One of the things I frequently hear from patients is, “Dr. Blankstein, what can I do to prevent a heart attack?” They often have the wrong idea that protecting their heart involves having to learn a lot of complicated nutritional information, follow a low-fat, tasteless, boring diet, perform exhausting exercise and make impractical lifestyle changes. … Read more
I know it’s also the title of a 60’s “spaghetti Western” movie, but when it comes to your cholesterol, heart researchers have actually classified cholesterol as these 3 types. Unlike the movie though, where the “Ugly” Tuco Ramirez (Eli Wallach) was only a fictitious character, ugly cholesterol is a real-life killer. It not only causes … Read more
Recently a 14-year-old Maryland girl died after drinking 2 Monster Energy drinks in a 24-hour period. One 24 oz can has as much caffeine as seven 12 oz cans of regular soda. That means this girl took in 14 times the amount of caffeine in 2 cans of regular soda in 24 hours. It was … Read more
For years, doctors (including me!) had been telling their patients (especially postmenopausal women over 60 and older men) to take calcium supplements to prevent risks of osteoporosis. Now, with recent research findings, many doctors are holding off on telling our patients to take calcium supplements. Perhaps you routinely take calcium supplements as well. If so, … Read more
You’ve heard stories about the guy (or gal!) who seemed to be in good health. He or she exercised frequently, seemed to eat right, didn’t smoke, didn’t drink to excess. Yet, one day, to everyone’s surprise, that person had a serious, perhaps fatal, heart attack. You wondered how could that happen to someone who appeared … Read more
Heart disease and related cardiovascular diseases claim nearly half a million lives in this country each year. There’s no wonder why doctors and medical researchers have grasped onto a pharmaceutical to fight this killer. Statin drugs like Lipitor are the most-prescribed drugs in the country.
To be sure, there is conflicting medical advice available about alcohol drinking. However, the key word to remember is moderation. Heavy drinking always leads to health problems. It can adversely affect your heart, brain, liver, kidneys, and bladder. It can lead to diabetes, depression, breast cancer, not to mention numerous social problems. What do I mean by heavy drinking? More than 2 drinks a day, 7 days a week. Yet, recent research shows that moderate alcohol, 1 drink a day, or less, can actually protect your health. Let me explain why.
There is a potent, proven medication for those at risk of heart disease and stroke. It is safe, inexpensive and easy to administer. Furthermore, you probably have a bottle of it in your medicine cabinet right now. It’s aspirin, and if you don’t already know about the beneficial effects of this drug for heart disease, … Read more
I told you about some things you can do to reduce your risk of getting heart disease. But what if you already have heart disease? Millions of Americans living with heart disease aren’t sure what they can do to improve their condition, to enhance their quality of life, and to prevent a deadly event like a heart attack.