Great Article in Atlantic: How American Healthcare Killed My Father
http://ping.fm/bMlLc
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Monday, December 21, 2009
Sex after a Heart Attack
As I am sure most people realize, sex can be a very aerobic cardiovascular activity (blood pressure and heart rate rise) and many people have heard stories about older men dying while having sexual intercourse. There is definitely a small risk of a heart attack while having sex, but the risk is low. However, in patients who have recently suffered a heart attack, the risk of sudden cardiac death early after a heart attack is higher in patients who do not refrain from sexual activity.
So, given this frightening news, how long should one wait? Well, there is good news. Not too long, but it depends on the situation. For example, if a patient suffered a heart attack and needs bypass surgery, then he or she should wait 2-3 weeks before engaging in sexual activity. If the patients is going for an elective stent placement, he or she should wait 2-3 days before having sexual activity.
One thing that should also be concerned in patients who are having problems having sex after a heart attack is that in men, erectile dysfunction can be a marker for cardiovascular and peripheral artery disease, that is, if there is disease in the arteries surrounding the heart, there is likely to be disease in the blood vessels in the abdomen, the neck, and even the perineal area, which supplies blood to the sexual organs. This lack of blood supply leads to the erectile dysfunction and the treatment for that is not always viagra or levitra, rather their coronary arteries should be investigated either noninvasively through an exercise stress test or through an invasive procedure such as a angiogram/catherization of the heart, other ways to assess the heart is a nuclear stress test, cardiac MRI stress test, or a CTA-a CAT scan of the heart and the coronary arteries of the heart.
Another question patients always ask is what should I do if I develop chest pain during or after sex. First, you should always call your doctor or EMS, but if this becomes a chronic problem and the likelihood is that this is not a new heart attack, you should stand up or sit down to reduce the workload on the heart. One should in most situations take a sublingual nitroglycerin if he or she develops chest pain during or after sex as they would in most situations, however, if a patient is on viagra or levitra, he should not take a nitroglycerin becomes this may lead to a significant decrease in blood pressure and vasodilate the arteries around the heart, which could also provoke a heart attack.
Many patients are anxious and nervous about having sex after a heart attack because of their fear of death, this may manifest in the bedroom where they no longer are able to perform prior to the heart attack, at times, this may be more of a psychological problem rather than a physiological problem and should be addressed in this manner either by a psychologist, a psychiatrist, their primary care doctor or cardiologist.
In conclusion, patients can return to sexual activity very quickly after suffering a heart attack, one should wait at least 2-3 weeks if bypass surgery was performed and less time if only a stent is placed. One must be careful not to use nitroglycerin with viagra and levitra. Finally, erectile dysfunction should be thought of as a possible cardiovascular disease marker in certain patients.
www.americanheart.org
So, given this frightening news, how long should one wait? Well, there is good news. Not too long, but it depends on the situation. For example, if a patient suffered a heart attack and needs bypass surgery, then he or she should wait 2-3 weeks before engaging in sexual activity. If the patients is going for an elective stent placement, he or she should wait 2-3 days before having sexual activity.
One thing that should also be concerned in patients who are having problems having sex after a heart attack is that in men, erectile dysfunction can be a marker for cardiovascular and peripheral artery disease, that is, if there is disease in the arteries surrounding the heart, there is likely to be disease in the blood vessels in the abdomen, the neck, and even the perineal area, which supplies blood to the sexual organs. This lack of blood supply leads to the erectile dysfunction and the treatment for that is not always viagra or levitra, rather their coronary arteries should be investigated either noninvasively through an exercise stress test or through an invasive procedure such as a angiogram/catherization of the heart, other ways to assess the heart is a nuclear stress test, cardiac MRI stress test, or a CTA-a CAT scan of the heart and the coronary arteries of the heart.
Another question patients always ask is what should I do if I develop chest pain during or after sex. First, you should always call your doctor or EMS, but if this becomes a chronic problem and the likelihood is that this is not a new heart attack, you should stand up or sit down to reduce the workload on the heart. One should in most situations take a sublingual nitroglycerin if he or she develops chest pain during or after sex as they would in most situations, however, if a patient is on viagra or levitra, he should not take a nitroglycerin becomes this may lead to a significant decrease in blood pressure and vasodilate the arteries around the heart, which could also provoke a heart attack.
Many patients are anxious and nervous about having sex after a heart attack because of their fear of death, this may manifest in the bedroom where they no longer are able to perform prior to the heart attack, at times, this may be more of a psychological problem rather than a physiological problem and should be addressed in this manner either by a psychologist, a psychiatrist, their primary care doctor or cardiologist.
In conclusion, patients can return to sexual activity very quickly after suffering a heart attack, one should wait at least 2-3 weeks if bypass surgery was performed and less time if only a stent is placed. One must be careful not to use nitroglycerin with viagra and levitra. Finally, erectile dysfunction should be thought of as a possible cardiovascular disease marker in certain patients.
www.americanheart.org
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Why Vitamin D and Calcium Matter
Everyone knows that getting enough vitamin D and calcium is important for bone strength in order to prevent bone loss and osteoporosis in the elderly and rickets in children, however, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that vitamin D and calcium are more important than previously realized to prevent other disorders including obesity, certain types of cancers, and overall healthy living.
This paper will highlight some of the benefits of vitamin D and calcium, some of the proposed mechanisms of function and what one needs to do to insure an adequate supply of vitamin D and calcium. Vitamin D is needed for the purpose of allowing calcium to be absorbed into the body. Without vitamin D, one can eat all the calcium without absorbing much of the calcium, thus it is important to have sufficient amounts of vitamin D, which is mainly produced through sun exposure (about 10 minutes per day). Although, we have become programmed to the negative effects of UV exposure, which is valid, there needs to be a balance where one can attain some exposure and not feel that they are causing detriment to their health and in fact one is actually allowing the conversion of vitamin D to its active formthus allowing more calcium absorption. The leading expert on this topic recently published a book on this subject titled: The UV advantage (http://www.uvadvantage.com). Dr. Holick is quoted as saying:“Your overall well-being depends in part on developing an appropriate relationship with the sun." Michael Holick, M.D., PhD is one of the world's foremost authorities on vitamin D and a full Professor of medicine, dermatology, biophysics and physiology at the Boston University School of Medicine.
He is also the director of the Bone Health Care Clinic in Boston. Dr. Holick believes that the body requires 1000 IU (international units) of vitamin D per day, and most vitamin supplements contain 400 IU, thus one would have to take 2.5 pills to attain the RDA (recommended daily allowance). He argues that 10 minutes of sunshine will provide the necessary amount of vitamin D for the day. One must also keep in mind that sunblock prevents and being in your car both prevent vitamin D production. In fact, it is estimated that SPF 8 and 15 reduce vitamin D production by 95 and 99% respectively. Not all people are able to absorb vitamin D equally, that is the darker ones skin, the more difficult it is to absorb vitamin D.
This paper will highlight some of the benefits of vitamin D and calcium, some of the proposed mechanisms of function and what one needs to do to insure an adequate supply of vitamin D and calcium. Vitamin D is needed for the purpose of allowing calcium to be absorbed into the body. Without vitamin D, one can eat all the calcium without absorbing much of the calcium, thus it is important to have sufficient amounts of vitamin D, which is mainly produced through sun exposure (about 10 minutes per day). Although, we have become programmed to the negative effects of UV exposure, which is valid, there needs to be a balance where one can attain some exposure and not feel that they are causing detriment to their health and in fact one is actually allowing the conversion of vitamin D to its active formthus allowing more calcium absorption. The leading expert on this topic recently published a book on this subject titled: The UV advantage (http://www.uvadvantage.com). Dr. Holick is quoted as saying:“Your overall well-being depends in part on developing an appropriate relationship with the sun." Michael Holick, M.D., PhD is one of the world's foremost authorities on vitamin D and a full Professor of medicine, dermatology, biophysics and physiology at the Boston University School of Medicine.
He is also the director of the Bone Health Care Clinic in Boston. Dr. Holick believes that the body requires 1000 IU (international units) of vitamin D per day, and most vitamin supplements contain 400 IU, thus one would have to take 2.5 pills to attain the RDA (recommended daily allowance). He argues that 10 minutes of sunshine will provide the necessary amount of vitamin D for the day. One must also keep in mind that sunblock prevents and being in your car both prevent vitamin D production. In fact, it is estimated that SPF 8 and 15 reduce vitamin D production by 95 and 99% respectively. Not all people are able to absorb vitamin D equally, that is the darker ones skin, the more difficult it is to absorb vitamin D.
Labels:
calcium,
osteoporosis,
sun exposure,
supplements,
vitamin D
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