How To Save Your Life If Alone & Having A Heart Attack

We all should know how to perform CPR and basic first aid.  If you don't, you should enroll yourself into a class today.  You might save someone's life in the future.  But, if we are alone and experiencing chest pains and all other symptoms of a heart attack, how do we save our own lives?

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Go to this link and learn how you can save YOUR OWN LIFE if you are ALONE and experiencing a heart attack.  Pass this little animation on to everyone else you know.  This could save lives....especially your own!  87693-HeartAttack1.pps (210KB)
 

Health and Reality

Over the holiday weekend, I was chatting with a gentleman who recently was placed on anti-hypertension medication.  He hadn't been to a physician in many years for a regular checkup and after speaking with him for a while, he still doesn't understand that his hypertension could have been avoided by small lifestyle changes over the years. My suggestions to alter his diet and alcohol consumption fell on deaf ears.  I suggested that he seek an acupuncturist in his area and take his condition seriously.  The reality is that his unhealthy lifestyle will contribute to increases in his medication over time and his risk of heart attack and stroke will increase proportionately.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  If you have been placed on medication for any condition; take this as a wake up call and do something proactive for your health.  There's nothing worse than growing older and becoming so ill to the point where you've got bed sores, can't feed yourself, can't speak or can no longer walk.  Get real, and wise up....get yourself into healthy lifestyles today and avoid medications and illness down the road.

February is Heart Month, So Watch the Salt

Processed foods, fast foods and anything you eat in a restaurant contain a tremendous amount of salt that you most likely don't taste because you are accustomed to salty foods in general. Yes, there is such a thing as 'salt addiction'. Just look at some people who, before even tasting their food, reach for the salt shaker and pour it on. Salt conceals the real taste of many foods, and if you don't add salt to your meals, you'll actually taste what all that stuff on the plate is supposed to taste like! If you're trying to wean yourself off salt, try some fresh lemon or lime over your food. You'll be getting a little bit more Vitamin C and your food will be fresh and tasty. To wean yourself off salty nuts, try doing half salted/half unsalted and reduce the amount of salted nuts until you're only having the unsalted nuts. Nuts do contain healthy fats and proteins...it's the salt that will kill you.


Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day: There are many people out there who are highly sensitive to salt and those with congestive heart disease, high blood pressure and other maladies who cannot tolerate salt. Be kind, be salt sensitive and be smart....switch to sea salt and don't cook with a ton of salt...allow your tablemates to choose their own taste at the table. After all...nobody forces you to eat your peas if that's not your thing...don't force others to eat salt. You could be making them very, very sick at the end of the evening!

Heart Healthy Tips for the Entire Family

EveryDay Health posted this really great piece on family heart healthy tips and I thought I'd share it with you today:
By Karen Asp
Medically reviewed by Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MD
"When it comes to boosting heart health, your diet plays a huge role. You are, after all, what you eat — which is why, when you consume a nutrient-deficient diet that's high in saturated fats, trans fats and sodium, you significantly increase your chances of developing high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease. You also risk gaining weight, which could further jeopardize heart function.
So how can you make your diet more heart-friendly and still please your family's taste buds? Fortunately, all you need to do is make a few simple tweaks.
Replace processed with fresh. First, eliminate — or, at the very least, limit — processed foods like chips, cookies, and crackers, which are often loaded with fats, sodium, and other unhealthy ingredients. Stock your kitchen with whole grains, fruits, and vegetables instead. "Unlike processed foods, these whole foods provide an abundance of disease-fighting properties that reduce heart disease risk," says Sari Greaves, RD, CDN, New York City–based spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and dietitian at Step Ahead Weight Loss Center in Bedminster, N.J.
The bonus? Whole foods are usually low in calories but high in fiber, so they'll fill you up on fewer calories — which could help you maintain or lose weight. One caveat: When buying whole-grain foods like cereals or breads, make sure the label says "whole" and each serving contains at least three grams of fiber.
Bulk up on lean protein. Protein is also an important part of any diet. "You get valuable nutrients from protein, and some sources like fish may even protect against heart disease," Greaves says, adding that protein can also help you feel more satisfied, reducing your urge to nibble later. Healthy protein sources include lean cuts of meat; such as skinless chicken breasts; fish, especially fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and herring; low-fat dairy products; eggs; nuts; nut butters; beans; lentils; and tofu. Caution: Protein sources can be high in calories, so don't go overboard. "Think of protein as an accompaniment to a meal," Greaves says.
For optimal heart benefits, eat six to eight ounces of fish per week. Greaves even recommends going meatless two days a week.
Watch those fats. Why worry about saturated fats? Plain and simple, they're bad for your heart. "They can raise your cholesterol, which increases your risk for heart disease and stroke," Greaves says. You'll find saturated fats mainly in animal products, so veer toward lean cuts of red meat (look for words like round, loin, sirloin, or 90 percent lean), low-fat cheeses, and low-fat or skim milk.
Trans fats are also dangerous to your heart, as they raise harmful LDL cholesterol levels, lower good HDL cholesterol levels, and increase your risk of heart disease. They're usually found in fried foods; processed baked goods like cookies, pie crusts, and pastries; and stick margarines and shortenings. You can spot them by looking for the words "partially hydrogenated oil" on the ingredient list.
Your body, though, does need fat, so focus on monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, both of which can boost heart health. Look for them in peanut butter; fatty fish; vegetable oils like olive, canola, and peanut; avocados; nuts; and seeds.
Practice portion control. Watch those portions, or you could risk gaining weight. One portion of meat, for instance, is three ounces, or about the size of a deck of cards; a serving of nuts is an ounce, or about a handful.
To make it easier to eat less, use smaller bowls and plates. Then split your plate into four quadrants, Greaves says. Fill half your plate with veggies. Divide the other half between protein and starches like brown rice or whole-wheat pasta.
Adopt heart-smart cooking techniques. Finally, know that how you prepare meals can affect how heart-friendly they are. Baking, broiling, and roasting are the healthiest options, while frying, especially in butter, is one of the least heart-friendly cooking methods. And rather than seasoning your meals with salt, try replacing it with herbs and spices like oregano, curry powder, and thyme.
It may take a little effort to make these switches, but the long-term payoff — your family's health — will be well worth it!"

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Heart health does not discriminate age, so treat your kids right...get heart healthy for the family today.  This is February and it's the month to become 'heart aware'.  Stay tuned for more heart healthy info!!

Hey Ladies, Listen Up! Early Warning Signs of a Heart Attack!!

This past weekend, a friend of mine told me that she had recurring chest pains and high blood pressure during the week; she had the common sense to go immediately to her doctor.  As it turns out, an angiogram was performed and the 'coast was clear', but did you know that heart attacks are way up there as the leading cause of death in women???
In most cases, women are 'poo-pooed' by their doctor when they complain of chest pains and other signs of heart attacks.  Unfortunately, many doctors attribute these signs and symptoms as anxiety, stress and 'hysterical female menopausal syndrome'.  If taken seriously, many women could be saved from an earlier than expected demise.  The signs and symptoms of heart attacks are different for men than women....I'll bet a lot of you out there didn't know that.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  go to this site:
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Conditions_UCM_305346_SubHomePage.jsp
and look at what the American Heart Association has to say about the early warning signs of heart attack.  If you or someone you know experiences these early warning signs, just go to the emergency room.  Better to be safe than very sorry, indeed!

Aspirin and Heart Attacks

A patient of mine shared this with me yesterday and I thought I'd pass it on to all of you....
Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:

Why keep aspirin by your bedside?

About Heart Attacks
There are other symptoms of an heart attack besides the pain on the left arm.
One must also be aware of an intense pain on the chin, as well as nausea and lots of sweating, however these symptoms may also occur less frequently.
Note: There may be NO pain in the chest during a heart attack.. The majority of people (about 60%) who had a heart attack during their sleep, did not wake up. However, if it occurs, the chest pain may wake you up from your deep sleep.
If that happens, immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouthand swallow them with a bit of water .
Afterwards :
CALL 911
- say "heart attack!"
- say that you have taken 2 aspirins..
- phone a neighbor or a family member who lives very close by
- take a seat on a chair or sofa near the front door, and wait for their arrival and.
~ DO NOT lie down ~
A Cardiologist has stated that, if each person, after receiving this e-mail, sends it to 10 people, probably one life can be saved!
I have already shared the information- - What about you?
Do forward this message; it may save lives!

Waist Size, Your Heart and Your Sex Life

Did you know that waist sizes greater than 40" in men and 35" in women are very strong indicators of metabolic dysfunction and are linked to possibly 50% in heart disease cases?  A large waist size is also linked to erectile dysfunction, poor sex drive, high blood pressure, high blood fats, type 2 diabetes and high insulin resistance. (European Journal Cardiovascular Preventtion Rehabilitation, 16:  729-734, 2009).

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  all of the above are very good reasons to take a 1/2 hour walk or get that 30 minutes of exercise in everyday.