Blog - Page 10 of 120 - Lower Cholesterol and Blood Pressure with Lisa Nelson RD

Can You Have Elective Surgery If You Have Heart Disease?

Published October 22, 2018 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Contributed by Ryan Peterson.
There are many reasons a person may consider undergoing elective, non-emergency surgery, but by far the most common is a desire to improve an area of their life and alleviate any pain and discomfort they are experiencing. Elective surgery can offer a lasting solution to a chronic health problem, and techniques and recovery times have improved substantially over the past 20 years, to the point that surgery is almost commonplace.

However, for those with heart disease, surgery is not such a simple choice. Receiving medical clearance for surgery when you have a severe underlying condition can be incredibly difficult – but it’s not impossible.

It is possible for people with heart disease to have elective surgery…

… though there are a number of factors that can influence the decision.

The first area of consideration is the type of surgery. Some operations, such as hand surgery performed for the likes of carpal tunnel surgery or a sinus procedure, are considered relatively “low risk”. For these forms of surgery, clearance is usually easier to obtain; you may be required to undergo further testing before being approved for surgery, but the chances of approval are far higher, and all the more so if the procedure will be completed under local anesthetic.

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What You Can Do Starting Today To Help Improve Your Heart Health

Published October 19, 2018 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Contributed by Amanda Ohls.

As we age it becomes more and more important to start considering our heart health. This should be a consideration for those who are much younger than you’d expect especially if the family has a history of heart conditions. A proactive approach to understanding what impacts your blood pressure or cholesterol is important. People often times make poor health decisions on account of a lack of knowledge which can be remedied through proper research. The following are a few things that you can do to start improving your heart health now.

Quit Smoking NOW!

Smoking cigarettes is bad for every part of your body from your lungs to your heart. The ability to quit smoking is something that many people do not possess on their own so they are going to need support. Vapes that are commonly used instead of cigarettes can provide smokers a way to get their nicotine fix and slowly wean themselves off of the substance. Many people have turned to electronic cigarettes as they seem to be less harsh than the alternative while not leaving the smoker smelling like an ashtray. These are not safe alternatives to smoking but can help reduce chemicals ingested when compared to traditional cigarettes.

Find Time To Unwind

Stress can lead to increased blood pressure and can be a huge issue if you do not find to unwind. This relaxation time is to recharge both your mental and physical batteries. Something like relaxing with essential oils from MadeWithOils.com can make a huge difference in stress levels. There are also exercises that you can practice if often times you feel flusters and feel your blood pressure increasing. Do not let stress get the best of you and beat it by managing your relaxation time appropriately.

Eliminate Excessive Alcohol Usage

Excessive alcohol consumption is going to be bad for your blood pressure as well as your liver. The stress that alcohol puts on the body is immense especially for those binge drinkers. Combine this with the fact that alcohol has copious amounts of calories as well as people make unhealthy dietary decisions when drunk makes this tough on the heart. This does not mean that one glass of red wine a day is bad when in fact it can be healthy. Excessive alcohol use on the other hand is not good for the drinker’s body in the slightest.

Posted in Heart Health | Tagged heart health, improve heart health

3 Ways Meal Prep Delivery Helps You Keep Your Cholesterol in Check

Published October 18, 2018 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Contributed by Janet Moss.

According to the Center for Disease Control, roughly 78 million Americans have a cholesterol range that puts them at high risk for stroke or heart disease. While exercise is a key part of keeping your cholesterol in a healthy range, you’ll get nowhere if you don’t change your diet. Unfortunately, making changes to one’s diet is easier said than done for most people.

These people have one thing in common – they don’t make good food choices. Using a meal prep delivery makes it easy to make good food choices. Let’s look at three ways meal prep delivery helps you keep your cholesterol in check.

Meal Prep Lets You Think Less

Imagine you want to take a trip to your state’s capital. You don’t plan your route at all. Instead, you just drive in the general direction of your destination. You’re bound to make bad decisions that get you lost and add time to your trip. Your diet works the same way.

If you don’t plan out what you’re going to eat for each meal on a weekly basis, you’ll gravitate towards the quick options that are high in cholesterol. The reason for this is we tend to make bad food choices when faced with too much choice. We don’t know what to cook for ourselves, so instead of buying ingredients, we buy a pre-made meal.

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Posted in Heart Health | Tagged meal prep delivery

Boost immunity to fight this year’s cold and cough germs

Published October 17, 2018 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Have you ever noticed that when there’s a bug around your office, not everyone “gets” it?

Somebody is out for 10 days, someone else for a half day and some people don’t even get sidelined at all? Think about it. They’ve all been exposed to the same germ. So, why does this happen?

It probably happens for the exact same reason that some houses get knocked down in a hurricane and some remain still standing. Some houses are made of brick, steel and hurricane shutters while others are made of much flimsier materials. Which ones survive the storm and which ones don’t has everything to do with how well they were built. In the same way, if your immune system is well nourished and healthy, it will withstand challenges a lot better. Those of us lucky enough to not get sick stay healthy because our immune system is able to just bat the challenge aside, or at the very least, handle it and recover quickly. Remember, your health isn’t measured by whether or not you get the cold or cough; it’s measured by how well your body handles it if you do get it, and by how quickly your body recovers.

Nutritionist Jonny Bowden takes a whole-body approach to building immunity, which means immune-boosting foods (such as garlic) and supplements (such as Sambucol) to strengthen your immune system. At the first sign of a cold, he adds these supplements and foods:

- Zinc. Cells need this mineral to fight bacteria and viruses. Zinc is also important in the development of white blood cells, which are the immune system cells used to protect against infections. Your body does not store zinc, so we need to consume zinc daily during the cold season. If you do get sick, zinc might help shorten the length of your illness. Bowden recommends supplementing 15mg of zinc daily during “regular” times and 50mg daily at the first sign of a cold.

- Echinacea. This herb is used to fight the cold and other upper respiratory infections. Take it at the first sign of symptoms. It might keep the cold from developing or make symptoms less severe. Bowden states it is safe to supplement anywhere from 300-500mg three times a day.

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Posted in Heart Health | Tagged boost immunity

Why Going Upside Down in Yoga Helps Your Heart

Published September 21, 2018 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Guest post provided my yoga teacher Meera Watts.

Turning yourself upside-down contradicts your physical nature. However, if you closely study inversion yoga, you’ll realize that inverting yourself has a handful of benefits, particularly to your heart.

If you’re interested to know what those benefits are, here are some of inversion yoga’s positive effects on the heart.

Your Blood Flow

Anatomically speaking, your heart can be found in your chest cavity. It functions to pump oxygenated blood to the different parts of your body by way of your arteries. At the same time, it receives deoxygenated blood which carries waste products through your veins.

Now, because the heart is placed high up in your body when you’re standing up, problems happen with your de-oxygenated blood flowing back to the heart due to gravity’s force. And if those problems aren’t solved right away, you can end up suffering different health consequences. Some examples include swollen legs and feet, varicose veins, and even pulmonary embolism.

Positioning yourself upside down can help improve the flow of blood back to the heart. Also, it can improve perfusion of your blood across your lung’s surface area.

Your Breathing and Diaphragm

Just beneath your lungs and heart lies your diaphragm. It’s a large muscle that’s mainly responsible for breathing. And just like the other muscles in your body, you need to work it to make it stronger.

When your diaphragm contracts, it’s generally working with gravity. It’s the reason why you can feel and see your belly bulging when you’re breathing in.
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Posted in Heart Health | Tagged heart health, yoga

Know Your Family Heart Health History

Published September 5, 2018 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Having a family history of heart attack or stroke may increase your risk for the same health problems.

Know your family history so you can take steps to avoid both heart disease and stroke yourself.

Start with your immediate family

Share with your doctor the health history of your siblings, parents, and grandparents. Did any of your immediate family have a stroke or heart attack? How old were they?

If you are able, go one step further and learn the health history for your aunts and uncles.

Overcome the odds

I have a very poor heart health tree myself. A grandmother who suffered several heart attacks before a fatal heart attack at the age of 69. An aunt who also dealt with diabetes and heart issues leading to a fatal heart attack at age 62. A grandfather who lived with diabetes which led to heart disease and eventual death after bypass surgery. And the list goes on as I work down to my parents.

This does not mean I accept heart disease is in my future. No way. This just means I don’t have the luxury of coasting along assuming my health will be fine if I do nothing special to protect it.

I must be diligent about making healthy choices 90% of the time. If I were to choose to live an unhealthy lifestyle (fast food, soda, inactivity, high-fat meals, etc.) I’m pretty much sealing my fate to have heart disease at some point. Instead, I ensure my diet is heart healthy and my activity level high.

I had a cholesterol level over 200 way back in my 20’s, but successfully lowered it to normal and have maintained healthy low levels ever since. Same for a healthy blood pressure well below the goal of 120/80 mm Hg. So, my risk for heart disease is fairly low at this point regardless of my family history.

If your family history places you at higher risk for heart attack and stroke, you also can take steps to lower your risk.

There are heart disease risk factors you can change and ones you cannot.
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Posted in Heart Health | Tagged family health history, health history

Can You Have Elective Surgery If You Have Heart Disease?

It is possible for people with heart disease to have elective surgery…

What You Can Do Starting Today To Help Improve Your Heart Health

Quit Smoking NOW!

Find Time To Unwind

Eliminate Excessive Alcohol Usage

3 Ways Meal Prep Delivery Helps You Keep Your Cholesterol in Check

Meal Prep Lets You Think Less

Boost immunity to fight this year’s cold and cough germs

Why Going Upside Down in Yoga Helps Your Heart

Your Blood Flow

Your Breathing and Diaphragm

Know Your Family Heart Health History

Start with your immediate family

Overcome the odds

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