Six Ways To Protect Your Heart

There are so many little things you can do that add up to BIG protection for your heart. Here are some tips for keeping your ticker safe and healthy. Eat plenty of omega-3 fatty acids. If you have heart disease already, omega-3 fatty acids can help keep inflammation in check, lower blood pressure, and slow plaque growth. Plaque is a mix of fatty substances (including bad LDL cholesterol) that can inflame artery walls. A plaque deposit that bursts can produce an artery-blocking clot and lead to a heart attack. Take a low dose aspirin if your doctor says you should. … Continue reading

I Didn’t Know I Had A Heart Attack

I’ve been taking classes at a glass studio in Portland. How does this relate to heart attacks? One of the owners had one recently, and ended up having a quadruple bypass! He told me he didn’t know he was having a heart attack. In fact, he spent a weekend in discomfort but going about his usual business before finally going to the emergency room on Monday for what he thought was kidney stones. The pain didn’t get too severe until the third day after the heart attack happened — the actual attack happened on a Friday. By the third day, … Continue reading

The Top Five Health Threats For Men

In honor of Men’s Health Week, it’s time to take a look at the top health threats to the men in our lives. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a list of the ten leading killers of American men in 2003 (the most recent data available to the public). The top five were responsible for more than sixty percent of all male deaths that year. Heart disease. The number one killer, responsible for approximately twenty-eight percent of all male deaths in 2003. Choosing a healthy lifestyle — including regular exercise and a balanced diet — is a … Continue reading

New Heart Guidelines For Women

Heart disease is the number one health threat for women — one in every three women in America dies of heart disease. But heart disease and stroke are preventable. The American Heart Association released new guidelines to help women keep their hearts healthy and happy for a long time. The new guidelines have three elements: a healthy lifestyle, taking care of major heart disease risk factors, and using appropriate medication. Taking care of your heart starts early: if you are age twenty or older, see your doctor to talk about your heart disease risk. Only one in ten women will … 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

Hidden messages behind erectile dysfunction

Men don’t like to talk about it, but 20 million of them suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED), also known as impotence. Essentially, the man’s penis is not able to hold the blood supply necessary to sustain an erection during sexual interaction. Of course, the chances of experiencing impotence increase with age, but a consistent loss of erectile function is not normal at any age. It can, and does, happen occasionally in any normal male, but a continued and consistent loss of function is definitely a problem. It’s often just a symptom of a bigger problem. There are many treatments available … Continue reading

New York Steps Up to the Plate

New Yorkers are known for being an independent bunch and they are by their very nature survivors. This week, New York steps up to the plate in the area of fitness as the New York City’s health department announced that restaurants in New York City have to phase out artificial fats that are widely used in frying, baked goods and other food products. Trans fats, as they are known as, raise the bad LDL cholesterol levels and lower the HDL cholesterol. This can increase inflammation of the internal organs and is considered a major contributor to heart disease. The chairman … 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