Reading on your heart

Most palpitations are harmless, some are not, and the features that separate them are specific. What to notice, and what a cardiologist will ask you.

Which symptoms warrant a cardiology appointment, which need emergency care today, and which are reasonable to watch — written to help you tell the three apart.

An ECG takes five minutes and answers some questions completely while leaving others untouched. Here is what it can tell you, and what a normal result does not rule out.

What counts as a significant family history, what it does and does not determine, and which checks are worth having earlier because of it.

What the evidence supports for a healthy heart, how to start safely if you have been inactive, and the warning signs that mean stop.

LDL, HDL, triglycerides and what the numbers mean in context — including why there is no single target that applies to everyone.

What the two numbers mean, what counts as high, how to measure properly at home, and why treatment usually continues even after the readings come down.