Keeping your heart healthy is complicated. Many factors contribute to your risk of heart disease, including genetics, diet, physical activity and stress. Here are some tips to help you lower your blood choleste... continue reading  about  What's a bigger dietary cause of high cholesterol -- animal protein like eggs and meat, or high-sugar foods and simple carbs? Seems like I'm hearing a lot more about the harm of sugar these days.

Research into the role of antioxidants in heart disease has been going on for a long period of time. To date there is no definitive evidence that antioxidant or vitamin supplements reduce the incidence of, or m... continue reading  about  Can antioxidants help prevent a heart attack?

You definitely have a challenging dietary situation, but you do have some good options beside tofu.There are plenty of legumes and nuts that you can incorporate into your diet. You could make a bean vegetarian ... continue reading  about  I have a gluten and a dairy intolerance as well as high cholesterol. Do you have a diet suggestion that may address these issues and still allow me to enjoy meal times? I hate tofu!

The American Heart Association lists 120/80 and lower as normal blood pressure. The numbers you list would qualify as hypertension requiring treatment. It looks like your physician has appropiately started you ... continue reading  about  I take medication for high blood pressure. My current numbers are 138/87 to 140/94. Is that okay or should my medication be changed? It's been over a year since I started taking the medication.

Statin drugs (including Crestor) have been credited with the declining incidence of cardiovascular disease. However, they do have recognized side effects, particularly when taken over a long period of time, as ... continue reading  about  I've been taking statins to lower my cholesterol for years. Most leave me extremely fatigued and even foggy in my thinking. Is this a known side effect of statins? Are some statins less likely to cause these side effects? What about Crestor?

When we have problems with our thyroid function - whether hypothyroidism (low) or hyperthyroidism (high)– it can affect our heart function, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. The thyroid is considere... continue reading  about  Thyroid disease and heart disease have a high correlation. Why don't heart patients routinely get an endocrine work up?

Palpitations can feel different to different people. Sometimes they are described as a skipping sensation of the heart. Sometimes an irregularity in the heart beat is likened to a bird fluttering around inside ... continue reading  about  How do I know if I'm having a heart palpitation? What do they feel like?

Heredity does put one at extra risk for many types of heart disease, most commonly coronary disease, and some other uncommon heart conditions such as cardiomyopathy. From your doctor's advice, the former most l... continue reading  about  A number of my relatives have heart disease so I've been told by my doctor to watch what I eat, exercise, etc. My question is: why does one's heredity put a person at extra risk for heart disease?

This is a great question, as too often women are unaware that coronary artery disease is a serious health risk. Therefore, they don't get evaluated for heart disease, even though it could save their lives.Chest... continue reading  about  Are symptoms of coronary artery disease the same in women and men?