The wrist artery hardly had time to seal. (Surely it was a radial.) The controversy came that fast. The drumbeat of naysayers seemed to start only minutes after a prideful press release announced that George W Bush had undergone successful cardiac stent placement. The ever-quotable cardiologist from Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Steven Nissen, said, “This is […]
Category: Healthy Living
There was great commentary on my last post. Thank you all. I learned a lot from your words. This is how it’s supposed to work here. One comment in particular has stuck with me. It concerned the formation of a how-to be-healthy booklet. An information manual, if you will. I’ve thought about this many times […]
It’s going to be hard to anesthetize this one with compassion. I’m sorry, but the report card on US health is not good. We aren’t heading in the right direction, and everyone involved knows that it’s because of a failure to accept the truth. You have probably already heard the news concerning the state of […]
Admit it: You were surprised a legitimate study came out in support of Coenzyme Q10 supplements. You probably looked away at first, nervous a colleague would notice your interest in something complimentary or alternative. It’s shocking, isn’t it? What if the purveyors of supplements are right about something? Part of me so wants it to […]
It’s an appropriate day to talk about stress. If you treat heart rhythm problems, you can’t miss the effects of stress. It matters so much. Both acute and chronic–though mostly chronic–stress wreaks havoc on the heart’s electrical system. And it’s not just the heart rhythm; the chronic inflammation that goes with long-lasting stress negatively impacts […]
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How safe is a Z-pak?
Text message: “John, This cough and congestion is killing me. It’s turning thick and green. Can you write me a Z-pak? It always works for me.†If you write a blog on medical decision-making and heart rhythm matters, it seems an incredible omission not to opine on the FDA warning concerning the commonly used antibiotic […]
Blood pressure and cholesterol problems affect millions. These are the bread, butter and sugary drinks of Internal Medicine and general Cardiology practice. It stands to reason then, that the treatment of these basic maladies would be well agreed upon. Guidelines and expert consensus statements would be clear and up-to-date. But this is far from reality. […]
Hi all, It’s a dreary winter day here. It seems a good time to ponder warmer sunny images and hopeful notions. I found a great article on a town in southern Spain. They did something remarkable there. Their transformation, if you will let me use such a word, inspired me to write a short note […]
It’s January 2nd. It’s past time for resolve. Since one of the themes of this blog is healthy living through good choices, it would seem self-evident that I would resolve to eat better, rest more and exercise smarter. Given my slow-twitch make-up, smarter exercise means more strength and flexibility work. These would be the easy […]
On Wednesdays, I try to write on a topic of exercise and health. If you exercise but still have high cholesterol or other risks for heart disease, you may be interested in a new study from my old medical school proving ground–Hartford Hospital. The deftly named STOMP trial looked carefully at the effects of statin […]
Hi all, I have a new post up over at the Courier-Journal’s In the Prime/Voices section. It’s about a new study released this week on heart-healthy eating. I went to the well again on the metaphorical “elephant in the room.” The study was important because it sheds light on one of the biggest mistakes made […]