Heart Disease
December 30, 2025
Better Late Than Never — Correcting Hormone Therapy Misinformation After 20 Years
FDA Commissioner Makary just approved hormone therapy as safe for menopause symptoms in women. This is a welcome announcement though 20 years overdue.
April 21, 2019
Valsartan Fiasco Update
Problems with NDMA contamination of antihypertensive medications such as valsartan continue. You should contact your pharmacy and find out exactly what safe alternatives they currently have so that we can authorize an appropriate substitute.
March 23, 2019
Aspirin Less Helpful Than We Thought for Prevention, More Risky
Low-dose aspirin appears to have little if any benefit in primary prevention of vascular events in older patients while inducing more frequent serious bleeding episodes based on good recent studies. We will advise many (but not all) of you now taking baby aspirin to stop.
February 18, 2018
Fish Oil Supplements Do Not Help Humans
Fish oil supplements do not prevent damage or death from heart disease or strokes, according to a new meta-analysis in JAMA Cardiology. But salmon is tasty.
March 6, 2017
Lowering the Bar on Blood Pressure
Recent SPRINT study showed that lowering the goal for treatment of high blood pressure to 120 systolic substantially reduced death from heart disease and stroke compared to older target of 140 systolic in older adults.
February 2, 2015
Salt, More Salt, Yet Again
Another study demonstrates that salt-restricted diets are not needed for most people in their 70's. People with important heart and kidney disease are another story.
February 8, 2014
Hypertension Guidelines: Less Pressure to Treat?
Recent hypertension guidelines by the ACC/AHA substantially relax treatment standards. I explain why I disagree with the changes, as do various other professional groups. Here's the short story.
January 8, 2014
Vitamins Do Not Prevent Cancer or Heart Disease
Last month the USPS Task Force released a comprehensive analysis of studies that looked at possible benefits of vitamins and vitamin/mineral combinations in reducing cancer and preventing heart disease. The report reiterated that they found no evidence that vitamins helped either class of disease.
June 15, 2013
How Bubbe Killed Zayde With Love and Deli
Traditional Jewish ethnic food, especially delicatessen, is typically extraordinarily high in salt and saturated fat. It probably unwittingly contributed to the early mortality of the patriarchs of prior generations.
April 29, 2013
The Sea (Salt) Around Us
How much salt should I eat? Why does salt matter? What foods contain the most salt? Can I do anything to reduce my salt intake while still having tasty food?
April 4, 2013
Chest CT Scans to Screen for Lung Cancer
Chest CT scans on an annual basis have been shown to find lung cancers in former long-term smokers early enough to reduce mortality by 20%. We should consider starting annual chest CTs for all current and former serious smokers.
March 31, 2013
How Much Are Those Nuts and Olive Oils?
Extra virgin olive oil and healthy tree nuts (walnuts and almonds) are available inexpensively at Costco and probably other bulk retailers. The Mediterranean diet does not at all need to be an expensive diet.