Posts Tagged cardiovascular disease
Autoimmunity and Salt: Are You Low Sodium Yet?
Posted by Maureen in Clinical Tests, Wellness on March 11, 2013
Have you adjusted your diet to a low sodium version yet? If not, you have another reason to do it as soon as possible. High salt foods have been shown to raise blood pressure, increase the risk of edema (swelling) and numerous other health problems due to the retention of water caused by excess salt. With the right amount of salt we are able to hold onto just enough water for our bodies to funcgtion properly and electrolytes to move to the body parts where they do the most good. Reducing your salt intake is important for many reasons: a lower sodium intake has been associated with other health benefits, including a reduced risk of dying from a stroke, reversal of heart enlargement, and a reduced risk of kidney stones and osteoporosis.
If the risk of cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure isn’t enough to scare you into skipping those super salty fries and salty snacks like chips, maybe a new study linking high salt intake to autoimmune disorders such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis would make a difference. The specifics of how they are linked has to do with high levels of salt that produce higher levels of TH17 cells in your body. These cells produce an inflammatory protein: interleukin-17. I have recent experience with an autoimmune disease, hyperthyroidism or Graves Disease. Antibodies are produced that cause the thyroid to become overactive, producing excessive levels of thyroid hormone. Could this be caused by excess salt? It is certainly possible and makes me want to look at my overall sodium intake. Now I’m in a position of needing to take replacment thyroid hormone for the rest of my life because my body is attacking my thyroid. Did my days of fast food and bags of chips and dip for dinner do me in? Maybe and I’m lucky. This is an easy autoimmune disease to treat. arthritis and diabetes are much more difficult and painful.
It’s easy to have your blood pressure tested and to be tested for inflammation or water retention that can lead to health problems including heart disease and hypertension. If you aren’t sure where to begin, check out a great way to reduce sodium in your diet: the DASH diet. It’s not too late to start and you may have time to delay the onset of one of these diseases if you start today without the salt shaker.
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Do You Know the ABCs of Heart Disease?
Posted by Maureen in Clinical Tests, Wellness on February 1, 2013
Today is the 10th “National Wear Red Day” to promote heart health and awareness of heart disease risks and prevention. Did you put on something red this morning? Are you aware of your own risks or are you planning to think about it “one day” when you have time? Ignoring warning signs and risk factors won’t pay off in the end, so today is a good day to do a few simple things. You don’t have to do it all today, or this week, but each little step gets you closer to a healthier, longer life.
The Million Hearts Initiative, launched by the Department of Health and Human Services has a very quick way to check your risks and help you pick one or two goals that will help you focus on what’s important rather than a huge list of changes. The ABCs of heart health are something you should think about every day to keep you on the right track and focused on your heart. Start with a visit to get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked so you have a starting point and then get going with these easy steps:
A: Appropriate Aspirin Therapy for those who need it
B: Blood Pressure Control
C: Cholesterol Management
S: Smoking Cessation
Think about these when you start the day, when you talk to your health care provider or get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked and at any point that you know you can make a difference. Or pick one and focus on that first to get started. Taking care of your health isn’t rocket science, but it does take some attention to detail: Your Details. Start today! Red shirt or not, you can make a difference in your health right now.
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Obesity: It’s a Bigger Problem Than You Might Think
Posted by Maureen in Clinical Tests, Wellness on January 7, 2013
Many Americans know that obesity is a problem in the United States both for adults and for children. In addition, this is the time of year when we all start to think about how things went (or grew) last year and what we want to do better during 2013.
Have you decided that you are going to lose weight, eat better, exercise or any combination of these? If so, good luck and I hope that the gym membership and healthy food in the fridge gets put to good use! If you can stick to it for 3 weeks you may have a chance to really establish a good habit.
Knowing that obesity is a problem for so many of us isn’t surprising. What is surprising is that many people are unaware of how many ways being overweight or obese impacts their health. A recent poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicates that although most of us know obesity is related to heart disease and diabetes we are unaware of other serious effects including:
- Higher risk of cancers of the colon, breast, protate and uterus
- Greater difficulty locating tumors
- Arthritis – the vicious cycle of gaining weight makes it more difficult to exercise and shed pounds which helps to improve arthritis
- Infertility
- High blood pressure and high cholesterol
- Respiratory problems such as sleep apnea and asthma
If more Americans were aware of the additional risks of being overweight or obese, it might motivate them to work harder to shed excess weight. It is not only about looks but about the ability to live a longer, healthier life. Since now is the perfect time to jump on the health bandwagon you should start with a baseline of your current health with blood tests for cholesterol, blood pressure and overall heart health, along with your weight and measurements so you can create a picture of where you want to be and what changes or improvements you’ll need to make to reach your goals. According to the survey most people support posting nutritional information in restaurants so as this information becomes available we need to take advantage of it. The majority of Americans are against any government restrictions including food taxes and restrictions on what we are able to buy. This means it is up to each of us to make the right choices for so many reasons!
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Heart Health Needs to Come First!
Posted by Maureen in Clinical Tests, Wellness on October 18, 2012
It’s hard not to notice all the pink around us right now…from scarfs and umbrellas to NFL socks and neon pink shoes. For many people who have been personally touched by cancer and specifically, breast cancer, these signs of support for the search for a cure are deeply meaningful. Unfortunately, for others who haven’t been affected the pink has become overwhelming. Are you aware that 
more women die of heart disease than all types of cancer combined? For those who are at a high risk of breast cancer either through genetics (mothers, aunts and sisters who have had it) or through lifestyle (obesity, smoking, lack of exercise) getting mammograms, self exams and possibly CA-125 tests can be critical.
For the rest of us, after we’ve taken the basic preventive steps and tests, there is all the rest of our lifestyle and genetics to look at. How many of us have had grandparents, parents and siblings with heart disease and are on statins to lower cholesterol? I have it coming at me from both sides of my family. Have you taken the first important step to have your cholesterol and blood pressure checked? Do you try to eat healthy or have you given up because losing weight and taking a walk is just too hard? If it matters to you, go ahead, wear pink. But do it while you’re having a salad or going to the gym or out for a walk. In the long run, this will save many more lives.
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Does This Mean I Don’t Have to Lose Weight?
Posted by Maureen in Clinical Tests, Wellness on August 10, 2012
An interesting study has been released in the Journal of the American Medical Association showing that obese people who contract diabetes live longer than normal weight people who develop the disease! What’s up with this? So now, if I have diabetes, I don’t have to worry about losing weight? Not so fast. As always, the results aren’t clear cut and the researchers are trying to determine what the results mean for how people with diabetes 
should react. The study followed 2,600 people who developed diabetes during the study. 12% of them were of normal weight. 2.8% of the normal weight participants died during the study while only 1.5% of the obese participants died. The study controlled for age, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking, which are all factors for heart disease. The death rate was twice as high for lean diabetics than for their obese peers. Normally, heart disease is linked to obesity, which is causing some head scratching among the researchers, although this “Obesity Paradox” has been seen in other diseases.
It appears that there may be something about being obese that protects the heart or it could be that those who are of normal weight and develop diabetes have other things going on that causes their higher mortality. The findings apply to a growing segment of the population and will make it more confusing for doctors who are treating the lean diabetes patient. Controlling blood sugar and exercising will still be key for controlling diabetes but losing weight may not be as important. The next step in studies like this may shed more light on how to handle the “Obesity Paradox” as some researchers have dubbed it. Doctors will want to watch normal weight people who contract diabetes more carefully as they are at a higher risk of death, but what should they tell them that they haven’t already been telling diabetic patients? If you have diabetes, you’ll want to follow this study and others like it carefully, along with all the other monitoring of blood sugar, cholesterol, and weight that you are already tracking.
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Cholesterol Testing – Still Relevant!
Posted by Maureen in Clinical Tests, Wellness on September 6, 2011
There is a lot of conversation, around the watercooler and on the internet that cholesterol is not the only thing to watch out for when it comes to health. This is true to some degree. Some people are able to eat pretty much what they want and stay slim without the negative effects on cholesterol. Some of us, though, really have to watch what we eat and work hard to stay or get slim and to avoid high cholesterol. Although cholesterol may not be the big picture, getting your cholesterol tested and knowing where you stand can help to guide you to the right lifestyle choices to be healthier, longer.
Recent research published in the journal PLoS One describes an interesting and potentially vital tip for keeping your cholesterol low. Apparantly, eating a grapefruit right before a meal that is high in fat and sugar, can reduce the amount of cholesterol that develops by 42% and raise insulin sensitivity by 64%. The study suggests that naringenin, a molecule in grapefruits that gives the fruit its bitter taste, can help to treat arteriosclerosis, hyper-metabolism, and even diabetes.
I love the new information that could mean that a grapefruit before my Big Mac might make it go down easier, or at least cause fewer problems down the road. While researchers are out hunting up these new tidbits of information, the rest of us need to keep on with our healthy diets and cholesterol testing, just to be on the safe side!
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What You Should Really Be Worrying About…It’s Not Cancer
Posted by Maureen in Clinical Tests, Wellness on July 22, 2011
The Big “C” scares most of us. The horror stories abound and we’re always trying to figure out how to avoid it…cancer. But it is more likely that you’ll have a stroke or heart attack due to cardiovascular disease. Heart disease is the number one killer in the US. Treatments once you’ve gotten the disease have improved significantly. Cardiac stents and pacemakers extend life and have radically 
altered cardiovascular medicine, but treatment is never as good as prevention. If you reduce your Body Mass Index (BMI), exercise and eat better your risk is reduced and long term health prospects much brighter.
A new AP-LifeGoesStrong.com survey shows that amazingly few people are worried about strokes! Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability and death. Once you have a stroke you may no longer be independent, requiring a spouse or adult child to bear the burden of caring for you. Women specifically have a one on three chance of having a cardiac event as opposed to a one in eight chance of developing cancer. Monitoring your cholesterol level and stroke risk with a standard lipid test or a PLAC test can show you how much of a difference you will need to make in order to improve your health and avoid strokes and heart attacks. So yes, put on your sunblock to avoid skin cancer and eat your greens to prevent colon cancer, but watch your diet and your weight to protect your heart first.
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Silent Risk for Cardiovascular Disease Discovered
Posted by Maureen in Clinical Tests, Wellness on July 15, 2011
I hope you’ve had your cholesterol checked and are making any changes necessary to improve your health. There is a plethora of information available about what to eat, how much to exercise, and what not to do that makes it easy enough to do the right things, if you are motivated. Even if you haven’t started, you’d better do it now! A new research study suggests that there is even more some people should be doingto reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease 
and standard testing won’t identify the risk. A coronary artery CT (computed tomography) scan can reveal coronary artery calcium buildups that are associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. The scary part of this news is that there are no symptoms so you won’t know if you are at risk. Unfortunately, the research isn’t suggesting that this scan become widespread or even that having the information will be able to make a difference in reducing your risk.
The increase in coronary calcium buildup could identify patients who should have more aggressive treatment to reduce LDL (low-density) cholesterol levels, even if with a standard test they appear to be in the low range. Other tests, including the PLAC test, can identify hidden risks that would indicate that a more aggressive treatment regimen should be followed as well, but these tests take time to be included in a physician’s standard testing procedures. Independent laboratories can provide many tests that physician’s can’t yet, but the CT scan may not be cost effective, especially since research hasn’t shown that lowering LDL cholesterol levels in these patients will reduce their cardiovascular risk.
As researchers discover new risks all the public can do is worry. Unhealthy habits, such as a diet high in cholesterol and other fats, smoking, and lack of exercise accelerate the deposit of fat and calcium within the inner lining of coronary arteries, also known as arterial plaque. The bottom line is that it’s a good idea to work on being healthy, through diet, exercise, and eliminating smoking whether you know you’re at risk for disease or not. No one should be waiting for a problem to surface before trying to prevent health issues. Take charge of your health!
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Another Reason to Quit Smoking…
Posted by Maureen in Clinical Tests, Wellness on June 30, 2011
If you’re pregnant, you already know that you shouldn’t smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, or take most drugs, legal or not. The list goes on and trying to keep track of it can be mind boggling. For most of us, the top three items on this list are obvious and people around you in public will glare at you if you break one of these cardinal rules, I’ve seen it happen. Research has found yet another reason that
smoking cigarettes during pregnancy is bad for the baby. It reduces birth weights and when children are around second hand cigarette smoke they tend to develop asthma and more allergies. New research has found that it may also be a major cause of lower HDL or “good cholesterol” in children of smoking moms.
The study, published by the European Heart Journal, showed that children who were 8 years old and whose mothers smoked while they were pregnant had a 0.15 mmol/L lower level of HDL cholesterol. This may not sound like much, but it translates into a 10-15% increased risk for coronary disease. The children were also heavier, had higher triglyceride levels, higher systolic blood pressure levels and higher C-Reactive protein levels. This was independent of whether the mothers continued to smoke after the children were born. If you smoked during pregnancy you should have your child tested for their cholesterol lipid levels and make changes to their diets immediately. The sooner you act to balance out your smoking, the better for your child. And if you’re pregnant now, it is absolutely time to quit. If you can’t quit for yourself, quit for your baby. They don’t deserve a lifetime of coronary disease because you couldn’t stay away from cigarettes!
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The Newest Obesity Attack: A Plate?
Posted by Maureen in Clinical Tests, Wellness on June 3, 2011
How many times do we need to be told what to eat? How many different ways? If you haven’t figured it out by now, will a pretty 
picture of a plate help you? I doubt it. Many doctors doubt it, but the USDA continues to try. Kudos to them for working on it but maybe we just need to get more aggressive. I’ll say it again, I’m tired of my taxes paying for people who aren’t willing to take care of themselves!
The new plate graphic is snazzy and from the website, each type of food, dairy, grains, fruits, vegetables and proteins, is a link to information about how much and what type of food should be eaten. It is a lot easier to decipher than the most recent pyramid with rays shooting out of it. If you want more information and are willing to eat right and get healthy, the USDA is making it a lot easier.
The issue of course is with individuals and lack of willpower. Obesity is known to lead to many disorders and diseases. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension to name just a few. Losing weight may allow you to live longer, stop taking medications for these disease and just feel better overall. So what are you waiting for? Fill your plate properly and stop wasting our tax money. In many cases, these diseases are preventable and it starts with what you put on your plate.
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CDC H1N1 Flu Updates:- Press Briefing Transcript: Dr. Thomas Frieden's Remarks at the 2010 Influenza Workshop for Journalists
- HHS News Release: WHO Declares End to 2009 H1N1 Influenza Pandemic
- WHO Statement on H1N1 in post-pandemic period
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- UPDATE: 2009 H1N1 Flu International Situation Update
- MMWR: Regional Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccination Campaign -- Skokie, Illinois, October 16--December 31, 2009
- UPDATE: 2009 H1N1 Flu International Situation Update