Tune-Up Your Heart in 30 Days.
Tune-Up Your Heart in 30 Days.
By Steven Masley, MD,
As a resident and then physician, I volunteered in more than fifteen impoverished countries. Most people in the underdeveloped world by necessity had to be fit and to eat unprocessed food. In fact, I was shocked to realize that despite their difficult living conditions, if they weren’t starving, they usually enjoyed better heart health than most of my patients back home. They were trimmer, fitter and had fewer joint problems. They also had better blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure control.
Why are Americans cardiovascular “wrecks” compared to people in other countries? Why does cardiovascular disease remain our No. 1 killer today — accounting for more deaths than all forms of cancer combined? The answer is simple — our lifestyle is killing us! Our diets rich in trans and saturated fats and sugar and low in nutrients and fiber, our lack of exercise, our stressed-out lives that leave little time for rest and reflection all contribute to the cardiovascular disease epidemic in the US.
How Your Heart Ages
The first step to avoiding heart disease is understanding how your heart and arteries age. Here’s why: The factor that causes most heart problems is not cholesterol, but the growth of plaque in your arteries. Newly-formed, soft plaque can coat the lining of the arteries and mound up like pimples. These lesions can pop into the bloodstream. The inflammatory chemicals released from this rupture cause large blood clots to form. These travel to the heart and brain, blocking the supply of oxygen which leads to a heart attack, stroke, or sudden death.
To determine your heart’s true age, we need to look at the growth of plaque. That is simple and safe to do with ultrasound equipment similar to what monitors a fetus. This new carotid intimal-medial thickness testing (carotid IMT) calculates arterial plaque growth. It reliably estimates my patients’ arterial age.
The carotid arteries carry blood from the heart to the brain. Research has shown that more than 90 percent of the time, the carotid and coronary arteries grow plaque at the same rate. The thickness of plaque in the carotid artery reflects growth in the arteries that feed the heart. Carotid IMT is an excellent predictor of risk for future cardiovascular events.
To receive a carotid IMT test, my patient lies on an exam table. I apply warm ultrasound gel on his neck. I gently pass a measuring device from the machine over the skin and take pictures of the carotid arteries, just beneath the surface. I transfer the images to my computer, enlarge them, and use software to measure the plaque thickness accurate to hundredths of millimeters.
Studies in major medical journals have determined average plaque thickness in thousands of men and women. So once I’ve calculated my patient’s score, I use these figures to project his arteries’ average age. A 50-year-old man, for instance, might have the plaque of a 40-, 50-, or 60-year-old . . . or even older.
How to Tune Up Your Heart
Here are your tools to accomplish these goals:
• Incorporate five heart healing foods into your diet:
• Fiber: You need 30 grams a day from fruits, veggies, beans and nuts.
• Healthy fats: Substitute saturated and trans fats with olive and almond oils, avocados, omega-3, eggs. Eat cold water, small-mouth fish 3 times a week (or take a fish oil supplement).
• Lean protein: Eat free-range grass fed meats and poultry, low mercury seafood, beans, protein powder, tofu, plain nonfat yogurt.
• Beneficial beverages: Drink green tea, hot cocoa, red wine!
• Fabulous flavors: Use herbs and spices, garlic, dark chocolate
• Aerobic and weight-training exercise strengthens your heart and arteries. Exercise not only burns fat, it also improves blood sugar control, lowers inflammation, improves your cholesterol profile, reduces stress and builds stamina.
• Manage your stress: Stress-induced spasms in coronary arteries can lead to a heart attack, stroke, or sudden death. Reduce stress by:
• Getting plenty of good quality sleep
• Engaging in moments of peace and meditation
• Enjoying loving relationships.
• Exercising
• Follow a customized supplement plan that includes:
• 400 mg of magnesium
• 12-15 mg of zinc
• fiber
• fish oil.
By taking these steps you can tune up your own heart for a healthier future. more
By Steven Masley, MD,
As a resident and then physician, I volunteered in more than fifteen impoverished countries. Most people in the underdeveloped world by necessity had to be fit and to eat unprocessed food. In fact, I was shocked to realize that despite their difficult living conditions, if they weren’t starving, they usually enjoyed better heart health than most of my patients back home. They were trimmer, fitter and had fewer joint problems. They also had better blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure control.
Why are Americans cardiovascular “wrecks” compared to people in other countries? Why does cardiovascular disease remain our No. 1 killer today — accounting for more deaths than all forms of cancer combined? The answer is simple — our lifestyle is killing us! Our diets rich in trans and saturated fats and sugar and low in nutrients and fiber, our lack of exercise, our stressed-out lives that leave little time for rest and reflection all contribute to the cardiovascular disease epidemic in the US.
How Your Heart Ages
The first step to avoiding heart disease is understanding how your heart and arteries age. Here’s why: The factor that causes most heart problems is not cholesterol, but the growth of plaque in your arteries. Newly-formed, soft plaque can coat the lining of the arteries and mound up like pimples. These lesions can pop into the bloodstream. The inflammatory chemicals released from this rupture cause large blood clots to form. These travel to the heart and brain, blocking the supply of oxygen which leads to a heart attack, stroke, or sudden death.
To determine your heart’s true age, we need to look at the growth of plaque. That is simple and safe to do with ultrasound equipment similar to what monitors a fetus. This new carotid intimal-medial thickness testing (carotid IMT) calculates arterial plaque growth. It reliably estimates my patients’ arterial age.
The carotid arteries carry blood from the heart to the brain. Research has shown that more than 90 percent of the time, the carotid and coronary arteries grow plaque at the same rate. The thickness of plaque in the carotid artery reflects growth in the arteries that feed the heart. Carotid IMT is an excellent predictor of risk for future cardiovascular events.
To receive a carotid IMT test, my patient lies on an exam table. I apply warm ultrasound gel on his neck. I gently pass a measuring device from the machine over the skin and take pictures of the carotid arteries, just beneath the surface. I transfer the images to my computer, enlarge them, and use software to measure the plaque thickness accurate to hundredths of millimeters.
Studies in major medical journals have determined average plaque thickness in thousands of men and women. So once I’ve calculated my patient’s score, I use these figures to project his arteries’ average age. A 50-year-old man, for instance, might have the plaque of a 40-, 50-, or 60-year-old . . . or even older.
How to Tune Up Your Heart
Here are your tools to accomplish these goals:
• Incorporate five heart healing foods into your diet:
• Fiber: You need 30 grams a day from fruits, veggies, beans and nuts.
• Healthy fats: Substitute saturated and trans fats with olive and almond oils, avocados, omega-3, eggs. Eat cold water, small-mouth fish 3 times a week (or take a fish oil supplement).
• Lean protein: Eat free-range grass fed meats and poultry, low mercury seafood, beans, protein powder, tofu, plain nonfat yogurt.
• Beneficial beverages: Drink green tea, hot cocoa, red wine!
• Fabulous flavors: Use herbs and spices, garlic, dark chocolate
• Aerobic and weight-training exercise strengthens your heart and arteries. Exercise not only burns fat, it also improves blood sugar control, lowers inflammation, improves your cholesterol profile, reduces stress and builds stamina.
• Manage your stress: Stress-induced spasms in coronary arteries can lead to a heart attack, stroke, or sudden death. Reduce stress by:
• Getting plenty of good quality sleep
• Engaging in moments of peace and meditation
• Enjoying loving relationships.
• Exercising
• Follow a customized supplement plan that includes:
• 400 mg of magnesium
• 12-15 mg of zinc
• fiber
• fish oil.
By taking these steps you can tune up your own heart for a healthier future. more
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A lot is said of Medanta Hospital, but nobody has pointed on its cost of treatment which is perhaps one of the highest. only rich class or people with health insurance of very high insurance value can afford it. Once they are earning so high, have they cared for good CSR for poor people also? more
Jun 19
THANKS SANJAY JI. I THINK GOVT, CENTRAL AS WELL AS STATE GOVTs SHOULD STEP IN TO FIX NORMS FOR SETTING UP NURSING HOMES AND HOSPITALS. NOW A HOSPITALS OR NURSING HOMES ARE BIG BUSINESS HOUSES. THE INNOCENT PATIENTS ARE TRAPPED INTO AGREEING FOR UNNECESSARY PROCEDURES AND SURGERIES AND ARE LOOTED IN THE PROCESS. AS IN USA, THERE SHOULD BE STRICT CHECKS AND BALANCES FOR OPENING AND RUNNING NURSING HOMES/HOSPITALS. THERE SHOULD BE STRICT PUNISHMENT FOR LAPES AS THEY ARE PLAYING WITH LIFE OF INNOCENT VICTIMS. A FRIEND, ONE OF THE TOP MOST NERO SURGEON WAS DIAGNOSED WITH SUSPECTED PROSTATE CANCER. INSTEAD OF TREATMENT IN HIS OWN HOSPITAL, HE APPROACHED MADENTA. THEY CONDUCTED BIOPSY AND ASKED HIM TO GO FOR REMOVAL OF PROSTATE. BEING OWNER OF A BIG HOSPITAL HIMSELF OUR FRIEND HAD MORE TRUST IN DR. TREHAN AND MADENTA. A UROSURGEON FROM DELHI CONDUCTED THE SURGICAL OPERATION, BUT THERE WAS NOBODY FOR THE AFTERCARE. HE KEPT CONTACTING THE UROSURGEON AS WELL AS EVERY BODY IN MEDENTA, BUT NO ONE TOOK DUE CARE OF HIM. THE UROSURGEON SIMPLY REFUSED TO COME TO HOSPITAL, SAYING HE GOES TO MADENTA ONLY ON PARTICULAR DAYS FOR FIXED TIME. HE HAD TO TAKE PREMATURE DISCHARGE FROM THE HOSPITAL. WITH GOD'S GRACE MY FRIEND IS KEEPING WELL, DUE TO SHEAR LUCK AND HIS OWN EXPERTISE IN MEDICAL FIELD. BUT MISMANAGEMENT IN MADENTA FAILED HIM. more
Jun 19
I think failure of Medanta hospital is known , may be it is venture of Dr trehan , so if something beyond the line of success , one has to bear the responsibility whether it Medanta or escorts /whether it Dr trehan or other professional, point is fame and success rate and feasibility of work is closely related . We acknowledge the content of Mr sashini but we need to equally consider the pain felt by Mr bhatia so important is workability of system , if external factors are more prominent than moto/goal to serve the patient with humanity then there is need to overhaul the lacuna then let and be with ethical system. There is great need to make the medical system with human friendly or mixed up with humanity and this approach would only solve this profession problems , here efforts of health ministries to be more pragmatic and humanistic Just by this radical change we would feel the change in health scenario. more
Jun 18
MADANTA IS A HEALTH CARE VENTURE OF DR. NARESH TREHAN - THE GREAT HEART SURGEON WHO WAS PIONEER IN STARTING OPEN HEART SURGERY WITH ESCORTS IN INDIA. HE WAS VERY SUCCESSFULLY DOING IT IN ESCORTS AND EARNING LOTS OF MONEY AND FAME. BUT SOON GREED TOOK OVER ESCORTS MANAGEMENT AND DR. TREHAN. BOTH PARTED WAYS AND DR. TREHAN STARTED MADENTA WITH THE ACCUMULATED MONEY. HE IS A GREAT SURGEON AND A VERY GOOD PERSON. BUT ALAS MADANTA IS VERY POORLY MANAGED AND HAS POOR TRACK RECORD. I WAS A GREAT FAN OF DR. TREHAN, STILL HOPE HE WILL GET ABLE AND CARING ADMINISTRATORS TO PUT THE HOSPITAL ON HEALTHCARE MAP. more
Jun 18
Thanks Mr bhatia to recognise my contents , what is happened with u so many others are suffering with same. My points are as 1 Most of even renounced hospitals are not positive approach , there is always hidden suspicious attitudes with patients. My point if hospitals lacks some infrastructure they should come opening instead of misguiding patients, , this attitude would simply fatal. 2 lot of money making practices adopted by hospitals and their sole aim not humanity rather earn fast bucks. 3 There is strict and urgent need of health to enlight the mode and procedures to doctors , this must be followed by expert who must have medical knowledge with humanitarian approach. 4 Last to avoid fishy business which is just in reach of aam admi , it is must strict vigil and scientific guidelines by concerned authorities required , to make society healthy /humanitarian instead of collection of greedy professionals. more
Jun 18
