Heart Health Center January 2012 Archive

Most physicians are now convinced that emotional stress, under certain circumstances, can play a role in the development of chronic heart disease, and even in the precipitation of ... Read More

Infectious endocarditis - which sometimes is also called subacute bacterial endocarditis (SBE), or just "endocarditis" - is an infection of the endocardial surface (the interior lining) of the heart. Infectious ... Read More

Recent studies have shown that during periods of grief caused by loss of a loved one, the risk of having a heart attack becomes remarkably higher for a period of ... Read More

Yes, stress can help to produce heart disease - but not all stress, and not in all people.  For stress to be harmful to your heart, you've got to have ... Read More

The American Heart Association has released its first-ever official statement on the topic of sexual activity in people with heart disease.  The salient features of the AHA's advice can be ... Read More

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a developing, minimally-invasive approach to replacing the aortic valve in people who have aortic stenosis.  TAVI permits the replacement of diseased aortic valves by ... Read More

While statins have been shown to significantly improve cardiovascular outcomes in people who either have coronary artery disease or who are at high risk for coronary artery disease, there remains ... Read More

Several studies now strongly suggest that taking high-dose statins appears to increase the risk of developing type II diabetes.  Does this make taking statins counterproductive? Perhaps it does - in some ... Read More

Mitral regurgitation - a "leaky" mitral valve - is the most common of the heart valve abnormalities, and can be one of the most difficult to evaluate and treat. ... Read More

Heart disease can cause numerous symptoms, including palpitations, chest pain, weakness, shortness of breath and more. Here is a discussion of the key symptoms produced by heart disease, and what they ... Read More

Now that we know how smoking damages your heart, and your health in general - in other words, now that it has been established that quitting would be a very ... Read More

If you have high cholesterol, your doctor will probably base your treatment on recommendations that come from National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III), ... Read More