Blog Archive
Heart health is something that should be taken seriously, regardless of your age. Cardiovascular conditions can occur at any time, and when they do, they can be life-threatening. One of the most common heart conditions is heart disease. Heart disease is a condition that affects the heart muscle, and it...
A heart attack can be a frightening experience. The symptoms can come on suddenly and include chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea, and sweating. If you experience these symptoms, it's vital to get help right away. But what actually happens during this form of acute coronary syndrome? Today, we'll explore...
Nicotine is a substance that is found in cigarettes and other tobacco products. It's a stimulant that speeds up the heart rate and breathing and can make people feel more alert. It can also be addictive, which makes it difficult for people to stop consuming nicotine products. On this page,...
The Difference Between an Electrocardiogram and an EKG When it comes to your heart health, you want the absolute best. Your heart handles a lot of work daily, and occasionally, you'll need to get it tested to ensure peak performance and help forecast future health problems like heart disease or...
As many of us know, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. There's no doubt that prioritizing our cardiovascular health is essential, but many people don't know much about how heart health works or what they can do to protect...
In what is sure to be welcome news to those of us who have struggled to do something even approaching the American Heart Association’s recommended amount of exercise—namely, at least 30 minutes of “moderate-intensity physical activity”[1] practiced five times per week—a group of researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder[2],...
In the United States, heart disease is the leading cause of death. According to the CDC, one in two adults has high blood pressure, but only one in four adults is taking the necessary actions to keep it under control. Without prioritizing heart health, an individual could further increase their...
Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a heart attack. But is there any way to stop it before it starts? With heart disease being the leading cause of death, it's not uncommon to know someone who has had one or maybe even experienced one yourself. A heart...
If you suffer from heart disease or a chronic heart condition, you need to consider making some major lifestyle changes under the supervision of your doctor. This is to ensure that you prevent worsening your chronic condition and avoid experiencing a massive heart attack. When you have a heart attack,...
Heart disease affects over half of the United States population. It comes in several different forms, such as arrhythmia, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, and atherosclerosis. These can involve a number of issues like an irregular heart rhythm, plaque buildup, high blood pressure, chest pain, the hardening of arteries, or weaker...
Talking to your cardiologist one-on-one or just promoting general health and wellness on your own, heart health tips aren’t terribly hard to come by. The deeper intricacies of heart health, though, are a little less well-known. Do you know the signs of high blood pressure, heart disease, or a heart...
Unless you happen to be a cardiologist yourself, no one expects you to share the same expertise as cardiology doctors who’ve spent years studying the heart as a medical specialty. However, there are a few subjects that, if patients understood them, could make a cardiologist’s job a lot easier. Even...
When you have your first appointment with a cardiologist, it’s natural to feel anxious about what to expect. It’s normal to worry about a trip to the hospital or exam room—so much so that there’s a name for the phenomenon of blood pressure raising in a doctor’s presence: white coat...
Choosing the best cardiologist for your needs is a unique and personal decision. However, it’s simultaneously a choice that has far more factors than gut instinct alone. Does a particular doctor keep up with the latest guidance and regulations? Do they know the ins and outs of your specific condition?...
We all know that we should optimize our health and wellness however possible. However, few people pay attention to why healthy living is important—it’s just something we should do, and so we do. Still, there’s more to a healthy lifestyle than a general expectation. Health optimization, and the healthy life...
A variety of preventive services make up the world of preventive treatment, but there’s one common factor that many preventive medicine specialists will turn to in promoting the practice of preventive care: It’s an effective tool for saving money within the health system. But how effective is preventive medicine at...
Ideally, every patient would have a team of specialists working to promote their health and wellness, from dermatologists to cardiologists. However, between budgeting for copays and finding time for appointments in an already busy schedule, most people only seek a specialist when they realize they have no choice. But, even...
If you’ve ever seen a human heart, you know they all look more or less the same. However, more goes into heart health than your underlying health condition or family history. Believe it or not, there are cardiovascular differences between men’s and women's health and how particular conditions, including a...
Suffering from a heart attack, cardiac arrest, or heart disease are common issues that happen to more people than you may realize. While sudden cardiac arrest may seem like something that happens to people with a specific heart condition, there are risk factors that affect everyone. Even if you think...
Myocardial infarction, or heart attack, is one of the more well-known cardiovascular events a person may face. But, between pop culture depictions and general misinformation, patients aren’t always as well-informed of heart attack symptoms and risk factors as they might imagine. And yet, knowing the warning signs of a massive...
With the growing prevalence of preventive medicine in the medical field more broadly, it’s as important for patients to understand disease prevention and health promotion as it is for physicians. For instance, you might recognize epidemiology, biostatistics, and the intricacies of preventive therapies as ways to improve individual quality of...
Preventive medicine is a critical field within general medicine today. The prevention of COVID-19, with masks, vaccines, and other measures, comes to mind first and foremost. But the efforts of this subset of medical practice are far more wide-reaching, ranging from migraine prevention to preventive therapies and medications aimed at...
Japanese Longevity Resulted from Relatively Recent Lifestyle Changes We have often heard that the Japanese are a very long-lived people—with several super-centenarians (age 110+) in recent memory being Japanese. In fact, Japan has consistently had the longest life expectancy of the major nations (averaging approximately 85 years of age overall,...
Those of us watched Saturday morning TV as kids in the ‘90s were saddened to see that one of the medium’s most recognizable stars, Dustin Diamond, passed away of “stage 4 lung cancer” at the tender age of 44. Dustin Diamond Never Smoked; Neither Did An Increasing Number of People...
In an unprecedented time like this, when everything in our lives has turned upside down—so unprecedented that the dizzying drops in the stock market, the number of people who have recently found themselves unemployed, and the number of small businesses who have suddenly been cut off at the knees, all...
What May Have Caused the Tragic Death of the Angels’ Tyler Skaggs, the Danger of Media Speculation, and a Cautionary Tale for Young Athletes: In an all-too-familiar and tragic story, another young athlete has died under mysterious circumstances, leaving fans devastated, and uninformed media and gossip types to speculate on...
Although it’s considered very rare, dying from a heart attack at a very young age, is still very possible. And by very young, I mean people younger than 40 years old. But, most likely, for the individuals who experienced a heart attack at a very young age, their heart attack...
What’s better in the morning than a fresh, hot and steamy good old cup of Joe? Well, for most Americans, it’s the first thing we do in the morning when we wake up. It wakes us up, it increases our metabolism and it gives us that little boost of energy...
Have you ever wondered where the analogy of a broken heart originated from? Well, either way, don’t forget to show your appreciation to the people closest to your heart this Valentine's Day because they might have more of an effect on your heart health than you originally thought. Romantic comedies...
This past weekend I was one of 20 people invited to an intimate dinner in Los Angeles, honoring the first woman to serve as president of an Israeli university, Professor Rivka Carmi, a Harvard educated pediatrician and geneticist. Since 2006 she has been the President of Ben Gurion University of...
It seems like the “fitness tracker craze” is stronger than ever. I’ve been getting tons of emails asking about pedometers, wearable devices (like the FitBit), and smartphones. And based on all those emails, here are... The Top 3 Questions About Fitness Trackers: Will a fitness tracker help me get fit?...
In commercials for erectile-dysfunction drugs such as Viagra or Cialis, as we see the happy middle-aged or older couple about to enjoy themselves thanks to the magic of modern medicine, the announcer’s voice-over warns: “Ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex.” But do people really pay attention to that disclaimer?...
Sugary treats like cakes, cookies, and candies are all associated with celebrating... They’re a staple, whether you’re celebrating a birthday, anniversary, or holiday.And that’s okay. After all, a special occasion calls for a special treat.However, with the amount of sugar we consume... we’ve turned EVERY DAY into a special occasion.In...
Hey! What’s Your Lp(a)! Why You Should Know About Lipoprotein (a)You probably know your blood pressure, your total cholesterol, hopefully your “good cholesterol” (HDL), and your “bad cholesterol” (LDL), but hey—what about your Lp(a)? Bet you don’t know what I’m even talking about—and that’s OK, —because neither do many physicians—which...
I have a riddle for you: There are 2 heart disease patients…Patient #1 is 5’9 and weighs 170 lbs.,Patient #2 is 5’9 and weighs 230 lbs.Who will live longer?The answer seems obvious, right? The person with their weight under control. Well, hold on…You see, in some studies, such as the...
IMAGINE THIS...........You’re running through a jungle, being chased by a ferocious tiger, and suddenly you come to a cliff.Being the resourceful person you are, you notice a vine hanging from the side of the rock face. You grab ahold of it, and begin to climb down.You think you’re free from...
Yesterday, President Donald Trump's presidential physical examination results were announced by Dr. Jackson, his physician. He declared President Trump to be in "excellent health". However, as a leading preventive cardiologist, it is my opinion that President Trump has mild heart disease. Even though his overall health is average, his overall...
Can you believe that we have been blaming the wrong fat for heart disease problems? For the past 60 years, we have labeled saturated fat as the nasty culprit responsible for heart attacks - the solid fat in meats, whole milk, cream, and butter. The basis for that theory started...
If you haven’t heard about it yet, this is big news. The American Heart Association, in coordination with the American College of Cardiology (ACC) has just changed a major guideline for how hypertension (high blood pressure) is defined in the United States for the first time since 2003. Now, if...
Low Serum Calcium Levels Linked to Sudden Cardiac Death, Says Shocking Cedars-Sinai Study; Calcium Conundrum Continues.Recently, researchers at the renowned Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute published a study[1] suggesting that even patients who came in at the lower end of the normal range for serum calcium levels (according to the FDA normal range...