Doctor’s Senior Exercise & Health Newsletter

 October 1, 2006               

 Issue Vol. 6 No 10

In This Newsletter

Introduction

Healthfully yours

Health Hints 

Introduction***

The Doctor’s Senior Exercise & Health Newsletter is written monthly, solely for information to help seniors, baby boomers and anyone who may have an interest in staying healthy, living a vigorous, active lifestyle and combating the aging process. It does not constitute the practice of medicine and is not meant to prescribe treatments. It is offered strictly as an educational aid. Any medical problems you may have, we recommend that you seek the help of your physician or other healthcare professional. Discussing your intentions with your doctor is always the proper procedure. The newsletter also includes know-how in the form of useful tips and links to more extensive material on the Internet. You may wish to share this newsletter by sending a copy to a friend, neighbor or relative and suggesting they subscribe to it.

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 Healthfully Yours***

 Your Healthy Heart

 

Heart disease kills more Americans each year than any other disease. Therefore, it is incumbent that each individual know what his or her risks for coronary disease are. The individual with a family history of coronary disease should pay particular attention to all the other risk factors that may make them more susceptible to coronary heart disease.

 Other than a congenital predisposition, there are many more coronary risk factors that everyone needs to be aware of. These are the most prominent of the risk factors.

 1. Smoking is a very serious risk factor, and should be number one on the list.

2. Excess weight places an extra burden on the heart, and those morbidly obese

   increase their  risk factors many times over those who are only 10 to 20 lbs.

  over their normal weight.  .

3. Diet is extremely important and can impact heart health tremendously.

4. High blood pressure (hypertension) forces the heart to work harder to supply

    enough blood to the body tissues and organs.

5. High blood cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia), places an added burden on the

   heart to pump the blood through narrowed arteries.

6. High blood trigliceride level. Here too, the raised triglicerides causes problems   

   for those with high cholesterol and actually work in unison most of the time.

7. Diabetes. Known as a silent killer because a great number of people are

    unaware that they  have the disease. When they become aware of symptoms,

    damage to the circulatory system, organs and eyes may already be present.

    That is why everyone should have a simple blood test to know their blood

    glucose levels.

8. The individuals age, race and gender, play an enormous part in maintaining a

     healthy heart. Much like an aging automobile, the older it gets, the more

     maintenance it will need.

9. Sedentary lifestyle and how active you are, often determines your heart health.

10. Stress, both emotionally and physical will play an important part in having a

      healthy heart.

11. Environmental. The environment plays an extremely important role in your

      heart health with, the air you breathe, the water you drink, the food you eat,

     and where you live.

12. Exercise or the lack thereof can place you at serious risk for heart disease.

 After identifying your risk factors, addressing these factors are the next step in improving your chances of achieving a healthier heart. The best way is creating a plan on paper so that you can follow a program on a daily basis. This program will consist of what to do and what not to do. Dedicating yourself to the program will help you to achieve a healthy heart and lifestyle. Read below in health hints what your program should consist of.     

Health Hints***

 For those individuals with a family history of cardiovascular disease, instituting a healthy heart program is a must. This alone should be enough motivation to give this serious thought. Start by taking each of the numbered risks mentioned above and write down how you can improve your lifestyle by addressing those risks.

1. Smoking. I’m sure everyone knows what the risks attributed to smoking are. So, if you smoke, you must STOP!
2. Excess weight. If you are 10-20 pounds overweight, you must lose the excess weight. Men with waist size above 40 inches, and women with waist size above 36 inches are at a greater risk for coronary heart disease. Losing this excess weight can be achieved by watching your calorie intake. You should have a healthy percentage of body fat. For men it is 10 to 22 percent, and for women 16 to 28 percent. Knowing your “Body Mass Index” can also be an important factor in determining your risk factor for cardiovascular disease and hypertension. This is calculated on your height and weight. Normally a healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9. You can determine your BMI by checking at: www.medbroadcast.com and use the key words: “A Healthy Weight”. Another simple test to determine your body fat is to subtract your waist measurement from your height measurement (in inches). If the difference is 36 or greater, your body fat is within normal range. Watching your calorie intake is a must. But first you must know what your calorie intake is. Determine this by multiplying your weight by 6.7, then add 487 and multiply that by 1.6, the result will be the calories needed to maintain your present weight. To lose weight, reduce your calorie intake by at least 500 calories. The weight loss will be slow and steady.  You must also add exercise to your daily routine. If you are morbidly obese, a greater effort is needed to lose the weight. Here, it may be wise to consult a nutritionist and possibly a psychologist who is versed in weight loss problems for morbidly obese individuals.
3. Diet is everyone’s problem when it comes to cardiovascular health. Eating a healthy diet is making sure you are getting at least 5 portions of vegetables and 3 portions of fruits daily. Not everyone gets their normal daily requirement of vitamins and minerals, so it is prudent that they take a good vitamin and mineral supplement daily. When one is serious about their diet, they must read the food labels of every food eaten. Trans Fats must be avoided as well as saturated fats. To learn more about what your diet should consist of, go to www.doctorsexercise.com, click on Journal Index and read the articles: “What Should I eat Today?” and “Knowing your Vitamins And Minerals”.
4. High Blood Pressure (Hypertension). A reading of 120 over 80 is the desired goal. Hypertension can affect children as well as adults, but there are more adults that are affected. Hypertension can cause heart attacks, or strokes.  There are individuals who are completely unaware of what their blood pressure readings are. Age being no criterion for those affected with high blood pressure, so it is impossible to believe there are people who are still unaware of what their blood pressure stats are, when there are simple ways of checking. There are inexpensive home monitors, and many of the chain Pharmacies have free blood pressure machines, and it takes only a few minutes. Read more in the Journal Index…the article on “Hypertension” dated 4/16/99.
5. High blood cholesterol blood levels (Hypercholesterolemia). The body manufactures cholesterol from saturated fats. A reading of 200 mg/dl and below is the desired goal. A reading of 200 to 239 is considered borderline, and readings of 240 and above are considered high. There are 2 types of cholesterol, LDL; the bad cholesterol should be less than 100 mg/dl. The HDL is considered the good cholesterol, but a reading of less than 40 mg/dl is considered a major risk factor for heart disease. Above 60 mg/dl is considered good and the goal to reach.  Here too, there are individuals who are completely unaware of what their blood cholesterol levels are. High blood cholesterol can affect anyone, no matter what his or her ages are. Learn more at the Journal Index and titled “Hypertension”, dated 4/16/99.
6. High blood trigliceride levels. A reading of 150 mg/dl is the normal level. A reading of 150-199 mg/dl is considered borderline-high. Above 199 mg/dl is considered very high and in the danger level. The increase for heart disease in women is more than 190 mg/dl, and in men it is above 400 mg/dl. Triglicerides are fats that are derived from sugars and carbohydrates and are manufactured in the liver. Triglicerides and cholesterol are the causative agents in causing atheroslerotic plaques that narrow the arteries and are the causative factors in cardiovascular disease.
7. Diabetes, as mentioned above is a silent killer. Type 2 diabetes is the most prevalent and very often goes undetected because at its onset and for many years, it may not present any apparent symptoms. By the time symptoms start to appear, damage will have occurred to the circulatory system, eyes, and other body organs. Everyone should be aware of their blood sugar level, and it only requires a simple blood test to know this.
8. Age, race and gender are important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Native Americans, African Americans, and Jews with eastern Mediterranean origins are at a greater risk to have any of the above risk factors for heart disease. This does not preclude any other individual from these risks.
9. A sedentary lifestyle kills more Americans than any of those that are placed at risk by smoking. It is important that we remain active, especially as we grow older. Being a couch potato will place you at serious risk for heart disease.
10. Stress kills. Reducing the amount of stress you are experiencing can add years to your life. Read more about stress, read the article in the Journal Index at www.doctorsexercise.com ,and clicking on “Living With Stress”.
11. Environmental factors are serious causes for heart disease. These factors can entail anything form the air we breathe, where we work, and where the food we eat is grown, packaged or prepared. A case in point. During this past month, at least 166 people have become violently ill, and even 3 have died by becoming infected with “E Coli” from eating fresh packaged spinach. At least 25 states were involved.  In this instance the people eating the tainted spinach had no prior knowledge or control. We do have control of checking our homes for living in a clean environment. Check the Journal Index for the article on “Mold…The Silent Killer”. Note, we have now gotten the go ahead that it is now safe to eat spinach again.
12. Exercise is one the single most important things to combine with diet to keep you vigorous and vital throughout your senior years. It can reduce your LDL cholesterol levels and increase your HDL cholesterol levels, decreasing your heart and blood vessel risk factors. Here are more articles that you should read in the Doctor’s Journal”.

A. “Aerobic Versus Anerobic”.

B. “Benefits Of Exercising At Home”.

C. “A Health Plan For Your Future Years”. This will give you an overall picture for living a healthy lifestyle.

 Doc Cane