Most patients assume when their cardiologist recommends surgical intervention for a partially blocked artery, there's no alternative. Likewise, many heart patients agree to certain diagnostic tests believing the doctor wouldn't prescribe them if there was a better way to get information about their heart's health. In both cases, heart patients should know that certain heart surgeries and diagnostic tests may be harmful to their health.

I have GOT to stop watching the Today show.

I'm pretty sure my blood pressure spikes to dangerous levels every time I catch an appearance by NBC chief medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman. She never ceases to infuriate me.

Statins are the most commonly used cholesterol-reducing drugs. There is evidence that taking them reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, though it certainly isn’t assured that this is because they reduce cholesterol levels.

Chocolate is receiving plenty of praise in the medical and nutritional news these days. But there's nothing new about this news.

Question: When I complained to my cardiologist about losing muscle in my legs, he took me off a statin I was taking for cholesterol and upped my sotalol. Was the statin I was taking causing loss of muscle in my legs? Is there anything I can take to restore muscle control, in my legs especially?

Q: I am on board with much of what you say. But sometimes it seems you are against all carbohydrates, even of the whole grain kind. I certainly think that the fiber and B-vitamins we get from whole grains add to a healthy diet of fats and protein. Am I right?

Also, do you see a difference between the saturated fat of an egg and that of ordinary animal fat? Do you trim the fat on cuts of beef you eat? Do you eat this fat if you cook the meat with it?

What do banaba leaf extract, bitter melon, and nopal cactus have in common? Each of these botanicals has been shown to help control blood sugar levels.

The month of February means American Heart Month.

Many years ago, I asked one of my favorite cardiologists (a most wonderful man who epitomizes the perfect combination of a classically trained M.D. and an "enlightened" holistic doc) to spell out the most important nutrients most essential for overall heart protection and that provide the metabolic boost the old ticker needs on a daily basis.

If you've watched Oprah lately or answered phones at a doctor's office in the last week, you know what the hot topic is right now: bioidentical hormones. This phrase is thought by some to be a marketing term conjured up to sell unsuspecting consumers a product they don't need.

We know that quercetin is good for the heart. And as I've noted in previous e-Alerts, it's also an immune booster that helps curb chronic disease.

Now researchers believe they've discovered exactly what makes this flavonoid as good as gold.