Tag Archives: Heart disease

How to Avoid the Most Frequent Causes of Death

December 16, 2018General Health and Wellness, Public Health, Health Prevention844-SMA-TALK, accidents, Asthma, Behind the Curtain, Cancer, COPD, Heart disease, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No Chaser, Stroke, There are 72 Hours in a DayJeffrey Sterling, MD

Introduction

This Straight, No Chaser reviews the most frequent causes of death and how to avoid them.

It is interesting and curious to hear everyone obsess over how esoteric and rare conditions can potentially kill you. Here are some words to the wise: common things happen commonly. I’m going to make this a very simple post (with links to previous Straight, No Chaser posts covering the individual topics in greater detail). Let’s help you extend your life expectancy by offering very simple tips (three to five for each) to prevent and combat the five most common causes of death. This list is by no means comprehensive, but if you follow the achievable steps mentioned, you’ll be much better off than if you don’t.

The Five Most Frequent Causes of Death

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), here are the five most common causes of death in the United States for the year ending 2016. I’ve also included the number of annual deaths per condition; click on the heading for those blogs.

Heart disease: 635,260
Cancer: 598,038
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 161,374
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 154,596 (e.g., asthma, COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis)
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 142,142

Heart disease

Learn early recognition of heart attacks.

Stop smoking and exposing yourself to second-hand smoke.
Exercise daily. Walk at least two miles each day. It’s a final common denomination of other problems and is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease. You want your LDL (“bad cholesterol” levels) low and your HDL (“good cholesterol” levels) high. If your LDL and/or overall levels are high, it’s an immediate prompt to reduce your belly, change your diet and exercise more.
Limit your calories. Never supersize anything. Eat only until you’re full. Learn about healthy plate sizes.

Cancer

Get screened! Early detection is the key to survival.

Don’t use tobacco in any form.
Eat more fruits and vegetables and less red meat.
Become physically active: strive for at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity at least five days a week.
Limit sun exposure and avoid tanning. (Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers.)
Limit alcohol intake to one to two drinks/day (women and men, respectively).

Accidents

Secure your surroundings!

Learn CPR.
Wear safety belts (shoulder and lap) every trip. Seat belts reduce auto crashes by approximately 50%.
Stop all distracted driving (drinking, cell phone use, eating, etc.).
If you’re going to swim, and even if you know how to swim, take a formal lesson that focuses on life-saving maneuvers.
Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home.

Chronic lower respiratory diseases

Asthma and COPD can take your breath away.

Stop smoking and exposing yourself to second-hand smoke.
Get your home tested for radon.
Follow workplace guidelines for workplace exposures to particles known to cause cancer.

Stroke

Learn early detection.

Control your blood pressure. This is the most important risk factor in stroke prevention. High blood pressure increases your risk for a stroke four-fold.
Control your blood sugar levels. Diabetics have a 1.5 times higher risk of stroke.
Control your cholesterol.
Stop smoking. Smoking increases your risk for a stroke between 1.5-2.5 times above the risk of non-smokers.
Control your weight through diet and exercise, which is bundled in each of the first three considerations.

Follow us!

Ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic. Also, take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. Additionally, as a thank you, we’re offering you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!

Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.jeffreysterlingbooks.com. Another free benefit to our readers is introductory pricing with multiple orders and bundles!

Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK. Likewise, please share our page with your friends on WordPress! Also like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com! Follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.

Straight, No Chaser: Erectile Dysfunction, Part One

June 22, 2018General Health and Wellness, Genital/UrinaryConditions and Diseases, Erectile dysfunction, Erection, health, Heart disease, Impotence, Men's Health Week, Western pattern dietJeffrey Sterling, MD

It seems appropriate to follow-up a post on age-related changes in your genitourinary system with a discussion on erectile dysfunction (ED). The nature of the topic is such that I’m going to approach this in two different ways. Today, I’ll give you a functional, overly simplistic view of ED and tomorrow, I’ll look at it from more of a clinical orientation, because there really are nuances involved. So keep in mind the lead picture. There are many medical and psychological issues that can lead to problems having erections. I’ll get into that more tomorrow.
In many ways, your health is related to the quality of your blood flow, both in quantity (successful circulation to tissues) and quality (relative absence of toxins we ingest and deliver throughout). This is true for the brain (mental health, absence of strokes), the heart (stamina, absence of heart disease/attacks), and your penis (sexual function, lack of impotence), as well as every other organ.

Excluding truly medical considerations, the two surest ways I know to be a sexual stud (without implants or being of a certain age) are to have a legitimately healthy ego (psychologic health) and more importantly, to be in good physical shape and otherwise healthy. However, for now, given that an erection simply results from strong blood flow to the penis, your overall health better enables that process (the first time as well as if you want multiple contiguous encounters). Everything being equal, the best way for a guy to be able to have sex for whatever you define as a ‘sufficient’ period of time (besides being of a certain young age) is to maintain good cardiovascular health by spending that physician-recommended 20-30 minutes or more at a time on a treadmill, bike, running, etc.

Drugs like Viagra, Cialis, etc. are really nothing more than drugs that lower blood pressure (and resulting demands by other bodily organs on your blood), such that your penis’ call for an erection is otherwise unimpeded. Sounds good? The risk is varying forms of a ‘steal syndrome’, where that blood isn’t being distributed to your heart and brain, which could result in a heart attack or stroke. That’s why you must “ask your doctor if you’re healthy enough for sex” before using…
Bottom line: practice for good sex and stamina during sex by working out. It’s just another benefit to being healthy.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you for being a valued subscriber to Straight, No Chaser, we’d like to offer you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.72hourslife.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders!
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2018 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

The Straight, No Chaser Heart Disease Vlog

February 8, 2018Cardiology/Heart, General Health and Wellness, Health Prevention844-SMA-TALK, Cardiovascular disease, Heart disease, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No Chaser, There are 72 Hours in a DayJeffrey Sterling, MD

Introduction

Enjoy this Heart Disease Vlog!

Follow us!

Heart Attack Recognition – Time is Tissue

February 7, 2018Cardiology/Heart, General Health and Wellness, Health Prevention844-SMA-TALK, Behind the Curtain, Coronary disease, Heart disease, Hypercholesterolemia, Hypertension, Myocardial infarction, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Symptom, Unstable AnginaJeffrey Sterling, MD

Introduction

This Straight, No Chaser is about heart attack recognition.

Risk Factors

Who’s at risk of having a heart attack? If any of the following considerations look or sound like you, you should be especially sensitive to the symptoms I describe below. Please understand these are the rules. I also see the exceptions nearly every day.

Age: especially men over 45 and women over 55
Cocaine or amphetamine (meth) use
Family history of heart attacks: sibling, parents, or grandparents if their heart attacks occurred by age 65
High blood pressure: higher risk with obesity, smoking, diabetes, or high cholesterol.
High cholesterol or triglyceride levels
Obesity/inactivity: especially due to associations with high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol
Smoking: including prolonged exposure to second-hand smoke

Again, if you have any of the above risk factors, your symptoms are more likely to be attributable to a heart attack. You may still have a heart attack without any of these risks.

Symptoms

How do you know if you’re having a heart attack? There’s no one-answer-fits-all response (like using FAST for strokes, which we’ll discuss in the next post). Heart attack pain comes in many varieties and is usually associated with other symptoms. What you should be aware of are the pain patterns that should prompt you to get evaluated. These may include the following:

Chest discomfort like pressure (something sitting on your chest), squeezing, fullness, indigestion, or just pain
Radiation of chest discomfort or just pain in other areas, such as one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
Shortness of breath
Nausea or vomiting
Breaking out in a sweat
Racing, fluttering, or forceful beating of the heart
Lightheadedness up to or including blacking out

Again, you may have all of these symptoms or none of these symptoms in the face of a heart attack. We evaluate you based on the combination of your risk factors and your symptoms.

Summary

Bottom Line 1: If you have risks, symptoms and/or concerns, I’d much rather give you good news and education than give your family condolences. Get evaluated.

Bottom Line 2: I’m not discussing specific treatment options today (that’s for a future post), but remember two things:

Time is tissue, so the sooner you get to the Emergency Room, the more treatment options we have and the better your outcome is likely to be. This is not the disease to think, “It’ll just go away.” We can do our absolute best for you if you get to us within three hours of the start of your symptoms.
If and when something like this happens to me, the first thing I’m doing on my way the hospital is taking an aspirin.

As per routine, the combination of adequate prevention and prompt symptom recognition are key. I hope you share this with your families, especially those at immediate risk.

Follow us!

Straight, No Chaser Vlog: Heart Disease

December 11, 2017Cardiology/Heart, General Health and Wellness, Health Prevention844-SMA-TALK, Behind the Curtain, Cardiovascular disease, Heart disease, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No Chaser, There are 72 Hours in a DayJeffrey Sterling, MD

This week, the Straight, No Chaser vlog (video blog) series presents “health care basics” to keep you safe, healthy and out of the emergency room. Heart disease has been the number one cause of death in the US for quite a while. Protect your heart! Happy Holidays!
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you for being a valued subscriber to Straight, No Chaser, we’d like to offer you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.72hourslife.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders!
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2017 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

From the Health Library of SterlingMedicalAdvice.com: “If I stop smoking, what does this do to my risk for heart disease and stroke?”

November 19, 2017Cardiology/Heart, General Health and Wellness844-SMA-TALK, Behind the Curtain, cigarette smoking, coronary heart disease, heart attack, Heart disease, smoking, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No Chaser, Stroke, There are 72 Hours in a DayJeffrey Sterling, MD

There are immediate and long term benefits to smoking cessation that extend beyond just lowering your risk for lung cancer. I challenge you to consider the following regarding lowering your risk for heart disease and stroke, and I’d bet you’d make the change to make yourself healthier.

Within 1 year of smoking cessation, your excess risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack, and stroke has dropped to less than half that of a smoker.
Within 5–15 years after stopping, your risk of stroke has declined to that of a non-smoker.
At 15 years after stopping, your risk of coronary heart disease is that of a person who has never smoked.

You can do it. There are many great reasons to do so. You likely call some of these reasons family and friends.

Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you for being a valued subscriber to Straight, No Chaser, we’d like to offer you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.72hourslife.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders!
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2017 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser: Erectile Dysfunction, Part One

June 21, 2017General Health and Wellness, Genital/UrinaryBehind the Curtain, Conditions and Diseases, Erectile dysfunction, Erection, health, Heart disease, Impotence, Men's Health, There are 72 Hours in a Day, Western pattern dietJeffrey Sterling, MD

Excluding truly medical considerations, the two surest ways I know to be a sexual stud (without implants or being of a certain age) are to have a legitimately healthy ego (psychologic health) and more importantly, to be in good physical shape and otherwise healthy. However, for now, given that an erection simply results from strong blood flow to the penis, your overall health better enables that process (the first time as well as if you want multiple contiguous encounters). Everything being equal, the best way for a guy to be able to have sex for whatever you define as a ‘sufficient’ period of time (besides being of a certain young age) is to maintain good cardiovascular health by spending that physician-recommended 20-30″ or more at a time on a treadmill, bike, running, etc.

Drugs like Viagra, Cialis, etc. are really nothing more than drugs that lower blood pressure (and resulting demands by other bodily organs on your blood), such that your penis’ call for an erection is otherwise unimpeded. Sounds good? The risk is varying forms of a ‘steal syndrome’, where that blood isn’t being distributed to your heart and brain, which could result in a heart attack or stroke. That’s why you must “ask your doctor if you’re healthy enough for sex” before using…
Bottom line: practice for good sex and stamina during sex by working out. It’s just another benefit to being healthy.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you for being a valued subscriber to Straight, No Chaser, we’d like to offer you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.72hourslife.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders!
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2017 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser Vlog: Heart Disease

December 15, 2016Cardiology/Heart, General Health and Wellness, Health Prevention844-SMA-TALK, Behind the Curtain, Cardiovascular disease, Heart disease, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No ChaserJeffrey Sterling, MD

This week, the Straight, No Chaser vlog (video blog) series presents “health care basics” to keep you safe, healthy and out of the emergency room. Heart disease has been the number one cause of death in the US for quite awhile. Protect your heart! Happy Holidays!
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2016 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser: Erectile Dysfunction, Part One

June 24, 2016General Health and Wellness, Genital/UrinaryBehind the Curtain, Conditions and Diseases, Erectile dysfunction, Erection, health, Heart disease, Impotence, Men's Health, Western pattern dietJeffrey Sterling, MD

Excluding truly medical considerations, the two surest ways I know to be a sexual stud (without implants or being of a certain age) are to have a legitimately healthy ego (psychologic health) and more importantly, to be in good physical shape and otherwise healthy. However, for now, given that an erection simply results from strong blood flow to the penis, your overall health better enables that process (the first time as well as if you want multiple contiguous encounters). Everything being equal, the best way for a guy to be able to have sex for whatever you define as a ‘sufficient’ period of time (besides being of a certain young age) is to maintain good cardiovascular health by spending that physician-recommended 20-30″ or more at a time on a treadmill, bike, running, etc.

Drugs like Viagra, Cialis, etc. are really nothing more than drugs that lower blood pressure (and resulting demands by other bodily organs on your blood), such that your penis’ call for an erection is otherwise unimpeded. Sounds good? The risk is varying forms of a ‘steal syndrome’, where that blood isn’t being distributed to your heart and brain, which could result in a heart attack or stroke. That’s why you must “ask your doctor if you’re healthy enough for sex” before using…
Bottom line: practice for good sex and stamina during sex by working out. It’s just another benefit to being healthy.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2016 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

From the Health Library of SterlingMedicalAdvice.com: “If I stop smoking, what does this do to my risk for heart disease and stroke?”

January 6, 2016Cardiology/Heart, General Health and Wellness844-SMA-TALK, Behind the Curtain, cigarette smoking, coronary heart disease, heart attack, Heart disease, smoking, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No Chaser, StrokeJeffrey Sterling, MD

There are immediate and longterm benefits to smoking cessation that extend beyond just lowering your risk for lung cancer. Consider the following regarding lowering your risk for heart disease and stroke, and make the change to make yourself healthier.

Within 1 year of smoking cessation, your excess risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack, and stroke has dropped to less than half that of a smoker.
Within 5–15 years after stopping, your risk of stroke has declined to that of a non-smoker.
At 15 years after stopping, your risk of coronary heart disease is that of a person who has never smoked.

You can do it. There are many great reasons to. You likely can them family and friends.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.

Straight, No Chaser: The Most Frequent Causes of Death and How to Avoid Them

December 3, 2015General Health and Wellness844-SMA-TALK, accidents, Asthma, Behind the Curtain, Cancer, COPD, Heart disease, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No Chaser, StrokeJeffrey Sterling, MD

It is interesting and curious to hear everyone obsess over how esoteric and rare conditions can potentially kill you. Word to the wise: Common things happen commonly. I’m going to make this a very simple post (with links to previous Straight, No Chaser posts covering the individual topics in greater detail). Let’s help you extend your life expectancy by offering very simple tips (three to five for each) to prevent and combat the five most common causes of death. This list is by no means comprehensive, but if you follow the achievable steps mentioned, you’ll be much better off than if you don’t.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), here are the five most common causes of death in the United States for the year ending 2010. (It takes awhile to compile data, but these are basically the leading causes year after year.) I’ve also included the number of annual deaths per condition.

Heart disease (e.g., heart attack): 597,689
Cancer (all cases): 574,743
Chronic lower respiratory diseases (e.g., asthma, COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis): 138,080
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 129,476
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 120,859

Heart disease – Click here to learn early recognition of heart attacks.

Stop smoking and exposing yourself to second-hand smoke.
Exercise daily. Walk at least two miles each day. It’s a final common denomination of other problems and is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease. You want your LDL (“bad cholesterol” levels) low and your HDL (“good cholesterol” levels) high. If your LDL and/or overall levels are high, it’s an immediate prompt to reduce your belly, change your diet and exercise more.
Limit your calories. Never supersize anything. Eat only until you’re full. Learn about healthy plate sizes.

Cancer – Please get screened! Early detection is the key to survival.

Don’t use tobacco in any form.
Eat more fruits and vegetables and less red meat.
Become physically active: strive for at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity at least five days a week.
Limit sun exposure and avoid tanning. (Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers.)
Limit alcohol intake to one to two drinks/day (women and men, respectively).

Chronic lower respiratory diseases

Stop smoking and exposing yourself to second-hand smoke.
Get your home tested for radon.
Follow workplace guidelines for workplace exposures to particles known to cause cancer.

Stroke – Learn early detection.

Control your blood pressure. This is the most important risk factor in stroke prevention. High blood pressure increases your risk for a stroke four-fold.
Control your blood sugar levels. Diabetics have a 1.5 times higher risk of stroke.
Control your cholesterol.
Stop smoking. Smoking increases your risk for a stroke between 1.5-2.5 times above the risk of non-smokers.
Control your weight through diet and exercise, which is bundled in each of the first three considerations.

Accidents

Learn CPR.
Wear safety belts (shoulder and lap) every trip. Seat belts reduce auto crashes by approximately 50%.
Stop all distracted driving (drinking, cell phone use, eating, etc.).
If you’re going to swim, and even if you know how to swim, take a formal lesson that focuses on life-saving maneuvers.
Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home.

There is no fountain of youth. Your cure won’t be found in a bottle, a fad or any other quick fix. It really is about diet, exercise and risk management. The choices you make matter. Remember, although these tips were focused on prevention, early detection and treatment at the time of crisis give you the best chance to survive. Learn early detection of heart attacks and strokes, learn CPR, get screened for cancer and learn how to survive car crashes. It’s not that hard if you’re actually trying.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.

Straight, No Chaser: Heart Attack Recognition – Time is Tissue

November 20, 2015Cardiology/Heart, General Health and Wellness, Health PreventionAcute coronary syndrome, Behind the Curtain, Coronary Artery Disease, Heart disease, Hypercholesterolemia, Hypertension, Myocardial infarction, Symptom, Unstable AnginaJeffrey Sterling, MD

Heart Attacks. Myocardial Infarctions. Acute Coronary Syndromes. Coronary Artery Disease. Unstable Angina. There are many names to describe one main phenomenon. Heart attacks are the most common manifestation of heart disease, the #1 cause of death in the United States. Today’s post is to heighten your sensitivity to risk factors and symptoms of a heart attack, because we’ve gotten very good at treating them—especially if you get to us in time.
Risk Factors
Who’s at risk of having a heart attack? If any of the following considerations look or sound like you, you should be especially sensitive to the symptoms I describe below. Please understand these are the rules. I also see the exceptions nearly every day.

Age: especially men over 45 and women over 55
Cocaine or amphetamine (meth) use
Family history of heart attacks: sibling, parents, or grandparents if their heart attacks occurred by age 65
High blood pressure: higher risk with obesity, smoking, diabetes, or high cholesterol.
High cholesterol or triglyceride levels
Obesity/inactivity: especially due to associations with high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol
Smoking: including prolonged exposure to second-hand smoke

Again, if you have any of the above risk factors, your symptoms are more likely to be attributable to a heart attack. You may still have a heart attack without any of these risks.
Symptoms
How do you know if you’re having a heart attack? There’s no one-answer-fits-all response (like using FAST for strokes, which we’ll discuss in the next post). Heart attack pain comes in many varieties and is usually associated with other symptoms. What you should be aware of are the pain patterns that should prompt you to get evaluated. These may include the following:

Chest discomfort like pressure (something sitting on your chest), squeezing, fullness, indigestion, or just pain
Radiation of chest discomfort or just pain in other areas, such as one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
Shortness of breath
Nausea or vomiting
Breaking out in a sweat
Racing, fluttering, or forceful beating of the heart
Lightheadedness up to or including blacking out

Again, you may have all of these symptoms or none of these symptoms in the face of a heart attack. We evaluate you based on the combination of your risk factors and your symptoms.
Bottom Line 1: If you have risks, symptoms and/or concerns, I’d much rather give you good news and education than give your family condolences. Get evaluated.
Bottom Line 2: I’m not discussing specific treatment options today (that’s for a future post), but remember two things:

Time is tissue, so the sooner you get to the Emergency Room, the more treatment options we have and the better your outcome is likely to be. This is not the disease to think, “It’ll just go away.” We can do our absolute best for you if you get to us within three hours of the start of your symptoms.
If and when something like this happens to me, the first thing I’m doing on my way the hospital is taking an aspirin.

As per routine, the combination of adequate prevention and prompt symptom recognition are key. I hope you share this with your families, especially those at immediate risk.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.

Straight, No Chaser: Erectile Dysfunction, Part One

February 6, 2015General Health and WellnessConditions and Diseases, Erectile dysfunction, Erection, health, Heart disease, Impotence, Men's Health, Western pattern dietJeffrey Sterling, MD

Excluding truly medical considerations, the two surest ways I know to be a sexual stud (without implants or being of a certain age) are to have a legitimately healthy ego (psychologic health) and more importantly, to be in good physical shape and otherwise healthy. However, for now, given that an erection simply results from strong blood flow to the penis, your overall health better enables that process (the first time as well as if you want multiple contiguous encounters). Everything being equal, the best way for a guy to be able to have sex for whatever you define as a ‘sufficient’ period of time (besides being of a certain young age) is to maintain good cardiovascular health by spending that physician-recommended 20-30″ or more at a time on a treadmill, bike, running, etc.

Straight, No Chaser: The Most Frequent Causes of Death and How to Avoid Them

August 27, 2014Public Health844-SMA-TALK, accidents, Asthma, Cancer, COPD, Heart disease, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No Chaser, StrokeJeffrey Sterling, MD

Heart disease (e.g., heart attack): 597,689
Cancer (all cases): 574,743
Chronic lower respiratory diseases (e.g., asthma, COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis): 138,080
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 129,476
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 120,859

Heart disease – Click here to learn early recognition of heart attacks.

Stop smoking and exposing yourself to second-hand smoke.
Exercise daily. Walk at least two miles each day. It’s a final common denomination of other problems and is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease. You want your LDL (“bad cholesterol” levels) low and your HDL (“good cholesterol” levels) high. If your LDL and/or overall levels are high, it’s an immediate prompt to reduce your belly, change your diet and exercise more.
Limit your calories. Never supersize anything. Eat only until you’re full. Learn about healthy plate sizes.

Cancer – Please get screened! Early detection is the key to survival.

Don’t use tobacco in any form.
Eat more fruits and vegetables and less red meat.
Become physically active: strive for at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity at least five days a week.
Limit sun exposure and avoid tanning. (Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers.)
Limit alcohol intake to one to two drinks/day (women and men, respectively).

Chronic lower respiratory diseases

Stop smoking and exposing yourself to second-hand smoke.
Get your home tested for radon.
Follow workplace guidelines for workplace exposures to particles known to cause cancer.

Stroke – Learn early detection.

Control your blood pressure. This is the most important risk factor in stroke prevention. High blood pressure increases your risk for a stroke four-fold.
Control your blood sugar levels. Diabetics have a 1.5 times higher risk of stroke.
Control your cholesterol.
Stop smoking. Smoking increases your risk for a stroke between 1.5-2.5 times above the risk of non-smokers.
Control your weight through diet and exercise, which is bundled in each of the first three considerations.

Accidents

Learn CPR.
Wear safety belts (shoulder and lap) every trip. Seat belts reduce auto crashes by approximately 50%.
Stop all distracted driving (drinking, cell phone use, eating, etc.).
If you’re going to swim, and even if you know how to swim, take a formal lesson that focuses on life-saving maneuvers.
Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home.

There is no fountain of youth. Your cure won’t be found in a bottle, a fad or any other quick fix. It really is about diet, exercise and risk management. The choices you make matter. Remember, although these tips were focused on prevention, early detection and treatment at the time of crisis give you the best chance to survive. Learn early detection of heart attacks and strokes, learn CPR, get screened for cancer and learn how to survive car crashes. It’s not that hard if you’re actually trying.
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Straight, No Chaser: Erectile Dysfunction, Part One

September 11, 2013General Health and Wellness, Genital/Urinary, Health PreventionConditions and Diseases, Erectile dysfunction, Erection, health, Heart disease, Impotence, Men's Health, Western pattern dietJeffrey Sterling, MD

Excluding truly medical considerations, the two surest ways I know to be a sexual stud (without implants or being of a certain age) are to have a legitimately healthy ego (psychologic health) and more importantly, to be in good physical shape and otherwise healthy. However, for now, given that an erection simply results from strong blood flow to the penis, your overall health better enables that process (the first time as well as if you want multiple contiguous encounters). Everything being equal, the best way for a guy to be able to have sex for whatever you define as a ‘sufficient’ period of time (besides being of a certain young age) is to maintain good cardiovascular health by spending that physician-recommended 20-30″ or more at a time on a treadmill, bike, running, etc.