Dr. Chet’s Health Memos
If it’s in the health news today, I’ll be writing about it as soon as I read the research, both old and new. With my email Health Memos, you’ll know more about making lifestyle choices that will help you get and keep good health. These free, concise updates on health are emailed to subscribers twice a week. Subscribe today and get a free MP3, in English or Spanish, of Dr. Chet’s Top Ten Tips—Small Changes for a Healthier Life.
You’ve Got the Ball
Two emails. Two men. Two deaths. In each case, the men likely didn’t know what they didn’t know. If they had known they had coronary artery disease or hypertension, they probably would have done something about it. Or maybe like many people, they wouldn’t have—“that couldn’t happen to me” syndrome or simply ignoring the facts. As I said on Thursday, this is American Heart Month. I’m going to give you three things you should do to reduce your risk of sudden death, the most extreme symptom of heart disease.
Graded Exercise Test . . .
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The Silent Killer
On Tuesday, I told you about an article sent to me by a long-time reader. Today’s message is about an email sent to me the same day as the other, but it’s quite different.
In the second email, a woman let me know that her husband had passed away in his sleep several months ago. He was not overweight and seemed healthy. When the medical university nearby did an autopsy, they found he had an enlarged heart, most likely due to high blood pressure. That’s one of the reasons hypertension is called the silent killer.
I . . .
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Death by Donut
There are times when the topics I write about seem to align like astronomical events; it’s as if I’m compelled because of a series of apparently unrelated actions. This time, emails from two people prompted me to write about heart disease. Yes, it’s American Heart Month and I generally write about it every year. But what would get your attention? What might drive you to take action? Let’s see if the messages this week will do it.
Thanks to S.B., a longtime reader, for sending me a link to a story about a man who . . .
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When It’s 51-49
I know what you’re probably thinking: Dr. Chet is predicting the Super Bowl score. While that would be a great game, especially if the Broncos win, that’s not what I’m talking about. (Don’t be offended, you Panther fans. I’m an AFC fan every day and especially, a Peyton fan.)
What’s 51-49? Let’s say that you wake up five minutes late on Monday. You will immediately start the process of deciding whether or not you can exercise or fix your healthy breakfast shake; the score stands at 50-50. The arguments begin in . . .
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Ten O’Clock Zombie
The second tip of the week leading up to The 6th Super Bowl Webinar on Sunday is something I think we’ve all experienced at some time. You eat a carbohydrate-based breakfast before work—cereal and milk, bagel and cream cheese, even one of those breakfast sandwiches you can now buy all day long. Somewhere between 10 and 10:30 a.m., your head drifts toward your chest and you could go to sleep. Just like a zombie, you cannot function. You’re in what some people call a carb coma.
The obvious solution is to restrict those carbohydrates . . .
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The Two O’Clock Fade
See if this sounds familiar. If you work a typical 9-to-5 job, and somewhere around two o’clock in the afternoon, your body is there but nobody’s home. If you work a second shift, adjust the time to a couple hours after lunch. You can stare at the computer screen or the telephone, know what you have to do, but have no mental focus to get it done.
My philosophy is that the simplest solution is often the correct one. Odds are this fade is caused by dehydration. Make sure you drink two to three cups or . . .
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Who Decides?
After the past two messages, I hope you’ve taken the time to think about screening tests. There are many ways to respond, from outrage to “Who cares what some obscure researchers say?” To me, it’s complicated but it always comes back to statistics.
In Tuesday’s message, the opinion voiced the concern that going against the evidence presented by the USTFPS by a political body was opening the door to more intervention based on emotion rather than fact. The facts were that more women would be faced with the stress to their minds and their bodies if they . . .
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Too Old to Test
The next comment on excessive testing concerns unnecessary prostate and breast cancer screening in people who are 65 and older. Based on the current U.S. census, that would be about 40 million Americans.
Researchers used data from the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. This telephone survey is a minimum 190 questions and can be up to 410 questions. As the title suggests, it asks about all aspects of health from diet, exercise, previous conditions and diseases, and current conditions and diseases. The researchers were interested in the number of people 65 and older who responded to . . .
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Too Many Mammograms?
An interesting opinion article this past week concerned mammograms and whether they should be done as frequently as they are. The authors commented on what they view as politically mandated care instead of evidence-based care.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) had traditionally recommended that based on the evidence, mammograms should begin when a woman turns 40 and then every two years. In 2012, the recommendation was changed to mammograms beginning at 50. The reason for the change was statistics: few lives would be saved by beginning tests earlier. Needless to say, women were not happy. The . . .
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Why You Need Your Seven
Green leafy vegetables and fruit convey health benefits to eyes and men’s sexual function. Why? It all comes down to blood flow and specifically, how those foods help blood vessels.
Nitrates cause dilation of blood vessels, especially the minute blood vessels in the heart, the eyes, and other organs, exactly when we need it most. Most people associate nitrates with processed meats, but green leafy vegetables and root vegetables such as beets have a far greater nitrate content without dragging along a lot of fat and sodium. The nitrates provide the raw materials that help the nitric oxide system . . .
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