Locations
UCVA
Rochester, NY
Phone
Practice website
About
Bio
I have a busy cardiology practice in New York. I am an expert in helping people prevent the development of heart disease. I also specialize in diagnosing and treating heart disorders.
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Cardiology
Languages spoken
English
Doctor Q&A
116 Answers
19 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Yes: By definition, ascites precox is ascites from constrictive pericarditis. However, there are many other causes of ascites.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Chokesterol: Cholesterol is mostly made in the liver out of fat that you eat, saturated fat generally increases LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) more than other f... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Trig and ldl differ: Triglycerides and LDL are different things. Trigs go up wtih diabetes, nephrotic syndrome (a kidney problem), after very fatty meals (if you ate for e... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Yes: It will be benzodiazepine positive.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 19-year-old male asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Trivial MR is normal: Trivial MR is normal. There is no need for it to heal. I don't know what sag mitral is, perhaps you are talking about mitral valve prolapse, which is ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Yes: Whole grains, like wheat bran, oatmeal; Olive Oil, Peanut Oil, Nuts, Avoiding saturated fats like that in beef, butter, cheese; Eating more fatty fish... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 19-year-old female asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Eat right: 1) Avoid saturated fat (Hamburgers, Ice Cream, Hot Dogs, Butter, Cheese, etc).
2) Exercise 45 min a day, 5 times a week
3) Eat high fiber foods (oat ... Read More
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2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old male asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
No.: Metoprolol will make your heart rate lower than it would otherwise be when exercising. However, you can still exercise safely, and you can still get a... Read More
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5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Examples: Foods that contain a lot of potassium: http://potassiumrichfoods.Com/potassium-rich-foods-list/
calcium rich foods (avoid the cheese):
http://pro... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 22-year-old male asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Totally normal: I wish i had numbers like that. 100% normal.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old male asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
See your doctor: When you are on Coumadin (warfarin) and have blood in your stool, you need to report those symptoms immediately to your doctor. You need to see what y... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 25-year-old female asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Pneumothorax: the most obvious diagnosis in this case is pneumothorax. It is diagnosed by physical exam and chest xray. You are the right demographic for this, as a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 50-year-old male asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Unknown for sure: Many of my patients who have angioplasty have mild discomfort after angioplasty for a month. Usually it doesn't last much longer than that though. I ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old female asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
I usually do a: Holter Monitor on my pts with this type of symptom. That will show the average HR throughout the day and whether or not there is abnormal heart rhythm... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Not much: You might lower your LDL by a couple points with cayenne pepper. Unlikely that you would be doing yourself much of a favor.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 46-year-old female asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
How do u check pulse: How are you checking your heart rate? It is common for blood pressure meters and heart rate meters to make mistakes when measuring your heart rate. Do... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 49-year-old member asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
No effect: Iron should not affect your pressure. I have never seen that side effect, nor is it listed in the information about the medication. The classic side e... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 61-year-old male asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
No.: Dialysis is typically for kidney failure rather than high blood pressure. Many people with kidney failure have high blood pressure. His kidneys must ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 27-year-old male asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Yes: Although most people who have a heart attack have some risk factor like you mentioned (other examples are family history of heart attack, smoking, dia... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old male asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
DM: Dm 1 is tough, but it was a lot worse 40 yrs ago. Imagine having to boil your pee to find out blood glucose!
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Hypothyroidism: There are a lot of possibilities, but hypothyroidism, and anemia due to malnutrition should be considered. Fainting is an important symptom, so she sh... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 65-year-old female asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Sounds like bad plan: I agree with u, that doesn't sound smart. She would be better off eliminating sodium (<1.5 grams), doing aerobic exercise (30 minutes or more, 5 da... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 52-year-old female asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Probably not.: Assuming you have normal blood pressure (less than 140/90), don't smoke, and that you don't have a family history of early heart disease (very importa... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 30-year-old female asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Yikes: That is a lot of biotin. It is 200 times the recommended daily intake. I don't believe there have been any scientific studies showing the safety of ta... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old female asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Angina: People who have coronary artery disease (blocked arteries in heart) often get chest pain with physical activity or emotional upset. This is called an... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 49-year-old member asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Can increase it: Heavy alcohol intake (more than 4 drinks a day, or, after a binge) can increase your pressure a lot, by 20 points or more. I have seen patients whose ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Low risk: If the person is no longer using alcohol and drugs, the risk would be relatively low. However, drug use can lead to other heart problems besides heart... Read More
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5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old female asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Unlikely: That is a low dose of Celexa (citalopram) and would be very unlikely to cause long qt. That is a very safe dose of celexa (citalopram).
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 60-year-old male asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Depends: All can be taken with our without food. Take with food if causes upset stomach. Hydrochlorothiazide should be taken in am, because u don't want to be... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old male asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Yes: In general you shouldnt miss your medications. However, nothing bad is going to happen to you if you miss a couple days of one blood pressure medicati... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 39-year-old female asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
2-4 months, and No: Usually the clots in your lungs dissolve over a period of months. Once this has occurred, you should feel pretty normal. Recovery from DVT and the le... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
No salt: Consume no salt whatsoever. You would basically not be able to eat any preprepared foods. You would have to track all the sodium intake, and keep it... Read More
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5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
See below: Reasons: 1) weak heart pumping function (ejection fraction less than or = to 35%). 2) dangerous fast heart rhythms, with or without passing out. 3) ar... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 39-year-old male asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Lowers LDL some: a handful of almonds a day can decrease LDL, about 0.1 mmol/dL. It might increase HDL a little bit. Mayo Clinic website has a good discussion of cho... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
More than 4 cups: of coffee a day. Caffeine content varies. A large Starbucks coffee has 300 mg of caffeine. So two of those would be at the limit.
600 mg - 800 mg of... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old male asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
No: CAD generally will not affect heart rate or blood pressure, so development of abnormal heart rate or blood pressure is not thought of as a clue that C... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A female asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Concerning Symptom: Chest pain worse with breathing can be an important symptom. The worst thing it could be is pulmonary embolus, which is caused by a blood clot in your... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 23-year-old male asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Yes: Bisoprolol is a commonly used medication for Palpitations and elevated Heart rate. It is inexpensive, has been around a long time, generally tolerate... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old male asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Yes: Celexa (citalopram) can cause a prolonged QT interval. If a person has a long QT interval already when he or she starts taking Celexa (citalopram), it... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 49-year-old member asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
It depends on the: type of stroke. If the stroke is from a blood clot from the heart, as would occur in atrial fibrillation, Crestor (rosuvastatin) would be ineffective.... Read More
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2.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 24-year-old female asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Important sympt: Brilinta (ticagrelor) is a common cause of out of breath after stenting, if pt is on this medication. This is an important symptom and should be disc... Read More
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1.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Several months: if it is for a truly elective surgery like a knee replacement, I would recommend waiting 4 months or so.
If it is for something that has some urgenc... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 57-year-old female asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
U mean xiphoid?: It can take days to weeks to control the pain of pericarditis. I usually use Indomethacin 50 mg 2-3 x per day and Colchicine 0.6 mg bid, and i try to ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 29-year-old female asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Unlikely your heart: Given your age and the way you describe the symptoms, this is unlikely to be your heart. It is much more likely due to gerd, which could be provoked b... Read More
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5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Not much: We use LDL and HDL chol #s to understand a person's risk for heart disease. If u have a very low LDL level (bad chol) and very low HDL (good chol) you... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old female asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
No: Pressure of 130-140 systolic is on the high end of normal and typically doesnt require treatment. So if most of the time your pressure is below there ... Read More
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5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 48-year-old male asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Cholesterol is vital: Before people ate a lot of animal fat (thousands of years ago), the body had to conserve cholesterol, which is used for vital functions like making ho... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 83-year-old male asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
No.: Unfortunately, rib strains and xiphoid process strains are treated only with avoidance of straining, and waiting. You can use otc analgesics to lessen... Read More
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5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 27-year-old female asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Very Different: Pericarditis is due to inflammation around the heart. It causes chest pain that worsens with breathing or change in position. Angina his pain typical... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 62-year-old female asked:
Dr. Nathan Ritteranswered
Cardiology 26 years experience
Usually no effect: Plavix (clopidogrel) typically doesn'f affect sed rate. It would not make it go down. It could make it go up, if you were having an allergic reaction ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
2
Recommendations
136
Thank you notes
HealthTap member
Mar 30, 2015
Dr. Ritter is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Ritter is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
This was very helpful. Thanks! Thank You! I'm going to get it looked into before I start picking up the pace. I appreciate the input and I'll check out your webpage.
HealthTap member
This was very helpful. Thanks! Thank you. I think if the pain continues for a few more days I will contact my Rhuemtologist. You've been great. Keep it up!
HealthTap member
Thanks for your quick reply! Thank you. It was a home BP machine but is usually accurate. My BP has been increasing on thyroxine but this is 3 rd spike.
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
University of Alabama School of Medicine, AL
Graduated 1997MD
Awards
Top Doctor, First Place, Rochester Region, NY - Summer
2013
Thought Leader, Third Place, Rochester Region, NY - Summer
2013
Top Cardiologist , First Place, Rochester Region, NY - Summer
2013
Affiliations
CardioGauge.com
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