By Murtaza Ahmed MD As I mentioned in my previous post, the obesity epidemic, one of the most common presentations of the 35-45 year old patient is for a ‘general health check’. There is something about this age that makes people conscious that there may be aspects of their health that require attention. The […]
The Obesity Epidemic – Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
By Murtaza Ahmed MD There is no doubt that the third, fourth and fifth decades of life are a crucial and important period of life when it comes to our health and well being. This is the transition stage from youth to our senior years and what we do during this time plays a huge […]
What Is A Stress Test?
Unless otherwise stated, any stress test referenced on a MyHeart related blog post will refer specifically to cardiac stress tests. Other heart related stress tests like cardiopulmonary exercise tests can be discussed at a later date. In generic terms, a stress test is a procedure to indirectly determine whether there are significant blockages in your […]
The Fish Oil Diaries – Part 2 – Supplements and a Western diet
By Julian Booker MD What is the Western diet pattern or Western diet? The western diet is a common dietary pattern found in a number of developed countries and is growing in popularity in developing countries. There are two common characteristics found in the Western diet: The food tastes awesome The food is generally really […]
Is Fish Oil Good For The Heart?
The fish oil diaries may be controversial and upset some people. Fish oil therapy has become a staple of many American’s fight against heart disease. Some take prescription fish oil, over the counter fish oil, cod liver oil, and McDonald’s Fillet-o-fish sandwich, anything to protect our hearts from having a heart attack. In reality is […]
Exercise With Heart Disease – Is it Safe and Should I Be Doing It?
Time after time I come across patients who are suffering from stable coronary artery disease (heart disease) who, through no fault of their own, are under the impression that they can’t partake in any form of ‘strenuous’ activity, as it would be detrimental to their health. It is astonishing that they think they cannot or […]
Hypertension
Hypertension, also called high blood pressure, is the condition where one or both of your blood pressure values are elevated. When looking at your blood pressure recording you will notice two numbers. The top and bottom numbers of your blood pressure measurement are called the systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure respectively. For years, […]
Chest Pain – Part 1 – Angina
Chest pain is one of the most frightening symptoms that a person can experience. The problem is that not all chest pain is dangerous and not all chest pains are created equal. Some chest pain such as that associated with a heart attack, can be very dangerous. What makes things worse is that each person […]
Diabetes And Heart Disease
Diabetes And Heart Disease By Julian Booker MD When I am in clinic, there are very few things that drive me crazier than trying to impress upon a patient the importance of managing their cardiovascular risk. Diabetes and heart disease is an extremely important topic. Once a patient has a heart attack or heart […]
High Cholesterol – Part 1 – Should I Take A Statin?
By Julian Booker, MD Should I take a statin? Statistics tell a story about groups of patients, not a single patient (you). What statistics can do is provide your physician with information about what therapies will probably be helpful for you. These statistics help your doctor identify therapies that may help you live longer and […]