Heart Health Archive

Most men can resume regular sexual activity after a heart attack once they can engage in mild-to-moderate physical activity without experiencing marked fatigue, chest pain, or shortness of breath. For heart-related procedures like angioplasty with stent placement (to open a blocked artery and restore blood flow), coronary artery bypass surgery, or open-heart surgery, men should wait until surgical sites have fully healed before resuming sex. At the same time, men should address any lingering heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure and excess weight.

A 2025 research review suggested that women with certain gynecological disorders, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, heavy periods, and irregular menstrual cycles, have higher risks of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.

The purported health benefits of cold plunges include less stress, better sleep, and enhanced immunity, but the evidence is thin. While the practice may ease muscle soreness after intense exercise, it may have detrimental effects on gains in muscle power and strength. Because the shock of cold water on the skin can raise heart rate and blood pressure, people with cardiovascular disease (especially heart rhythm abnormalities) should avoid the practice.

About one in every 20 people over age 65 has a stiff, narrowed aortic valve. A Harvard physician describes his experience with this condition, called aortic stenosis, from the heart murmur detected at age 66 to his open-heart surgery a decade later. After his diagnosis, he received echocardiograms every one to two years to check the valve, and later a stress echocardiogram. Because the echocardiogram revealed an aortic aneurysm, he had open-heart surgery so the surgeon could repair the valve and the aneurysm during the same operation.

Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) creates a 3D image of the heart and its blood vessels, revealing both obstructive and nonobstructive plaque. Most heart attacks occur when smaller, nonobstructive plaques rupture and form a clot that triggers a heart attack. Used to assess people with stable angina, CCTA may prevent heart attacks by improving how cardiologists find and treat heart disease.

Telehealth visits combined with home monitoring may be an effective way to help people reach and maintain their blood pressure goals, according to a 2025 study.

To optimize cardiovascular health, the best strategy may be a workout that combines three types of exercise: moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise, and strength training. Moderate activity burns calories and boosts metabolism, which helps control weight. Moderate-to-vigorous exercise also helps dampen the body's "fight or flight" response, which plays a role in chronic stress and anxiety. Aerobic exercise in general also helps the heart to become more efficient and blood vessels to become more flexible. Strength training makes the body more efficient at burning fat for energy and helps improve insulin sensitivity.

Substituting potassium-containing salt substitutes for regular salt can help lower blood pressure as well as the risk of stroke. But people should also check the sodium content in foods and eat more potassium-rich produce.

A 2025 studyfound that intermuscular fat-fat stored within muscle tissue-may increase a person's risk of heart disease.

TV medical dramas often portray treatments for heart attacks and cardiac arrest. While the timelines are often accelerated and certain aspects may be dramatized to engage viewers, the medical details are, for the most part, factual and authentic. Writers and producers routinely rely on health care experts - including Harvard doctors - to make sure the information is accurate. For people with heart disease, seeing how emergency physicians treat urgent conditions may show them what to expect.