The FDA has approved InSync, made by Medtronic, Inc. of Minneapolis, for the symptoms of congestive heart failure, a condition that occurs often in the elderly. The heart can’t pump enough blood through the body, causing fatigue, shortness of breath and performance problems with simple tasks. In the most dramatic cases, fluid accumulates in the lungs and around the heart, and this can be fatal.

Standard pacemakers treat heart rhythm disturbances, a separate problem. Patients who have benefited from InSync in clinical trials are those who have non-synchronized heart ventricles.

The device is placed surgically in the chest and connected to the heart by three wires, sending electrical impulses as needed to the upper right heart chamber and each of the two lower chambers. This brings the heart beat into the proper rhythm.

Medtronic researchers studied the device in 579 U.S. and Canadian patients with moderate to severe congestive heart failure. Improvement in quality of life in many of the patients prompted the FDA approval. And while the quality of life improved, mortality rates remained the same. As part of the approval, the FDA stipulated that Medtronic perform a follow-up three-year study with 1,500 patients.

Nearly five million Americans suffer from congestive heart failure, with about 550,000 new cases diagnosed each year.

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It has long been known that cocaine — an adrenaline-like drug — increases heart disease risk. In the body, cocaine acts as a stimulant — increasing heart rate and blood pressure, dilating pupils, raising body temperature — and may cause seizures, heart spasms and abnormal heart rhythms.

But the results of the new Harvard study even surprised the author, Dr. Murray Mittlemann, who concluded: “Cocaine is larger than all of the other triggers that bring on the onset of a heart attack”. Mittleman noted that his data suggested the risk of heart attack was particularly significant in the first hour after the use of cocaine.

Dr. Gilbert Ross, Medical Director of ACSH, pointed out that “millions of Americans experiment with cocaine, and deem it to be a relatively safe, ‘recreational’ drug. This report should put a chill into those occasional users who have, until now, felt immune from cocaine’s potentially deadly effects.”

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The study was a follow up to previous research showing that the cholesterol lowering drug pravastatin (Pravachol) helped prevent second heart attacks and improved survival in nondiabetic people who’d already had a heart attack (see the December 1998 Heart Watch).

About 600 participants with diabetes, not included in the previous report, were the focus of the new study. Most had moderate LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, with an average of 136 mg/dl. Half were given pravastatin and half received dummy pills.

Over five years, diabetics taking pravastatin had lower LDL and one quarter fewer heart attacks and heart procedures (angioplasty or bypass) than those taking placebo. Because diabetics with heart disease have an extremely high risk for repeat heart attacks, the potential for avoiding further heart attacks is great.

Although it’s well established that diabetes increases the risk of further heart problems for people with heart disease, this is the first study to show that the risk can be reduced through lowering cholesterol with medication (along with a hearthealthy diet) even when LDL levels are slightly elevated. If you have diabetes and heart disease, ask your doctor whether you should take a cholesterol-lowering drug.

A major risk factor is high total cholesterol, specifically elevated LDL-cholesterol and low HDL-cholesterol. The LDL-cholesterol called the “bad cholesterol” is responsible for the plaque formation and subsequent hardening of the coronary arteries. Conversely, the HDL-cholesterol referred to as the “good cholesterol” is responsible for clearing the fatty debris in the arteries.

A low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet has been shown to lower the risk of coronary artery disease, but recent scientific research also shows that daily soy protein in the diet can reduce coronary disease. The studies show that 25 grams of soy protein in the diet per day can significantly lower blood cholesterol. The New England Journal of Medicine reviewed 38 studies that confirmed evidence that soy protein lowers total blood cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as increasing HDL-cholesterol. One clinical study observed the effects of isoflavones proved to have a greater effect in lowering cholesterol in postmenopausal women.

The research on soy has been so compelling that the FDA recently approved the use of the health claim that soy protein in combination with a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

The components in soy protein, which appear to produce the favorable effects, are isoflavones or plant estrogens. However, studies have shown that not all soy proteins are equal. Soy protein concentrates, soy supplements and related products typically have a lower isoflavone content, and therefore confer minimal health benefit. The natural soy, isoflavone rich products, such as soybeans, tofu and ground soy products are best.

Natural soy protein products are now widely available. Companies like Boca, Yves and others have made soy burgers, ground round, breakfast foods and more.

Research is now being conducted to evaluate other possible health benefits of soy protein. Soy has been shown to be useful in the treatment of menopausal symptoms and may have protective properties in certain hormone-dependent cancers. More evidence is needed, but in the future, these natural isoflavones could prove to be one of the best dietary discoveries in modern medicine.

Hippocrates around 200 BC found the leaves of the willow tree could amazingly relieve pains and reduce fever. Can you imagine living then, without any medications (as we know them today,) to relieve pain? The element in willow leaves and bark that helped reduce the pain in, (Greeks of yore), is, is called salicin; it is the forerunner of a group of drugs called salicylate, today’s “aspirin.”

Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid, which is the operative ingredient in the common “aspirin.” Used for pain relief, an anti-inflammatory agent, and fever reducer, aspirin is very proficient in its many applications. Bayer chemist Felix Hoffmann chemically synthesized a stable form of this drug in 1897 in response to his father’s painful rheumatism.

Aspirin has been associated with the hindrance of heart attacks and strokes, first determined in cardiovascular disease by Dr. Lawrence Craven in 1948, a general practitioner from California, when he noticed that aspirin increased bleeding in surgery patients and felt this fact suggested possible blood anti-clotting characteristics. He recommended aspirin to 400 of his patients, who took the aspirin over a period of years, and out of those 400 only one had a heart attack.

Aspirin prevents the production of prostaglandin, which is a hormone like substance produced in small amounts in the body. Prostaglandin causes platelets in the blood to stick together or clot, which protects the body when cells have been damaged. This clotting can also block the blood vessels; aspirin is known to inhibit clotting.

Thousands of studies and trials have been completed, determining the ability of aspirin to defer strokes and heart attacks. According to the American Heart Association’s Journal report, Dr. Charles Hennekens M.D., one of three internationally recognized medical leaders on heart disease and stroke stated, “It doesn’t matter what brand, just as long as aspirin is used.” He adds, “that any person who is having a heart attack should take a full 325-milligram tablet of aspirin to obtain a rapid effect. To prevent another attack it appears that 50-100 milligrams a day will suffice.”

The American Heart Association then suggests taking an aspirin as soon as the signs of a heart attack occur. Make sure you are not allergic to aspirin or any condition that would make taking aspirin a risk. Taking an aspirin, (according to research) remarkably improves the chance of surviving at this critical point.

The AHA also advises not taking an aspirin during a stroke. Although most strokes are caused by a blood clot, not all are. Ruptures cause some strokes, and aspirin could cause damage in that instance. If you consume alcohol, consult with your physician before taking aspirin, there could be complications with increased risk of liver damage and stomach bleeding.

Aspirin is not entirely harmless it must be respected. Some are sensitive to the drug, and some will experience gastrointestinal distress. Some conditions might increase the risk of hemorrhage as in peptic ulcer, liver, or kidney disease.

The decision to take aspirin regularly should be only after consulting with your physician, any contraindications regarding aspirin therapy should be considered. Obtain suggestions from your Doctor regarding taking aspirin; you can then feel comfortable and informed regarding aspirin therapy.