As stated, the heart loses some of its blood pumping ability as a natural consequence of aging.  How- ever, a number of other factors can lead to a potentially life-threatening loss of pumping activity.

As a symptom of underlying heart disease, heart failure is closely associated with the major risk factors for coronary heart disease:  smoking, high cholesterol levels, hypertension (persistent high blood pressure), diabetes= abnormal blood sugar levels, and obesity.  A person can change or eliminate those risk factors and thus lower their risk of developing or aggravating their heart disease and heart failure through healthy habits performed routinely, proper dieting, and balancing rest with exercise.

Among prominent risk factors, hypertension-HTN (high blood pressure) and diabetes are PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT.  Uncontrolled HTN increases the risk of heart failure by 200 %, compared to those who do not have hypertension.   Moreover, the degree of risk appears directly related to the severity of the high blood pressure.

Persons with diabetes have about a two to eight fold greater risk of heart failure than those without diabetes.  Women with diabetes have a greater risk of heart failure than men with diabetes.  Part of the risk comes from the diabetes association with other risk factors for heart disease such as high cholesterol or obesity or other risk factors.  However, the disease process of diabetes also damages the heart muscle.

The presence of coronary disease is among the greatest risks for heart failure.  Muscle damage and scarring caused by a heart attack greatly increase the risk of heart failure.  Cardiac arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats, also raise heart failure risk.  Any disorder that causes abnormal swelling or thickening of the heart sets the stage for heart failure.

In some people, heart failure arises from problems with heart valves, the flap-like structures that help regulate blood flow through the heart.  Infections in the heart are another source of increased risk for heart failure.

A single risk factor may be sufficient to cause heart failure, but a combination of factors dramatically increases the risk.  Advanced age adds to the potential impact of any heart failure risk.

Finally, genetic abnormalities contribute to the risk for certain types of heart disease, which in turn may lead to heart failure.  However, in most instances, a specific genetic link to heart failure has not been identified.

SO LIVE AS HEALTHY AS POSSIBLE IN YOUR ROUTINE HABITS,  YOUR DIETING OF THE 4 FOOD GROUPS, MAINTAINING YOUR WEIGHT IN A THEREPEUTIC RANGE (look as calculating BMI online for free to find out what your weight range for your height is), and BALANCING REST WITH EXERCISE TO HELP DECREASE THE CHANCE OF GETTING HEART FAILURE.  Go to healthyusa.tsfl.com to learn what Dr. Anderson through his book of “Dr. A.’s Healthy Habits” and me as your health coach could provide you within a reachable cost.  To just view what can be offered to you for no price with no hacking go to healthyusa.tsfl.com and take a peek;)

The definition of heart failure, it occurs when the heart loses its ability to pump enough blood through the body.  Usually, the loss in pumping action is a symptom of an underlying heart problem, such as hypertension and CAD = coronary artery disease.  The term heart failure suggests a sudden and complete stop of heart activity but actually the heart does not suddenly or abruptly stop.  Instead the way it works is heart failure usually develops over time, years. The heart first compensates with the disease or illness the individual has but, just like a car, after wear and tear the heart goes into decompensating to heart failure due to the heart decline.  How serious is this condition?  It varies from person to person depending on factors like an individual with obesity & unhealthy versus a person in healthier condition.  All people diagnosed or not diagnosed with heart failure lose a pumping capacity of the heart happens as they age but diagnosed with heart failure makes the engine of the body a challenge in doing its function properly.  The pump loss is more significant in the person with heart failure and often results from a heart attack (actual scaring to the tissue=death to that tissue area) or from other diseases that can damage the heart.  The severity of the condition determines the impact it has on a person’s life.   At the other end, extremes, treatment often helps people lead full lives if the person follows the meds ordered by the doctor including the diet and activity/exercise the doctor orders to the patient with heart failure (compliance so important).  There are different levels of heart failure but even the mildest form is a serious health problem, which must be treated.  If not the pump (the heart) will just get worse in doing its function properly.  To improve the chance of living longer in an individual with heart failure, patients must take care of themselves, see their physician (cardiologist) on a regular basis, and closely follow treatments (as ordered) with knowing what heart failure actually to understanding how the disease works (is the failure on the right side or left side? Which in time will effect the other side in time).  In knowing what side the failure is on will make you understand what signs and symptoms to expect.

Types of Heart Failure

The term congestive heart failure (CHF) is often used to describe all patients with heart failure.  In reality, congestion=the buildup of fluids in the heart for not pumping correctly, just like pipes in a home not working properly=back up of water in the pipes, happens with CHF also to the  fluids (blood) backing up in the lungs.   This is just one feature of the condition and does not occur in all patients.  There are two main categories of heart failure although within each category, symptoms and effects may differ from patient to patient.  The two categories are:     1-Systolic heart failure (systolic is the top number of your blood pressure=the heart at work).  This occurs when the heart’s (muscle-myocardium) ability to contract (pump=being active) decreases, particularly starting on the L side of the heart where the muscle of the heart is greatest (myocardium=heart muscle).  The heart cannot pump blood with enough force to push a sufficient amount out of the heart into the circulation through  the aorta.  The aorta is a artery (vessel) that leaves the L lower chamber of the heart (left side of the heart=highly oxygenated rich blood).  Due to the heart not using enough force pushing the blood forward in the aorta this causes the blood to back up and cause it to go back up into the L lower to the L upper chamber that goes further back up into the pulmonary vein into the lungs=congestion in the lungs due to the heart failure.

2-Diastolic heart failure (diastolic is the bottom number of your blood pressure which is the pressure when the heart is at rest).  This failure occurs when the heart has a problem relaxing.  The heart cannot properly fill with blood because the muscle of the heart due to trying so hard to compensate over a long period of time with disease (ex. High B/P, Obesity, etc…) strains the heart in doing its function that failure finally starts that the muscle of the heart (myocardium) becomes stiff.  This causes the heart to lose its ability to relax to allow proper filling of the heart in upper and lower chambers=back up of the blood.   This failure starts on the right side of the heart causing the blood to back up away from the heart and may lead this blood that is highly concentrated with carbon dioxide to accumulation especially in the feet, ankles and legs.  Some patients may have lung congestion.

A stent is a wire mesh tube that is used to help hold open an artery.  To simply understand this concept think of a plumber or a mechanic.  With a plumber sometimes they have to replace a certain area of a pipe that connects the water or like a mechanic replacing a certain area of piping (like the muffler piping connected infront of the muffler than can either can be replaced or just welded with piece of piping welded just to save money).  Well a stent keeps the artery open that was clogged.  Its put in that place to reinforce that area of the artery to remain open to allow blood to get to that heart from that coronary artery and it will stay there for life to keep the artery permanently patent to prevent the blockage from happening again with the synthetic mesh piece.

Description

Stents are used to hold open diseased coronary arteries (these arteries supply blood to the heart), as well as diseased arteries of the peripheral vascular system (PVS).  Peripheral means away from the heart the PVS is the arteries that supply blood to the rest of the body (again away from the heart all the way down to the hands and feet).

There are variety of stents currently available.

For a surgeon to find out if you even need one, first usually a angiogram is performed and this is a catheter simply from the femerol artery or from your arm to the coronary arteries.  If the MD sees you show a blockage 80% or more an angioplasty is performed which is a balloon at the end of this catheter that blows up and decompresses to give the effect like punching gloves.  The balloon inflates and deflates over and over again till the blockage breaks open free and then a stent is put in that area to help keep it open permanently (patent).

Some stents have been compressed onto the outside of an angioplasty balloon catheter and delivered by inflating the balloon in the desired location.  Other stents are “self- expanding” spring-loaded devices, which expand automatically upon deployment.

Stents remain in arteries permanently.  The tissue lining the arteries actually grows over the metal mesh to cover the inner lumen of the stent.

Stent procedures have become very common like tonsillectomies were in childhood.  Stents are sometimes used as an alternative to coronary artery bypass surgery, if the patient is a candidate.  Stents are often used in combination with balloon angioplasty.  One leads to the other depending on what the angioplasty displays for the surgeon on the T.V. in when they are doing the procedure and if the come up to a blockage high enough to perform the angioplasty followed with a stent it will be done.

Stents are used in cases of “restenosis”, which refers to the re-closing of arteries after balloon angioplasty.  In carefully selected patients, the use of stents can dramatically reduce restenosis following balloon angioplasty or other catheter-based procedures.  Stents are used frequently to hold open the arteries that have been damaged, torn, or dissected by balloon angioplasty or other catheter-based procedures.  Like plumber or mechanic, get it.

Stents allow angioplasty to be done in patients with severe and long-segment obstruction of coronary arteries.  As soon as the I initial part of the block is widened, a stent is place, which holds it open allowing further opening to proceed.  Stents have also allowed angioplasty to be performed in patients with blocks of multiple vessels, and in multiple blocks in a single artery.

Risks

Risks include the standard risks of an interventional, catheter-based procedure, which should be specifically discussed with your doctor.  Lesions treated with stents can “restenosis” (re- narrow with in weeks to months after the procedure) similar to restenosis associated with angioplasty.  This is why patients after having a stent put in they are on a medication for example like Plavix for life to prevent this occurrence from happening.  It is a anti platelet medication, meaning it doesn’t allow clotting to happen in the stent so blockage doesn’t reoccur through clotting.

Many new technologies are being tested to reduce the problem of restenosis.  These technologies include coating and coverings for the stent, new materials, and radiation.  These new technologies are primarily experimental at this point and will reach soon to the market if not already.  Technology allows the medical field to continuously expand and this will be replaced at one point but isn’t yet.  Just give it time.  At one point we had no CABG (coronary artery bypass) but now the stent in certain cases is replaced by angiograms to further expanding to angioplasties and stents furthering allowing the surgery to take place 1x hopefully if the patient is compliant in diet,  exercise, and following the doctors orders with meds, activity and follow up visits (which are so vital).   A lot is up to the patient in caring or themselves to prevent having this take place again.

Follow up Instructions

Your doctor will recommend blood thinning medications following your stent procedure.  These agents are usually given for one month post procedure along with aspirin and then continued indefinitely.  Your doctor may also prescribe antibiotics for a period of time after the stent procedure, to be taken anytime you have a medical or dental procedure.  Preventing infection.

MRI tests should not be done for at least eight weeks without your doctor’s approval.  Metal detectors do not present a problem.  Stents appear to be safe in the long-term; there are no long-term complications associated with a permanent stent.

Protein Richness

When we rank all of our 100+ WHFoods based on their protein richness (how much protein they provide in comparison with their calorie content), turkey ranks first among all of our foods. A 4-ounce serving of skinned baked turkey breast provides about 34 grams of protein and over two-thirds of the Daily Value (DV). With 4 ounces of turkey leg, this number drops just slightly to 31-32 grams of protein. With 4 ounces of turkey thigh, it drops to about 21 grams. In these examples, the protein values are changing from cut-to-cut partly because of the way the turkey moves and uses its muscles, and partly because of the fat content of the various cuts. If the health benefit you are seeking from turkey is focused on protein richness, you’ll probably want to stick with skinned turkey breast as your preferred cut.

Other Health Benefits

Unfortunately, there is not as much research on turkey as there is on chicken, its fellow bird in the poultry category. Several preliminary studies show the protein richness of turkey to be of potential benefit in regulating blood sugar levels as well as insulin metabolism. These findings make sense since adequate protein intake in a balanced way throughout the day can be very helpful in managing blood sugar. In the area of cancer prevention, turkey shows that intake of it is not associated with increased cancer risk in the same way as red meats. However,they simply show that turkey intake does not raise this risk which is still  a plus compared to some other foods.

Description

Like chicken, turkey belongs to the bird (Aves) class of animals, and to the family of birds called Phasianidae. While there are many different breeds of turkeys, most of them belong to the same genus and species of bird, namely Meleagris gallopavo. Turkeys are truly native to North and South America – they were not brought to the “New World” by European settlers but were instead discovered to be already present and intimately involved with Native American cultures. Turkeys are relatively large birds that can reach about 30-35 pounds in weight. They can fly short distances at speeds of about 50-55 miles per hour and run at approximately 20-25 miles per hour.

History

At 2.5 million tons of turkey meat per year, the U.S. is by far the world’s largest producer of turkey. (All countries in the European Union combined produce 1.75 million tons.) Smaller amounts of turkey are produced in Africa, Asia, and the Mediterranean. At about 450,000 tons, Brazil is the largest turkey producer in South America.

In the U.S., we consume an average of 16.5 pounds of turkey per person per year. That about is about one-quarter of our chicken consumption.

According to the National Turkey Federation, about 20% of all turkey (just over three pounds per person) is consumed on Thanksgiving Day, Gobble Gobble Day.

How to Select and Store

It’s worth taking special care in the selection of turkey! Several aspects of turkey selection will help you maximize your health benefits from this World’s Healthiest Food. First, we recommend the purchase of fresh turkey. Technically, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines allow use of the word “fresh” only when turkey has never been stored a temperature below 26°F (-3°C). (Otherwise, the term “frozen” or “previously frozen” would be required.) Additives like sodium erythorbate, MSG, and salt are not allowed on fresh turkey, and that’s a major health advantage for you.

Well check out about White Meat vs. Red Meat

White Meat

White meat is best known as meat that is lean, especially in comparison with red meat. The big point about white meat is that its fat content is less in comparison with red meat. Meats traditionally thought of as white (such as veal and even lamb) have been reclassified as red meats. Another advantage to eating white meat over red meat, which is also why health experts recommend it over red meat, is the lower number of calories that it contains. However, the difference in calories between white meat and red meat is not so great that it will absolutely ruin your waistline if you choose to eat some red meat once in a while.

Red Meat

Red meat is the victim of stereotypes that have been exaggerated to the point where it is today somewhat stigmatized as a food that is linked to cancer and higher fat and caloric content. While the cancer issue depends on what studies you look at and the higher caloric content is not that much over white meat, red meat does have benefits that white meat simply lacks. For example, the nutrients zinc, iron, thiamine and riboflavin (in addition to vitamins B12 and B6) appear in much greater abundance in red meat. Moreover, red meat is a great source of muscle-building protein as well as being the best source of the antioxidant called alpha lipoic acid. Still, red meat has been the subject of a lot of studies that connect it to health problems beyond cancer, like cardiovascular disease and even arthritis and hypertension.

Which One to Choose

The bottom line is that no matter which meat you eat, you can guard yourself against health problems if you eat in moderation. While white meat is not tied to as many health problems as red meat is, it does not feature many of the benefits that you get in red meat, such as the vitamins and minerals. So if you want to get a dose of said nutrients, you should eat more red meat, but do so in a way that is only moderate

HERE IS SOME FACTS ABOUT TURKEY

Because most cuts of turkey provide valuable amounts of protein, turkey is often regarded as a high-protein food. Skinned turkey breast will provide the most protein per serving, at 34 grams in 4 ounces. But you will still get 31 grams from 4 ounces of turkey leg and 21 grams from 4 ounces of turkey thigh.

In addition to protein, however, turkey is also rich in other nutrients. All B vitamins are present in turkey meat, including B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, folate, biotin, and choline. (Because the biotin content of turkey meat is sensitive to the turkey’s dietary intake, the amount of this vitamin can vary greatly, with an approximate average of 0.8 micrograms in 4 ounces of turkey breast.) Turkey is a very good source for vitamin B3 and provides about 8.5 milligram in 4 ounces, or over 40% of the Daily Value (DV). It’s also a very good source of vitamin B6, at 0.64 milligrams in 4 ounces (32% DV). By providing 22%DV for choline in 4 ounces, turkey also ranks as a good source of this B vitamin.

In terms of minerals, turkey is richest in selenium and provides over 50% of the DV in a single 4-ounce serving. Zinc, copper, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and iron are also provided by this food in amounts varying from 5-15% DV.

All cuts of turkey contain omega-3 fats. However, the content of omega-3s in turkey can vary widely, depending on the turkey’s diet. One of the reasons we recommend pasture-raised turkey is the ability of turkeys to enjoy omega-3 containing plants and insects in natural pasture settings. As a general rule, the most favorable ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats is found in skinned turkey breast, where the ratio in non-pasture-raised turkey is approximately 10:1. This same ratio is about 13:1 in non-pasture-raised turkey leg or turkey thigh with skin. While there are only a few studies documenting the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio in pasture-raised turkey, those studies suggest that pasture feeding can lower the ratio to approximately 7:1. (There are some studies on pasture-raised chickens that show similar results.) Within the omega-3 family of fats, it is possible to get 10-60 milligrams of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) from a 4-ounce serving of turkey, depending on the cut and diet consumed by the turkey. DHA is a unique omega-3 fat in terms of its ability to support healthy nerve function.

Want to learn more?  Read  more about meat in your diet as a routine or just even this Easter or Passover or any holiday, this Monday.  Hope to see you than!  Have a great weekend.

“Cushing syndrome is a disease that occurs when your body produces too much of the hormone cortisol.”

Elizabeth Lynch BSNRN for over 25 years.

Cushing’s syndrome describes the signs and symptoms associated with prolonged exposure to inappropriately high levels of the hormone cortisol. This can be caused by taking glucocorticoid drugs, or diseases that result in excess cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), or CRH levels.

^{Cushing’s syndrome appears when the body’s tissues are display to immoderate levels of cortisol for long periods of time.} 

There are two types of the disease and they are known as exogenous and endogenous.  Exogenous Cushing syndrome is caused by something outside of the body, like when hormones are given to a patient during a RX for another condition.  Endogenous is caused by natural causing problems within the body.  Endogenous is likely to be hereditary and not caused by an outside force like a steroid complex.

Causes of Cushing Syndrome

The most common cause of Cushing’s syndrome is ^{exogenous administration of glucocorticoids prescribed by a health care practitioner to treat other diseases (called iatrogenic Cushing’s syndrome). This can be an effect of corticosteroid treatment of a variety of disorders such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, or in immunosuppression after an organ transplant.}

Administration of synthetic ACTH(adrenocorticotropichormone) is also possible, but ACTH is less often prescribed due to cost and lesser utility. Although rare, Cushing’s syndrome can also be due to the use of medroxyprogesterone

In this form of Cushing’s, the adrenal glands atrophy due to lack of stimulation by ACTH, since glucocorticoids downregulate production of ACTH. Cushing syndrome in childhood usually results from use of glucocorticoid medication.

^{Endogenous Cushing’s syndrome results from some derangement of the body’s own system of secreting cortisol. Normally, ACTH is released from the pituitary gland when necessary to stimulate the release of cortisol from the adrenal glands.}

In pituitary Cushing’s, a benign pituitary adenoma secretes ACTH. This is also known as Cushing’s disease and is responsible for 70% of endogenous Cushing’s syndrome.

In adrenal Cushing’s, excess cortisol is produced by adrenal gland tumors, hyperplastic adrenal glands, or adrenal glands with nodular adrenal hyperplasia.  Tumors outside the normal pituitary-adrenal system can produce ACTH (occasionally with CRH) that affects the adrenal glands. This etiology is called ectopic or  ^{paraneoplastic Cushing’s disease and is seen in diseases like small celllung cancer.}

Finally, rare cases of CRH-secreting tumors (without ACTH secretion) have been reported, which stimulates pituitary ACTH production.

Pseudo-Cushing’s syndrome

Elevated levels of total cortisol can also be due to estrogen found in oral contraceptive pills that contain a mixture of estrogen and progesterone, leading to

^{Pseudo-Cushing’s syndrome. Estrogen can cause an increase of cortisol-binding globulin and thereby cause the total cortisol level to be elevated. However, the total free cortisol, which is the active hormone in the body, as measured by a 24 hour urine collection for urinary free cortisol, is normal.}

Epidemiology

^{Iatrogenic Cushing’s syndrome (caused by treatment with corticosteroids) is the most common form of Cushing’s syndrome.}

Symptoms of Cushings Syndrome

Symptom of cushings syndrome include fat deposits close to the face neck and trunk; weariness; muscular weakness; salt and water retention; acne; leisurely bruising; menstlruall irregularities; and signs (in women) of virilisation, such as increase of the voice, commute in body, shape, loss of scalp hair, and extend in facial and      ^{body hair. Complications of cushings syndrome include advanced blood pressure, The symptoms and signs of cushings syndrome induced by a chronic redundant of corticosteroid hormones in the blood. The redundant may be acquired by a tumour of the outer part (cortex) of the adrenal gland, or may be referable to over inspiration of the adrenal glands by a tumour the pituitary gland.}

Many children and teenagers with Cushing’s syndrome will exhibit various of the following:

–^{extreme weight gain}

-growth retardation

-missed periods in teenage girls

-excess hair growth

–acne

-reddish-blue streaks on the skin

-high blood pressure

-tiredness and weakness either very early or late puberty

Adults with the disease may also have symptoms of intense weight gain, redundant hair growth, high blood pressure, and skin difficulties. In addition, they may show:

-muscle and bone weakness

-moodiness, irritability, or depression

-sleep disturbances

-high blood sugar

-menstrual disorders in women and diminished fertility in men

Complications include:

-Diabetes (High or Low blood glucose levels)

-Enlargement of pituitary tumor and other complications from the tumor growth

-Fractures due to osteoporosis which are common in older people

-High blood pressure which could be life threatening

-Kidney stones from the increase in cortisol and other chemicals filtered through the kidneys

-Serious infections which could lead to further secondary infections

****Treatment of Cushings Syndrome

Treatment of cushings syndrome is by castigation of the under lying cause. Treatments for Cushing’s syndrome are contrived to pass your body’s cortisol production to normal. By indurate, or even distinctly lowering                                   ^{cortisol levels, you’ll feel evident improvements in your signs and symptoms. Left untreated, however, Cushing’s syndrome can finally induce to death. The treatment choice depend on the cause. For example:}

If a tumour in an adrenal gland is the reason, an operation to withdraw it will cure the condition.

For adrenal hyperplasia, both adrenal glands may require to be withdraw. You will then require to take lifelong replacement therapy of several adrenal hormones.

Other tumours in the body that produce ‘ectopic’ ACTH may be able to be removed, depending on the kind of tumour, where it is, etc.

Medication to block the production or consequence of cortisol may be an choice.

How is Cushing’s syndrome diagnosed?

Diagnosis is established on a survey of the patient’s medical history, somatic examination and ^{laboratory tests.}

^{Frequently x-ray exams of the adrenal or pituitary glands are beneficial for locating tumors. These tests assist to find out if excess levels of cortisol are demonstrate and why.}