Lower Cholesterol With Sterols and Stanols

Have you heard about sterols and stanols yet? These plant compounds are super healthy for your heart! Studies show that sterols and stanols can cut your risk of heart disease by twenty percent! Studies from around the world are proving the power of sterols and stanols. Adding just two grams of either sterols or stanols to your daily diet can cut your total cholesterol by as much as ten percent — often in just two weeks. That’s pretty amazing. A ten percent reduction in total cholesterol is what gives you that lowered risk of heart disease. How do they work? … Continue reading →

How Serious Is Your Racing Heart?

When I was in college, I had a frightening period of heart palpitations. After lots of tests (including wearing a Holter monitor) we figured out that it was most likely stress related. That didn’t make it any less frightening when my heart was thumping away for no apparent reason. What are heart palpitations? Any irregular or extra heartbeat can be called a palpitation. You may feel a thumping in your chest or a sinking sensation. A person may have them many times throughout the day without even noticing them! Heart palpitations are more easily felt when we lay down — … Continue reading →

September is National Cholesterol Education Month

Like the title says, September is National Cholesterol Education Month, sponsored by the National Cholesterol Education Program. Use this month as a starting point for your work to reduce your blood cholesterol levels! High cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease, one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Nearly one hundred million Americans have high cholesterol — more than 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or higher. Of those one hundred million Americans, more than 34 million have high risk levels — 240 mg/dL or higher. Lowering your cholesterol levels can reduce your risk of … Continue reading →

Cholesterol Lowering Medications

A healthy diet, regular exercise, and cholesterol lowering medications can help reduce a person’s risk of heart attack or stroke. There are several different types of medicine used to lower cholesterol levels. Statins slow down your body’s cholesterol production. They can also help remove cholesterol buildup in your blood vessels. Some common statins are Lipitor, Pravachol, and Zocor. Resins help lower your LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. Some common resins are Prevalite, Welchol, and Colestid. Fibrates lower cholesterol by reducing the amount of triglycerides (fats) in the body and increasing HDL (good cholesterol) levels. Some common fibrates are Antara and Lopid. … Continue reading →

Are iPods Bad For Pacemakers?

Who knew a tiny piece of technology could cause so much trouble? A new study presented to a group of heart specialists claims those popular Apple iPods can cause implanted pacemakers to malfunction. If that news doesn’t make your heart skip a beat consider the fact that the report was done by a high school student. Seventeen-year-old Jay Thaker is making headlines around the world with his medical research study that shows the trendy music devices negatively affect a pacemaker’s performance. “We held it (by the heart), tuned it on and off a couple of times with four different iPods,” … Continue reading →

A Nap Can Be Good For Your Heart

Enjoy an afternoon siesta? Like to catch a few zzzs between lunch and the end of the work day? Here’s some good news — research from the University of Athens in Greece says that a midday nap may help reduce the risk of fatal heart problems. This study tracked more than twenty-three thousand healthy Greek adults for six years or so. The ones who made time for a half-hour nap at least three times per week had a thirty-seven percent lower risk of heart attack and other heart problems than the non-nappers did. The majority of the participants were in … Continue reading →

How Big is Your LDL?

I recently talked with you about the difference between good and bad cholesterol. Here’s a summary for you before I get started on this next part. LDL=Bad HDL=Good LDL represents the kind of cholesterol scientists associate with arterial plaque- build-up that causes blockages related to heart attacks and strokes. Well, now they’ve taken an even closer look at this sticky artery blocking stuff and determined that size matters. Apparently LDL molecules come in all different sizes from small to very large. The small molecules are more concentrated. They move more sluggishly through the blood stream. The larger ones seem to … Continue reading →

Understanding Good and Bad Cholesterol

Most of us have heard that cholesterol is bad. Some of us have heard rumors that it can actually be good. Good and bad are nice labels for a complicated problem. Like most things in life, it’s not a matter of black and white. It’s all shades of gray. I’ll give you the basics and make it as simple as I can. From there it turns into a tricky balancing act. Here it is: LDL=Bad HDL=Good LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol is the kind that sticks to the arteries in your heart and brain. It builds up and forms nasty … Continue reading →

For Women Only- Signs of a Heart Attack

Did your mother ever use the phrase “I am just sick and tired” on you when you were growing up? Mine did. She was sick and tired of my antics quite a bit. Sadly, this same phrase may also be the only signs a woman experiences when she is having a heart attack. Most sources that talk about warning signs for a heart attack base their symptoms on those of a male patient. Women are not the same as men. Yes, sometimes we really do need science to point out the obvious. Here are the hard facts of the matter. … Continue reading →

Ten Questions To Ask Your Doctor About Heart Disease

In the United States, more women die from cardiovascular disease than ANY other cause. That includes cancer! Heart disease and stroke are two serious types of heart disease and are the first and third leading causes of death for women in America. Too many women don’t take the risk of heart disease seriously. Do you know your risk factors? Do you know what things increase your chance of a heart attack or stroke? Do you know how likely you are to develop some kind of heart disease? Talk to your doctor or health care provider about your risk level when … Continue reading →