The Importance of Genetics and Heart Disease

Posted on October 7, 2012 by Lynn Eades

If you have had a parent who has suffered a heart attack before the age of 55, that means you are now at higher risk for heart disease. If you didn’t know that before, it’s important you take note of it now.

The American Journal of Cardiology did a study looking at 20,000 US male doctors over two decades to see how many of the men suffered a heart attack. The study showed that the men with the genetic risk factor had a slightly greater chance of having a heart attack.

Although there is nothing you can do to change genetics, there are other things you can control. Having a healthy lifestyle is extremely important, and even more so if you are already at risk for heart disease. The healthy habits researchers studied include: not smoking, exercising regularly, keeping a normal weight and drinking alcohol in moderation.

This may sound like common sense, but it’s always nice when we can tell you we have the research to prove that your lifestyle decisions really do affect your overall health.

Breakthroughs in Weight Loss with Dr. Lawrence Appel

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Lynn Eades

Special guest host, Dr. Bob Gwyther from the UNC Department of Family Medicine, will join Cristy this weekend on YOUR HEALTH® to talk with Professor of Medicine, and Director of the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Lawrence Appel about Breakthroughs in Weight Loss.

Please tune in! This show will air:
• Saturday, January 14^th at 9am
• Sunday, January 15^th at 9am and 5pm
• Monday, January 16^th at 6pm and 10pm

Listen to the Show!
Download the episode from the Carolina Digital Repository

Research that Matters (min 0-10)
- Healthy vs. unhealthy heart attack patients
  - More information about heart attacks
- Brain & meditation
  - This is your brain on meditation
  - Meditation: In Depth
- Older patients in the ER & pain
  - Older patients in the ER less likely to get pain medication
- ER vs. primary care in medical care
  - What you need to know: ER vs urgent care vs primary care
Conversations with Dr. Lawrence Appel (min 10-32)
House Calls (min 32-43)

More YOUR HEALTH Radio shows on eating and weight loss

Heart Attacks from Sex & Snake Bites

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Lynn Eades

House Calls from the Carrboro Citizen 01.05.12

Dear HOUSE Calls, I read that there is an increased risk of heart attack with sex. People have sex more often when they are in a new relationship, so does this lead to an increased risk of heart attack?

This is a really interesting question, and thanks for raising the issue of sexual health. This is really important, and sometimes difficult to bring up. We read the report from the Journal of the American Medical Association too. Any increase in physical activity from what you are used to (jogging, gardening, sex, etc.) can increase the risk of heart attack. If you think of sex as exercise, the first few times you have sex after a period of abstinence may present an increased risk of heart attack. But as you “get back into shape,” your risk declines to average. Also remember that while the risk is real, it is small. According to this study, 10,000 people would have to have sex weekly for one year for one or two additional cases of sudden cardiac death. Also, there are a variety of things you can do to reduce your risk, such as quitting smoking; making sure your cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure are under control; and taking aspirin. Talk to your doctor about ways to reduce your risk of heart disease. Addressing sexual health is so important to your overall health; we hope you’ll consider talking about this with your doctor. One problem we have is effectively addressing sexual health in patients after a heart attack. Failure to talk about this can lead to fear and depression.

Dear HOUSE Calls, I do a lot of gardening and I hate wearing long, heavy jeans and boots, but I’m worried about snakes in the garden. What happens if I get bitten by a small snake? Do I need to kill the snake, or just be concerned with getting to the hospital?

First of all, wear the boots and pants. Snakes are important for our ecosystem and our gardens. Venomous snakes are rare in the Piedmont. Snakes are much more afraid of us than we are of them, so if you notice a snake, calmly step away. If you get bit, try to stay away from the snake and don’t try to catch it, because it’s likely to bite you again. Maybe snap a picture with your cell phone or have somebody else try to do so. But most importantly, get away. Make whatever observations you can about the snake’s pattern and head shape. Do not elevate the effected limb. Do not try to cut on the puncture sites and/or suck out the venom. Do not apply a tourniquet. Do get to the emergency room. In most cases, driving or being driven is fine. We hope you succeed at avoiding the snakes.

Snake Bites

Re-Airing Post-Heart Attack Care: It’s More Than Just Money with Dr. Eric Peterson

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Lynn Eades

This weekend on YOUR HEALTH® we’re re-airing our show with Dr. Eric Peterson, Duke Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology and Associate Director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, to talk about Post-Heart Attack Care: It’s More Than Just Money.

Please tune in! This show will re-air:
• Saturday, December 31^st at 9am
• Sunday, January 1^st at 9am and 5pm
• Monday, January 2^nd at 6pm and 10pm

Listen to the Show!
Download the episode from the Carolina Digital Repository

Research that Matters (min 0-11)
- Stroke & Coumadin
  - Anticoagulants for stroke prevention
  - New stroke drug, Dabigatran
- Stents in neck vessels
  - Stents in neck vessels: Surgeon Experience Matters
- Prehypertension
  - Prehypertension Study: Presence of baseline hypertension and risk of incident stroke
- Teenagers and binge drinking
  - Underage Drinking
  - Dangers of Binge Drinking
Conversations with Dr. Eric Peterson (min 11-32)
House Calls (min 32-40)
- Alcohol benefits vs. harm
  - Overview of Alcohol Consumption
  - Rethinking Drinking
- Health Savings Accounts
- Hives

Post-Heart Attack Care: It’s More than Just Money with Dr. Eric Peterson

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Lynn Eades

This weekend on YOUR HEALTH® Adam & Cristy will be joined by Dr. Eric Peterson, Duke Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology and Associate Director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, to talk about Post-Heart Attack Care: It’s More Than Just Money.
Please tune in! This show will air:
• Saturday, December 3^rd at 9am
• Sunday, December 4^th at 9am and 5pm
• Monday, December 5^th at 6pm and 10pm

Listen to the Show!
Download the episode from the Carolina Digital Repository

Research that Matters (min 0-11)
- Stroke & Coumadin
  - Anticoagulants for stroke prevention
  - New stroke drug, Dabigatran
- Stents in neck vessels
  - Stents in neck vessels: Surgeon Experience Matters
- Prehypertension
  - Prehypertension Study: Presence of baseline hypertension and risk of incident stroke
- Teenagers and binge drinking
  - Underage Drinking
  - Dangers of Binge Drinking
Conversations with Dr. Eric Peterson (min 11-32)
House Calls (min 32-40)
- Alcohol benefits vs. harm
  - Overview of Alcohol Consumption
  - Rethinking Drinking
- Health Savings Accounts
- Hives

ADHD drugs may be safer then originally thought

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Lynn Eades

Attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity (ADHD) are unarguably one of our countries most important medical diagnoses, affective millions of children and adults. Over 2.5 million of youth ages 4-17 take some type of medication for ADHD. Previously, people have worried that ADHD drugs have potential negative side effects on the heart, but new research may prove that elevated heart risks do not have meaningful adverse clinical effects with the drugs.

A study done by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and co-authors from HealthCore Inc. showed that children/teens who ADHD medicines are not at any higher risk for heart problems then children/teens who don’t use the medicines. The researchers even went on to say that if the medicine is having positive effects on the child, that the benefit of the drug on the child outweighs any uncertain risks.

The study looked at over 241,000 patients from 5 states (California, Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio) and from a HealthCore Research Database. The patients were ages 3-17 and on ADHD medications. They then compared patients who take ADHD medications with those who don’t, and looked specifically at heart attack, sudden death and stroke. Of the children/teens that were on ADHD medicine, only 28 had died but of the children/teens who weren’t on medicine, 607 had died. No relationship existed between being on the drug and having an adverse outcome.

This study does not rule out a rare adverse affect, but it should reassure most parents that ADHD medications can safely benefit youth without raising heart risks to dangerous levels.

Do YOU really need multi-vitamins?

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Lynn Eades

It seems that many (if not most) of our patients are taking multi-vitamins, a multibillion dollar proposition. The quest that we have is simple: Do most people need them? Do most people derive any benefit from a daily vitamin? Or, are multi-vitamins pretty expensive placebos- not harmful maybe but of questionable effectiveness?

A very nice new study begins to provide some answers. Research in the American Journal of Epidemiology looked at the relationship between multi-vitamins and heart disease and cancer.

Are multi-vitamins protective against the two most common killers of people in developed countries? The study looked at 180,000 people, 80,000 men and 100,000 women, over an 11 year period, an exceedingly large, rigorous and important study. The results showed that in fact there was no positive association between using multi-vitamins and lowering your risk at heart attack or cancer.

The researchers didn’t find any particular medical harm in taking a multi-vitamin, but when you think about their cost, supplements can easily range from a few to hundreds of dollars, month after month, year after year. That’s a significant enough amount of money, and at this point at least, we don’t have any proof that the multi-vitamins make a difference for preventing cancer or heart attacks.

This study is just another contribution to an emerging body of evidence that if you eat a balanced diet, and unless you have some type of deficiency or other real reason for taking them, multi-vitamins may not be helpful.

Caring for Patients Amid Crisis & Disaster with Dr. Richard Vinroot

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Lynn Eades

Emergency Medicine Physician, Dr. Richard Vinroot will join us on YOUR HEALTH® this weekend to talk about caring for patients amid crisis and disaster. Dr. Vinroot is a Doctors Without Borders volunteer who has treated patients after Hurricane Katrina, the Haiti earthquake, and the war in Kenya.

Please tune in! We’re on the air:

– Saturday at 9am
– Sunday at 9am & 5pm
– Monday at 6pm & 10pm

Listen to the Show!

Download the episode from the Carolina Digital Repository

Research that Matters (minute 0-10): vitamins & cancer, melanoma in women, alcohol & weight loss surgery, earwax home remedy
Conversations with Dr. Richard Vinroot on caring for patients amid crisis and disaster (minute 10-32)
- Emergency Care for You
- Emergency Medical Services
House Calls (minute 32-44): new shellac on nails, heart attack risk, sex & new relationships, snakes bites, swimming & weight loss

How Much Fast Food (CAN) (SHOULD) You Eat After a Heart Attack?

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Lynn Eades

If you had a heart attack, would you cut back on eating fast food? The answer seems obvious, but the results may shock you. The American Journal of Cardiology conducted a study that followed nearly 2,500 heart attack patients, seeing how many of them were fast food eaters before and after their heart attacks. Did they continue eating fast food?

At the beginning, 36% of patients (close to 750) said they frequently ate fast food, in this case ‘frequent’ meaning they ate it at least once a week. Six months after suffering heart problems, only 20% (about 500) of the patients, were still eating fast food on a frequent basis. So out of that group that had originally been eating a lot of fast food, most of them were still eating fast food even after their heart attack.

But one important thing to consider here, is although they did say they were eating fast food, it can be argued that maybe they were choosing healthier options that many fast food restaurants now offer. The fast food industry has made efforts, in response to consumer preferences, to put some healthier options on the menu. Now more then ever before, you can get healthier items at most fast food places. Also, some chains now promote eco friendly, or nutritious, fast food choices.

While high sodium and high fat foods in restaurants should be avoided, we know people need to live in the world around them as they make sustainable changes. Demand more of what you want. Black or white answers of good or bad food choices are not the answer for most people when it comes to eating out.
Check out the list of top ten healthy fast food restaurants

Test yourself on making healthier choices in common fast food restaurants at WebMD, or for general tips, you can go to HELPGUIDE.ORG, or even one of our “favorite” fast food chains, Evos.

You may also like:

Surviving Heart Attacks: Advocating for YOUR HEALTH with Julia Allen (YOUR HEALTH Radio March 2015)

Post-Heart Attack Care: It’s More than Just Money with Dr. Eric Peterson (YOUR HEALTH Radio November 2011)

Living a Heart-Healthy Life with Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum (YOUR HEALTH Radio February 2014)

Caring for an Aging America with Dr. Gregg Warshaw

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Lynn Eades

On this weekend’s edition of YOUR HEALTH®, we’ll talk with nationally known geriatrician Dr. Gregg Warshaw about Caring for an Aging America. Dr. Warshaw is a Professor of Family and Community Medicine and the Semmons Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He recently delivered the 7th annual Robert R. Huntley, MD, Lecture hosted by the UNC Department of Family Medicine.