Note: The contents of this blog are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or substitute for professional care. For medical emergencies, dial 911!
So The Cardio Blog is going into retirement, and since is this is my last post I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you all for reading! It's been a blast writing and reading and learning about the importance of taking care of ourselves and our heart health specifically, and of course I encourage you all to continue doing so. There are countless great resources online (even though we were voted #1!) and I thought I'd share a few that I personally like and plan to stay in touch with:
It's important to realize also, though, that early risers are generally older, so it's possible that also has something to do with the increase in cardiovascular problems. Also, sleep deprivation is a proven heart risk factor, and obviously getting up early often means not getting enough sleep.
So the key may be that early to rise is fine, as long as it's early to bed also?
Unfortunately it seems that even though heart disease is one of the biggest health threats we face today too many people are completely unaware of what their cholesterol levels are and what they should be doing about it. So in an effort to help educate people, and in honor of National Cholesterol Education Month, Polymer Technology Systems (PTS) will be offering free cholesterol screenings nationwide throughout the month of September. Find out your cholesterol numbers and get great info on steps you can start taking today at Kroger Pharmacy locations all throughout this month and at Sam's Club stores on September 15th. They'll be using the handy hand-held CardioChek gadget and giving information on where you can get one of your own if you want to keep track at home. Here's to good health!
Believe it or not Italy is the only country in the world that requires all professional athletes to undergo heart testing, and as a result the number of sudden fatal heart attacks has dropped dramatically. It's widely known that seemingly small and most likely otherwise unknown heart problems (like an irregular heartbeat) are greatly exaggerated and can be fatal for many athletes due to the strain they put on their systems. And without screenings the majority of people don't have a clue they're in danger until it's too late.
More American sports organizations should jump on that bandwagon (and many are) and start requiring screenings or, at the very least, athletes themselves should initiate testing.
A recent study has come up with some results that don't bode so well for doctors: it seems more often than not they "write off" concerns expressed by their patients regarding medication side-effects. The study included 650 adults who believed they were experiencing adverse drug reactions related to their cholesterol meds, and the majority of their doctors blew off the concerns and denied the possibility that the symptoms and the medications could be connected. This trend rings true even for the most commonly seen side-effects for the most commonly prescribed drugs -- what's up with that?
The study wasn't designed to find out why this happened, just that it does. Some experts guess that it's simply because there are no laws (and no way to regulate) that doctors learn the side-effects of every medication they prescribe.
So I guess it's up to you, as the patient, to educate yourself and make sure you have a doctor who listens.
Vioxx has been in the news for awhile now for negative cardiac effects including heart attacks, and now new research may have pinpointed why. It all seems to come down to the pain killer's side effect of causing the body to produce extra amounts of a protein called "tissue factor" that has to do with blood clotting. Too much TF equals too much clotting, which equals heart attack and stroke problems.
Experts believe Vioxx isn't the only pain med to carry this risk, but all cox-2 inhibitors cause the increased production of tissue factor -- including Celebrex, which is still available. This study was not considered conclusive, but if you have questions or concerns about medications you're currently taking speak with your doctor.
We often describe others as having a "big heart," but depending on who they are they might have an over-sized heart in a very literal sense. Particularly if they've ever competed in the Tour de France, as research shows that Tour de France athletes have hearts that are 20-40% larger than average.
Scientists have noted that almost any athlete that trains extensively will adapt by growing a larger heart, but the strenuous bicycling competition involving 3 weeks of bicycling up and down mountains obviously takes it to the extreme!
The focus these days is focused so strongly on outward appearances that it's becoming more and more common for people to end up waifish and thin but not healthy. Believe it or not, being within the recommended weight range on the scale doesn't necessarily equal good health -- what really matters is how you get there.
Did you know that you can drastically reduce your risk of heart disease just by adding 10 minutes of activity to your daily life? You'll most likely lose a few pounds in the process, but the key is that your heart will get stronger, among other things. Read this article for more in depth information and tips on how to determine your health from the inside out, not the outside in.
September is National Cholesterol Education Month, and everybody should really take advantage of the opportunity to get educated. For 2007 the theme is "Know your cholesterol numbers-Know your risk-Give yourself some TLC," which is very appropriate considering many Americans (women especially) don't know their own cholesterol counts. Finding out your numbers is step #1, and making a commitment to learn some new healthier habits is step #2.
This challenges the previous widely held belief that only about half of heart disease cases could possibly have been prevented by healthier habits (or a lack of bad ones, like smoking).
To me this is both good news and bad news. Obviously it's not good that we make so many unhealthy choices as a society that we're getting heart disease on a regular basis, but it's always good to have choices and be able to impact our own lives in a positive way. Whether we choose to take advantage by living healthier or not at least we have the option.
Here are some scary statistics for you, especially considering that heart disease is the #1 killer of women:
Only 1/3 of women know their current cholesterol levels
Twice as many women know what they weighed in high school than know their current cholesterol levels
9 out of 10 women are aware that high cholesterol can cause build-up of plaque in the arteries, so what's the deal? Why don't women seem to care or take their cholesterol seriously? Do you know what you weighed in high school? Do you know what your cholesterol is? For me I admit it's yes and no. And yeah, there's something wrong with this picture.
The current standard for anyone with an implanted defibrillator is that they should avoid participating and competing in intense sports of any kind, but the younger the patient the less compliant they often are. And with more and more younger patients getting ICDs (implantable cardioverter defibrillators) it's becoming more and more important to get a clear understanding of exactly how the devices are affected by physical activity. As of now doctors warn against playing in sports just because they have no idea how strenuous exercise, adrenaline, and physical jolts/impacts can affect defibrillators. They assume it's all risky, but they really don't know for sure, which is prompting new research.
Seems like this is a quality of life issue, really. Taking care of yourself is important, but that usually means at least some physical activity, doesn't it?
Is our health care system lacking heart? I think most people would agree, and that sadly the trend seems to be towards colder and even more clinical approaches. Although I agree that health and science is largely scientific, we can't completely ignore the fact that we're emotional beings. Most medical professionals are trained to suppress their feelings and just focus on the facts, and in some cases that's a good thing but not always. The best doctors, the ones you really remember, are the ones who find a way to keep that sensitive side and really connect with their patients. How many doctors have you met that had that quality? They're few and far between.
Posted Aug 20th 2007 7:01PM by Rigel Gregg Filed under: Diet
Other than potentially high mercury levels, there doesn't seem to be anything bad about eating fish. A study coming out of France recently has found that regular fish in the diet not only raises Omega-3 fatty acid levels, raises good HDL cholesterol levels, and lowers blood pressure, but it also slows down the heart rate. And the more fish a person eats the slower the heart goes (in a healthy way, not to the point of going too slow or stopping).
I really wish mercury weren't such an issue, because it sounds like fish really is a wonder food. Do you think we'll start hearing bad news soon? It seems like that's always the way it goes!
Peter Houghton has an artificial heart, and although he's grateful for the technology that saved his life he's sad for what he lost: the ability to experience emotions the same way he used to.
He's the first person to receive a permanent transplant of the Jarvik 2000 left ventricular assist device, and he's really struggled with the reality of living with it for the rest of his life. Among other issues like facing depression, he finds himself more logical and less intuitive than he used to be. He's less interested in forming relationships and emotional bonds with those around him (such as his two grandchildren) and he doesn't know what to do about it.
In short, Peter Houghton is a cyborg -- and he feels like one. Unfortunately he's alone in that there is little known about how artificial hearts affect the human body and the human experience. He's coming to better terms with it everyday, although it's not easy. In his words: "Better than being dead, I think. Three days out of five."
So The Cardio Blog is going into retirement, and since is this is my last post I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you all for reading! It's been a blast writing and reading and learning about the importance of taking care of ourselves and our heart health specifically, and of course I encourage you all to continue doing so. There are countless great resources online (even though we were voted #1!) and I thought I'd share a few that I personally like and plan to stay in touch with:
Other than potentially high mercury levels, there doesn't seem to be anything bad about eating 
