The old standard line…..”take 2 aspirin and call me in the morning.” Turns out this has some truth about aspirin but not completely so.
Category: Cardiology
Free Blood Pressure Walk-in Clinics this December
Hypertension when left untreated is the leading cause of heart disease and stroke. Knowing your numbers is the first step in managing this treatable condition.
During the month of December Pentucket Medical is offering free blood pressure walk-in clinics at the dates/ times below. If you cannot get to one of our locations during these times, you can provide your latest BP numbers by posting them on https://www.pmaonline.com/patient-guide/patient-gateway/or calling your clinician’s office.
Study Links Diet Soda to Strokes, Death Research shows doubling of stroke risk for some women over 50
A study of more than 80,000 women ages 50 to 79 links drinking two or more diet drinks a day with an increased risk for certain kinds of stroke, coronary artery disease and death.
Published in the journal Stroke, a publication of the American Heart Association, the study follows other research that previously connected the artificial sweeteners found in diet soda and other beverages with a higher risk of stroke, heart attack, type 2 diabetes, obesity and other conditions.
But the study released is one of the first to look at the link between drinking artificially sweetened beverages and the risk of certain types of stroke in a large, racially diverse group of older women.
“Many well-meaning people, especially those who are overweight or obese, drink low-calorie sweetened drinks to cut calories in their diet,” noted lead study author Yasmin Mossavar-Rahmani, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, in a statement. “Our research and other observational studies have shown that artificially sweetened beverages may not be harmless, and high consumption is associated with a higher risk of stroke and heart disease.”
Compared with women who drank diet drinks less than once a week or not at all, women who drank two or more artificially sweetened beverages per day were:
23 percent more likely to have a stroke
31 percent more likely to have a clot-caused (ischemic) stroke
29 percent more likely to develop heart disease
16 percent more likely to die from any cause
The risks were found to be higher in women who consumed diet drinks two or more times a day, more than doubling the risk of a clot-caused stroke among women without previous heart disease or diabetes, obese women without previous heart disease or diabetes, and African American women without previous heart disease or diabetes.
While the study identifies the notable link between diet beverages and, in particular, small artery strokes, the study authors pointed out that it does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship because it was based on self-reported information about drink consumption. The self-reported study data also did not name specific artificial sweeteners in the colas, sodas and fruit drinks.
cite: by Harriet Edleson, AARP, February 14, 2019
https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2019/diet-soda-health-risks-women.html
Congratulations to Dr. Ken Adams
“It must be something in the water”
“It must be something in the water,” is what we say at the office and hospital when we talk about Atrial Fibrillation.
The reason is that Atrial Fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder that we see and we see it often. Here is an example. On a regular day in the office last week, 4 out of 15 patients had a diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation. And, later that day, I implanted a permanent pacemaker in a patient with chronic atrial fibrillation who had developed a very slow heart rate. Continue reading ““It must be something in the water””
Heart Health Month
February is Heart Health Month
What You Should Know About Heart Disease
Since it’s February, you may be thinking about sweetheart candy and heart-shaped boxes of chocolate. Did you know that it is also a great time to think about your own heart? February is Heart Health Month!
It’s important to know the risk factors and signs of heart disease as it’s the leading cause of death for both men and women with 610,000 Americans dying from heart disease each year. Continue reading “Heart Health Month”
How Stress Can Affect your Heart
Stress is an inevitable part of life; Work, family, finances and relationships can all cause unnecessary stress and anxiety. While not all stress is bad for you, ongoing, chronic stress can negatively affect your heart.
How Does Stress Affect the Heart?
Stress that goes unmanaged can cause the following health conditions that also impact your heart health:
- High Blood Pressure: The surge of hormones produced when in a stressful situation increases your blood pressure by causing your heart to beat faster and your blood vessels to narrow. High blood pressure can lead to both coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease.
- Irregular Heart Rhythm: Irregular heart rhythms, also known as heart palpitations and arrhythmia, can result in feeling like your heart is skipping a beat, pounding or speeding up quickly. While it is not known exactly why stress can cause irregular heartbeats, the adrenaline caused by a surge in hormones is the most common reason.
- Damage to Arteries: Chronic stress causes direct aging of the arteries. According to recent research by Johns Hopkins Medical School, individuals who react to stress with anger and frustration has 20 times of arterial aging. Extensive damage to the arteries can cause elevated blood pressure and heart disease.
- Higher Cholesterol Levels: Studies show that mental stress can raise LDL (bad cholesterol) and lower HDL (good cholesterol). If stress is impacting the amount of HDL your body is producing, how effectively HDL cleans up additional LDL is also affected.
Tips to Manage Stress and Improve Heart Health
Here are some simple tips you can use to manage stress and keep your heart healthy:
- Keep a positive, realistic attitude when a stressful situation presents itself. You might not be in control of the situation, but you’re in control of how you respond.
- Start an exercise routine. The endorphins released during exercise can counteract the negative hormones released during stress.
- Spend time with the people you love. Laughing and being around positive people might undo the effects of stress on your body.
- Focus on getting an adequate amount of sleep so you can handle stressful situations better.
Do you have questions about your heart? Contact Pentucket Medical Cardiology at (888) 227-3762 to find out more about stress and heart health.
Heart Attacks in Women
Heart Attack: Under-Recognized Killer of Women
Heart attacks are by far the most common cause of death in females, three times greater than breast cancer, for example.
Signs and symptoms of a heart attack is vital information that should be known by every woman.
The most common symptoms of heart attacks in women are pain, pressure or discomfort in the chest. But it’s not always severe or even the most prominent symptom, particularly in women. And, sometimes, women may have a heart attack without chest pains. Women are more likely than men to have heart attack symptoms unrelated to chest pain, such as:
- Neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort
- Shortness of breath
- Right arm pain
- Nausea or vomiting
- Sweating
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Unusual fatigue
These symptoms can be less pronounced than the obvious crushing chest pain often associated with heart attacks. Women may describe chest pain as pressure or a tightness. This may be because women tend to have blockages not only in their main arteries but also in the smaller arteries that supply blood to the heart — a condition called small vessel heart disease or microvascular disease.
Women’s symptoms may occur more often when women are resting, or even when they’re asleep. Mental stress also may trigger heart attack symptoms in women.
If you suspect you are having a heart attack: Call 911 or your emergency services number immediately.
Heart Healthy Foods
Eating fruits, vegetables and high-fiber foods is important for a variety of reasons, including keeping your heart healthy. Even though there’s no cure for preventing heart disease, eating a few of these foods every day can lower your risk of heart disease:
- Salmon – Foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, have been proven to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Because of the low mercury count, salmon can be eaten several times a week.
- Almonds – Almonds lower your risk of cardiovascular disease for a variety of reasons. They contain omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, magnesium, fiber and heart-healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats.
- Red Wine – Cheers to a healthy heart! The catechins and resveratrol in red wine improve your good HDL and decrease your risk of heart disease.
- Brown Rice – High-food fibers, such as brown rice, are great for your heart. Brown rice also contains B-complex vitamins, niacin and magnesiums.
- Blueberries – Nutritionists suggest eating a serving of berries every day. For cardiovascular benefits, snack on blueberries, which include beta-carotene, anthocyanin, vitamin C, folate, calcium and potassium.
- Sweet Potato – Because of the beta carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E, sweet potatoes provide heart-healthy benefits. You can eat them as a side dish or stuff a sweet potato for a delicious entree!
- Dark Chocolate – Have a sweet tooth? A square of dark chocolate, which is 70 percent or more cocoa, contains resveratrol and lowers blood pressure.
- Beans – Just ½ cup of cooked beans daily lowers cholesterol because they contain heart-protective chemicals such as flavonoids.
Contact your physician for more information on keeping your heart healthy.
Heart Healthy Vegetable Soup Recipe
Looking for some heart healthy inspiration? This vegetable soup recipe is healthy, delicious and easy to make. Team this soup with some crisp winter apples or pears and you’re ready for company. You can also make a double batch and freeze half for another meal.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin Olive Oil
- ½ pound leeks, trimmed, split in half lengthwise, and well rinsed
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- ½ pound carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 2 large celery ribs, thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 2 tablespoons dried lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 2 tablespoons dried split peas, rinsed and picked over
- 2 tablespoons dried small white beans, rinsed and picked over
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 quarts fat-free, reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- One 14½-ounce can no-salt-added plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
- ¼ pound spinach touch stems discarded
Preparation
- In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Thinly slice the leeks and add them to the pot along with the onion. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables wilt, about 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots, celery, lentils, peas, beans, thyme, pepper and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the tomatoes and continue to simmer, covered, for another 15 minutes, until the white beans are tender.
- Stir in the spinach and simmer, uncovered, until wilted, about 3 minutes.
- Ladle into soup bowls and serve.
Nutritional information
Calories: 130 calories
Total Fat: 3 g
Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
Protein: 9 g
Carbohydrates: 21 g
Dietary Fiber: 5 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 130 mg
Potassium: 120 mg
Source: Cleveland Clinic Healthy Heart Lifestyle Guide and Cookbook (© 2007 Broadway Books)