Dear Health-Conscious Friend,
As you mount a new calendar on your wall or desk, remember thisevery day brings new opportunities to improve your health!And Ill be right here to give you more fantastic health tips to help you meet your goals!In todays Monday Edition of Health News Weekly, youll find out why some doctors say you should take extra care to protect your heart during holiday season
Youll also find out which nutritious food helps women beat heart disease. And Ill also tell you how to determine when to seek help for vision problems.So lets kick off the New Year by celebrating your commitment to better health!
Tis the Season for Heart Problems
The end of the calendar year is often filled with festive holiday celebrations featuring rich, tasty foods. This is one reason some doctors say this time of year is prime heart attack season!
Cardiologist Dr. Keith Churchwell, associate director of the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said heart attacks tend to peak in December and January.
He based his comments on information from a U.S. database of 53 million deaths occurring between 1973 and 2001. Churchwell said the data revealed spikes in the number of heart attacks on Christmas and New Years Day.
One reason for this could be that people with heart problems prior to the holidays may delay seeing a doctor. In a HealthDay report, Churchwell said this neglect could be because of obligations at home, not wanting to spoil holiday fun, not wanting to deal with the possibility of going to the hospital and being taken care of over the holiday period.
And many folks take a breather from diet and exercise programs during the holidays too. Increased visits with family and friends eating away from home and activities outside your normal routine can take their toll on your normal fitness schedule.
Another factor that may contribute to heart problems is increased alcohol use during the holidays. Churchwell says alcohol has a toxic effect on the heart muscle and can irritate the top chamber, called the atrium. This irritation can cause you to experience abnormal heart rhythms.
He also said the hectic holiday season often causes people to forget to take heart medicationswhich can lead to severe heart trouble.
This Japanese Secret Boosts
Womens Heart Health!
Soybean foodssuch as tofu, miso soup or the fermented beans known as nattocould help older women dodge the bullet of heart disease.
A new Japanese study shows post-menopausal women who regularly eat such traditional Japanese soy-based foods face lower risks of heart disease.
Yoshihiko Kokubo, chief doctor of preventive cardiology at Japans National Cardiovascular Center, said these foods have a high amount of isoflavones. This is a natural source of estrogen similar to the female hormone.
According to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) report, the study surveyed a total of 40,462 men and women in healthy conditions in rural Japan over 13 years.
Study results found that risk of heart attack or stroke for a woman who ate soy products at least five times a week was 0.39compared with a risk of 1 for a woman who ate the least.
The results were even more striking among women past menopause, with the risk falling to 0.25.
Kokubo said lower disease risk in post-menopausal women shows that isoflavones play a supportive role in preventing heart attacks.
Estrogen is the female hormone that affects your menstrual cycleand your overall health. Your bodys estrogen levels decrease sharply when menopause begins.
The new findings seem to contradict those by the American Heart Association. In 2006, the AHA cautioned there was little direct proof that soy consumption lowered the risk of heart disease.
But Kokubo said this could be due to the Western diet, which often includes more fat than a typical Japanese diet.
He said his study may have had different results if it had focused on Japanese people living in major cities who ate more Western food.
Kokubo said the results did not present the same findings for men who eat soy. He said that mens tendencies to drink alcohol and smoke more than women could have hindered the advantages.
Fast Fact
You probably know that cooking with garlic makes foods taste great. But garlic is almost like a miniature medicine cabinet!
Research shows garlic is helpful for:
- Reducing heart disease
- Preventing hardening of your arteries (atherosclerosis)
- Reducing blood clots
- Lowering elevated blood pressure levels
- Curing yeast infections
- Acting as a natural antioxidant
Garlic is also a great remedy for battling cold viruses. So be generous when you spoon out the garlic during food preparation. Or, if you worry about the strong scentgarlic capsules work well too!
FDA Requests Recall of True Man & Energy Max Erectile Dysfunction Supplements
If youre using True Man Sexual Energy Nutrient Capsules or Energy Max Energy Supplement Mens Formulathe Food and Drug Administration says STOP!
The agency says these erectile dysfunction products contain potentially harmful, undeclared ingredients. According to a November 2, 2007 agency release, these products could interact with medicationsand cause dangerously low blood pressure.
The FDA requested the recall of all products distributed under both labels in a letter to Yin Kao, president and owner of America True Man Health Inc. of West Covina, California.
The risk is even more serious because consumers may not know that these ingredients can interact with medications and dangerously lower their blood pressure, said Janet Woodcock, M.D., deputy commissioner for scientific and medical programs, chief medical officer and acting director of the FDAs Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
The FDA classifies True Man Sexual Energy and Energy Max as unapproved new drugs. This is because neither supplement declares the active ingredients thione or piperadino vardenafil.
These analogsor physically similar versionsof FDA approved drugs sildenafil and vardenafilmay cause side effects and drug interactions similar to the approved drugs (Viagra® and Levitra®) they resemble.
According to the agency, the undeclared ingredients in these products may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs such as nitroglycerin. Men with high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes or high cholesterol often take nitrates.
The FDA issued an alert on May 10, 2007 advising consumers not to buy or use True Man or Energy Max products. The recent recall request resulted from the company failing to notify all of their consignees.
This recall request applies to True Man Sexual Energy packaged in blister pack cartons of 10 capsules. It also concerns Energy Max packaged in blister pack cartons of 20 capsules.
FDA is prepared to take further regulatory action if America True Man Health Inc. does not comply with this recall request.
Health E-Hints
Is My Vision Loss Normal?
You may be one of thousands of Americans experiencing vision problems as you age. Blurred vision difficulty seeing at night double vision and problems distinguishing colors are some common symptoms.
But other symptoms may indicate a more serious condition called age-related macular degeneration. According to WebMD, there are two forms of AMDdry and wet. Wet AMD is the leading cause of blindness in the U.S. for people 55 and older.
Dry macular degeneration usually develops slowly over time with slow-progressing symptoms. But wet AMD usually develops quickly, leaving people with sudden central vision loss. If left untreatedboth forms of AMD can damage your eye and cause you to develop a blind spot.
You should see your eye doctor for a referral to a retina specialist if you experience:
- A need for brighter light when working close to an item
- Difficulty adapting to low light levels
- Blurry print when reading (e.g. newspapers, books)
- Difficulty driving
- Problems with colors appearing less bright
- Difficulty recognizing faces
- Overall vision haziness
- A blind spot in the center of your vision
With early diagnosis and proper treatment, you may be able to delay the progression of AMD. And the earlier it is detectedthe better your chances of saving your sight!