldn't) be eating to lose weight, lower your blood pressure, or dodge heart disease.
You might be skeptical enough to avoid clicking on suspicious links, like those once-popular ads promising "one weird trick to banish belly fat." Yet sometimes the advice appears to be from a legitimate source — for instance, a purported world-class heart surgeon who's written books about diet and nutrition. But what if the recommendations run counter to what you've mostly heard about a heart-healthy diet? It's no wonder many people feel confused and frustrated about nutrition.
Walk this way
How fast is fast enough? About 100 steps per minute might be a reasonable goal, but your mileage may vary.
Image: © Kali Nine LLC/Getty Images
Walking can be a wonderful way to get exercise. But do you ever wonder if you're moving briskly enough to benefit your heart? There's a quite a difference between a leisurely neighborhood stroll and a purposeful gait when you're late for the bus. Now, new research suggests that a pace of about 100 steps per minute qualifies as brisk walking for many people (see "Take this in stride: A study of walking speed").
Using that cadence as a benchmark might make sense for some — but not all — people, says Dr. Beth Frates, who directs wellness programming for the Stroke Research and Recovery Institute at Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. "For example, 100 steps per minute could be a good goal for a middle-aged, relatively healthy person who's walking on a mild day when the conditions allow for safe footing." In fact, that pace might even seem a bit slow for a fit person who exercises regularly, she says.
Avoid these common blood pressure measuring mistakes
This checklist can help ensure accurate readings both at the doctor's office and at home.
Image: © Maica/Getty Images
Blood pressure is a key indicator of cardiovascular health. So it's vitally important to make sure that you check yours regularly — and accurately. But according to the American Heart Association (AHA), health care professionals don't always follow the proper techniques when measuring a person's blood pressure. The AHA cites seven common errors (detailed below) that can lead to an artificially high blood pressure reading.
Plus, there's one additional step that may be overlooked after you get a blood pressure reading of 130/80 mm Hg or higher, a level that defines high blood pressure, says endocrinologist Dr. Naomi Fisher, director of the Hypertension Service and Hypertension Innovation at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Managing mitral valve disease: Progress and promise
Operations to fix faulty mitral valves are on the rise. But less invasive nonsurgical strategies are under development.
The mitral valve — so named because it resembles a miter, a bishop's formal headdress — sits between the two chambers on the left side of your heart. Inherited conditions, diseases, or a combination of the two can cause changes in the size, shape, flexibility, or mechanics of the mitral valve, leaving it unable to close properly. When that happens, blood may flow backward between heartbeats, a problem called regurgitation.
While mild cases are generally harmless and cause no symptoms, more severe cases can increase the heart's workload, leading to breathlessness, fatigue, and other symptoms. Mitral valve regurgitation also produces a distinct sound (heart murmur) that a doctor may hear through a stethoscope.
Vegetable of the month: Cauliflower
Image: © Joe_Potato/Getty Images
Just a few years ago, cauliflower was considered kind of ho-hum, relegated mainly to frozen vegetable medleys or crudité platters. But these days, the mild white vegetable is far more popular, thanks to its versatility as a carbohydrate substitute. Recent diet trends that encourage people to eat fewer starchy and grain-based foods likely contributed to cauliflower's rise.
Even if you're not avoiding carbs, using cauliflower as a substitute for starchy foods such as rice is a good way to cut calories and eat more fiber. You can also make mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes (see www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/mashed-cauliflower). Or try making a pizza with one of the many cauliflower-based pizza crusts now available in most grocery stores.
Pay less for heart drugs without using insurance?
Research we're watching
Image: © Gligatron/Getty Images
Do you take generic drugs to lower your blood pressure or cholesterol? You may save money by paying out of pocket at Walmart instead of a paying a Medicare prescription copay, according to an analysis in the July 24 Annals of Internal Medicine.
Walmart (and a number of other large chain stores) offer generic drug discount plans; they sell 30-day supplies of popular generic drugs for $4.
Traditional Southern diet is bad news for people with heart disease
Research we're watching
People with heart disease who eat a traditional Southern diet (rich in meat and fried foods) may be more likely to die sooner than people who follow a plant-based Mediterranean-style diet.
So says a study in the July 12 Journal of the American Heart Association that focused on people with a history of heart disease, such as a heart attack or bypass surgery. Researchers conducted dietary assessments on 3,562 people ages 45 and older and tracked them for about seven years.
New nasal spray may stop rapid heart rhythm
Research we're watching
An experimental nasal spray shows promise for quickly treating an abnormally fast heart rhythm known as supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), a new study reports.
Caused by an electrical misfire that overrides the heart's natural pacemaker, SVT occurs unpredictably, lasting anywhere from minutes to hours. Although usually harmless, the condition can make people dizzy or lightheaded. People with persistent SVT usually need to go to an emergency room for an injection of a drug to slow the heart.
Recent Blog Articles
PTSD: How is treatment changing?
Virtual mental health care visits: Making them work for you
How healthy is sugar alcohol?
A bird flu primer: What to know and do
New urine test may help some men with elevated PSA avoid biopsy
Dupuytren's contracture of the hand
Why play? Early games build bonds and brain
Moving from couch to 5K
How — and why — to fit more fiber and fermented food into your meals
Tick season is expanding: Protect yourself against Lyme disease
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