As much as I may not want to admit it, there are other things that can cause chest pain other than issues with your cardiovascular system. Most of these things annoy me because they don’t deal with the heart but I can’t deny that they are important. We will spend this post reviewing some of…
Chest Pain – Part 2 – More Chest Pains
When we last spoke, we were discussing angina. We now know what it usually feels like and what it usually means. But there are many other reason to have chest pain, some dangerous and some not. We will spend the next bit of our time today discussing some causes of chest pain not related to…
Chest Pain – Part 1 – Angina
Chest pain is one of the most frightening symptoms that a person can experience. The problem is that not all chest pain is dangerous and not all chest pains are created equal. Some chest pain such as that associated with a heart attack, can be very dangerous. What makes things worse is that each person…
Aortic stenosis – What Is It?
By Julian Booker MD Our body’s primary artery, the aorta, supplies blood to the entire body. The aortic valve allows blood to flow from the heart into the aorta but prevents blood from leaking back into the heart. In aortic stenosis, sometimes called aortic valve stenosis, the aortic valve does not open normally. This…
Diabetes And Heart Disease
Diabetes And Heart Disease By Julian Booker MD When I am in clinic, there are very few things that drive me crazier than trying to impress upon a patient the importance of managing their cardiovascular risk. Diabetes and heart disease is an extremely important topic. Once a patient has a heart attack or heart…
PFO anyone?
By Julian Booker MD Help!! It’s an emergency!! I have a hole in my heart!! My last doctor performed an echocardiogram and told me I have a patent foramen ovale (PFO). What does this mean? More importantly, what does this mean for me? The foramen ovale is a shunt that is a necessary component of…
High Cholesterol – Part 1 – Should I Take A Statin?
By Julian Booker, MD Should I take a statin? Statistics tell a story about groups of patients, not a single patient (you). What statistics can do is provide your physician with information about what therapies will probably be helpful for you. These statistics help your doctor identify therapies that may help you live longer and…
How often should I have an Echocardiogram?
By Julian Booker MD How often should I have an Echocardiogram? The first thing that must be stated about the echocardiography appropriate use guidelines is that they are just that...guidelines. They are designed to provide direction but still be vague enough to allow flexibility in their interpretation if needed. This flexibility is needed so as…
Is it safe to take Viagra with my heart medications?
Sexual activity plays a crucial role in the psychological health and quality of life scores in patients with cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, intimacy is frequently an issue in patient with cardiovascular disease. The causes of sexual dysfunction following myocardial infarction are multiple and include anxiety, depression, medication effect and vascular insufficiency. Regardless of the cause, the…
High Triglycerides and My Heart
By Julian Booker MD Triglycerides are a type of fat found in your blood. Excess triglycerides are then stored in fat cells throughout your body. If you eat too many calories, it is a good bet that those extra calories will be triglycerides at some point. A normal triglyceride level is less than 150 mg/dl and…
