Heart Health Archive

A long, leisurely meal like Thanksgiving can be a good opportunity to practice mindful eating. Being mindful simply means bringing close attention and awareness to the present moment, without judgment.

Prices for six common heart tests and procedures at top-ranked U.S. hospitals showed surprisingly wide variations, according to a 2022 Harvard study. There was a 10-fold difference in the median prices patients pay for a heart ultrasound, and even larger disparities for procedures such as implanting a pacemaker. The differences may reflect power dynamics between hospitals and insurance companies. For both entities, factors such as location, size, and popularity influence that dynamic — which, in turn, affects the market dynamics that dictate costs.

Cervical artery dissection, a rare but potentially devastating cause of stroke, is a tear in the lining of one of the main arteries that carry blood to the brain. Any sudden, jerky neck movements, including chiropractic neck adjustments and whiplash from a car accident, can cause such a tear. Cervical artery dissections also have been reported after strenuous weight lifting, tennis, head-flinging dance moves, yoga, and roller coaster rides. The dissections occur in only about three in 100,000 people per year, but they are one of the most common causes of stroke in younger people.

Catheter ablation destroys spots in the heart responsible for atrial fibrillation. Although traditionally used as a second-line treatment after medications fail, undergoing ablation earlier in the course of the disease may be a good option. The overall success rate for catheter ablation is around 75%. People sometimes undergo a second procedure if the first one isn't effective; this boosts the success rate to nearly 90%. Many factors, such as age, other health problems, and duration of afib can affect a person's outcome after catheter ablation.

Listening to music (or singing or playing an instrument) may benefit cardiovascular health. Evidence suggests music helps rebalance the nervous system to promote the relaxation response and dampen the stress response. The benefits may result from greater heart rate variability, enhanced exercise performance, lower stress hormone levels, or reductions in blood pressure.

The American Heart Association revamped its online tool, My Life Check, designed to help people prevent cardiovascular disease. Along with other changes, the AHA added healthy sleep duration to the list of seven other factors assessed by the tool. Those factors are maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, being physically active, eating a healthy diet, and keeping blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol at acceptable levels. Each factor (now known as Life's Essential 8) are scored on a scale of 1 to 100 and used to generate a composite cardiovascular health score.

For many people, non-HDL cholesterol (which is total cholesterol minus HDL cholesterol) may be as good as (or even more reliable than) LDL for assessing a person's risk of heart problems.

Elevated LDL cholesterol contributes to cardiovascular disease. Taking statin drugs can substantially lower this risk. But what if a person's LDL level remains too high on their maximally tolerated dose? An expert consensus report lays out a clear path for next steps.

The American Heart Association recently revised its checklist for achieving optimal heart health. Adequate sleep was added, and updates were made to previous recommendations for diet, cholesterol and blood sugar measurements, and nicotine exposure.

Statins continue to be a first-line treatment for many people at risk of heart attacks and strokes. They help reduce cholesterol levels, reduce plaque build-up, and protect against plaque rupturing, and fight inflammation. Possible side effects are often mild, if they occur, and go away after a brief period. Otherwise, people can manage them by changing the dosage or switching to another type of statin, per their doctor's direction.