“Nutrition research has long supported the heart health benefits of almonds,” says Jenny Heap, MS, RD, Health Professional Marketing Manager, Almond Board of California. “Now consumers will be able to more easily identify almonds in the supermarket as a heart-smart food, helping take the guess work out of shopping.”

Two decades of almond research to date has been recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) showing that the crunchy nut’s nutrient profile supports healthy heart functions, with more studies being undertaken to support these findings every year. According to the FDA, “Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, such as almonds,  as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.”(1)     

Almond lovers have been savvy for some time to the nut’s heart-healthy status, particularly when compared to other nuts. According to a 2011 consumer survey, almonds are the nut selected most often — at more than 40 percent of respondents — as “the nut that is a good snack and helps my heart,” a significant 29 percent ahead of other nuts.(3) That same survey showed that men are particularly interested in almonds’ heart-healthy attributes, such as being completely cholesterol-free.

In each one-ounce serving, or about a handful, almonds provide 6 grams of protein, 13 grams of good unsaturated fat, only 1 gram of saturated fat, are naturally cholesterol-free, and contain fiber (3.5g), calcium (75mg), vitamin E (7.4mg), riboflavin (0.3mg) and niacin (1mg), all of which contribute to a healthy heart.

The timing of the Heart-Check certification couldn’t be better. The Almond Board of California has recently launched a series of commercials highlighting the heart-healthy attributes of this delicious, crunchy snack by using a funny, heart-shaped spokesperson who just loves almonds! Destined to become an online favorite, the “Hearts Love Almonds” commercials can be seen at the Almond Board’s You Tube page at youtube.com/user/AlmondBoardofCA as well as on ESPN and the Discovery Channel.

In any of their versatile forms, almonds provide health-conscious consumers a wide variety of ways to include a handful — that’s about 23 almonds — in a heart-healthy diet, including:

• Whole almonds as a portable, nutritious snack, especially when stored in a stylish, perfect one-ounce portion snack tin, available at AlmondBoard.com/shop
• Sliced almonds to top salads or oatmeal for a boost of added crunch
• Slivered almonds as a surprising addition for stir-fries and vegetable side dishes
• Diced almonds as a nutty crust for meats or as a topping for yogurt

To find out more about Almond Board’s ongoing commitment to heart health, including the latest research,  news and information and delicious almond-inspired recipes, visit AlmondBoard.com.

About the Almond Board of California

Consumers all over the world enjoy California Almonds as a natural, wholesome and quality food product, making almonds California’s leading agricultural export in terms of value. The Almond Board of California promotes almonds through its research-based approach to all aspects of marketing, farming and production on behalf of the more than 6,000 California Almond growers and processors, many of whom are multi-generational family operations. Established in 1950 and based in Modesto, California, the Almond Board of California is a non-profit organization that administers a grower-enacted Federal Marketing Order under the supervision of the United States Department of Agriculture. For more information on the Almond Board of California or almonds, visit AlmondBoard.com.

About the Heart-Check Mark

The American Heart Association established the Heart-Check mark in 1995 to give consumers an easy, reliable system for identifying heart-healthy foods as a first step in building a sensible eating plan. Nearly 900 products that bear the Heart-Check mark have been screened and verified by the association to meet criteria for heart-healthy foods. To learn more about the Heart-Check mark, and to see a complete list of certified products and participating companies, visit heartcheckmark.org.

1.  Nuts Heart Disease Health Claim: Scientific evidence suggests, but does not prove, that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, such as almonds, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. One serving of almonds (28g) has 13g of unsaturated fat and only 1g of saturated fat.

2.  American Heart Association. 2009 American Heart Association Quantitative Study.

3.  Sterling Rice Group, 2011 North American Consumer AAU, July 2011, page 39.

Contact:Jennifer Agnew (323) 762-2417 jennifer.agnew@porternovelli.com  

Molly Spence(209) 343-3278 mspence@almondboard.com

SOURCE Almond Board of California

Article source: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/22/4282016/hearts-love-almonds.html

TORONTO – While the food industry applauded Health Canada’s decision to approve a new claim that advises Canadians to replace saturated fat with vegetable oil, health experts and nutritionists say the move isn’t in the best interests of Canadians and will likely mislead consumers.

The Vegetable Oil Industry of Canada celebrated Wednesday when it announced that it obtained support from the federal agency to promote vegetable oil as a tool to lower cholesterol.

The claim, which tells consumers to replace sources of saturated fat with poly- and monounsaturated fats found in vegetable oil, has been developed into a logo that is allowed to be plastered on certain products.

“We are pleased that Health Canada supports the vegetable oil industry in providing consumers with this important positive direction on what dietary fats they should be eating to reduce cholesterol levels,” Sean McPhee, president of VOIC, said in a statement.

Experts question who benefits from this claim

But Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, a University of Ottawa professor and former family medicine chair of the Canadian Obesity Network, says the agency’s decision to back the claim was only made to “appease” the industry and won’t help Canadians sift through a plethora of unfounded health claims.

“The last thing we need for our supermarket shelves is more claims that the food industry can use to sell non-impressive nutritional fare,” he told Global News.

“The fronts of packages are fair game for food manufactures to utilize to try to dupe Canadians into thinking the boxes they buy off the shelves will help,” he said.

VOIC pointed to studies that have shown that replacing saturated fat – derived from animal products, dairy and some plant-based sources – with unsaturated fats derived from vegetables and plants led to a cholesterol reduction ranging from between 0.4 to 2.8 per cent for every gram of fat replaced. This research was submitted to Health Canada.

But Freedhoff warned that in the grocery store world of nutrition fact panels, consumers will end up buying more of these products with a Health Canada seal of approval, thinking they’re healthy, recommended options instead of better alternatives.

“The nuanced wording that suggests people should be replacing and not adding will get lost on consumers,” he said, noting that there aren’t any substantial findings that show that promoting health claims on packaging helps overall health.

Instead, consumers end up buying – and eating – more of a product thinking it is an “inherently healthy option.”

Freedhoff said that if Ottawa was interested in Canadians’ health and rising rates of cardiovascular disease, it would implement regulations on trans fat in the food supply instead.

“We’ll see this a lot on margarines, we’ll see it on bottles of cooking oil and some might start pouring oodles of olive oil or canola oil into salad. Yes, it’s a healthful ingredient but if it’s not replacing other fats it might be increasing waistlines,” he warned.

Members of VOIC, a not-for profit group composed of 70,000 oilseed growers across Canada, also include developers of shortening, salad dressings, mayonnaise and dessert toppings.

Advice to Canadians

Marisa Falconi, a Toronto-based nutritionist, said that in some cases, vegetable oils, or monounsaturated fats, are not as stable as those that are saturated.

“This means that cooking with monounsaturated fats at high temperatures will cause free radical production. Free radicals are the things that damage our DNA and trigger degenerative diseases such as cancer, and we want to avoid this at all costs,” she said.

She noted that most vegetable oils found in the local grocery stores are heavily processed. Canola oil, for example, is processed using high heat and petroleum by-products.

“Things you wouldn’t consume if you were aware that they were in your food,” she said.

Freedhoff said that to even the playing field for consumers, officials should foster food literacy so Canadians understand how to read what’s in their products.

“If the product needs to claim it’s healthy it probably isn’t. Transforming raw ingredients in cooking – that’s what we should be encouraging more of,” he said.

Falconi agreed.

“The solution is not to eliminate saturated fats, but instead to eat packaged stuff in moderation and utilize saturated fats in their whole food form. If monounsaturated fats and vegetable oils are used to replace saturates, similar problems will still arise, and health will still be an issue,” she said.

Health Canada did not respond to a request for comment by Wednesday evening.

Cholesterol in Canada

Over 40 per cent of Canadians aged 20 to 79 have an unhealthy level of total cholesterol in their bodies, Statistics Canada suggests.

Unhealthy levels of “bad” cholesterol steadily increase with age but peak within the 40 to 59 age group, where about 43 per cent of Canadians report high levels.

High blood cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease.

Article source: http://www.globaltvbc.com/health/health+canada+backs+vegetable+oil+claims+but+experts+are+skeptical/6442586857/story.html

In the cover story, CEN Associate Editor Carmen Drahl explains that the drug maker Pfizer abruptly stopped development of its newest heart medicine in 2006, when clinical trials showed it was increasing patients’ risk of death. Torcetrapib then was a high-profile potential new medication that blocked a substance called cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) in a way expected to increase blood levels of HDL-cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Experts hoped torcetrapib would open a new chapter in treating heart disease. Data, however, indicated that torcetrapib had increased the risk of death in a 15,000-patient clinical trial, and Pfizer promptly halted further development.

CEN describes how Eli Lilly, Roche and Merck slowed down development of their own CETP blockers to watch closely for hints unwanted of effects, such as torcetrapib’s tendency to increase blood pressure, which Pfizer had missed. So far, the new CETP blockers continue to show promise as viable new heart drugs. Drahl points out, however, that the final judgment may be years away as results of clinical trials on 30,000 become available.

Article source: http://www.sciencecodex.com/lessons_from_800million_drug_flop_may_lead_to_a_new_genre_of_anticholesterol_medicines-86579

There’s the number of days a month that she spends away from her new home in Ottawa as a shining star on the international opera circuit and judge on CityTV’s Canada’s Got Talent: 18.

Then there’s 180 — the number of pounds she lost a few years ago to build stamina for her gruelling tour dates. She also remembers 260/180, her out-of-control blood pressure reading in 2009 — when she was just 31.

And her favourite number of all? That would be 13, or the percentage of people who actually survive what she experienced on a June day three years ago, when her blood pressure grew so intense, it actually ripped a hole through the wall of her aorta, the heart’s main artery.

“Usually they find that you’ve had an aortic tear in the autopsy; it has an 87-per-cent mortality rate,� says Brueggergosman, now 34. “So I’m in the lucky 13 per cent.�

It’s not a statistic she takes lightly. As spokesperson for the Becel/Heart and Stroke Foundation’s The Heart Truth campaign, the soprano not only ‘‘knows her numbers� such as cholesterol levels, weight and blood pressure, she’s urging other women to learn theirs too.

According to Statistics Canada, heart disease is the leading killer of women, causing roughly seven times more deaths than breast cancer and five to six more deaths than lung disease.

“Many women think cancer is the leading cause of death, particularly breast cancer,â€? says Dr. Andrew Pipe, director of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute’s prevention and rehabilitation unit. “But the leading cause of death while being treated for breast cancer is heart attack. Women have as much heart disease as men, and once they reach menopause, their rate increases significantly.â€?

Then there are the unseen risk factors, such as stress and putting others first. “Women take on more responsibility, but they neglect themselves more and more in the process,� Brueggergosman observes. “Heart health is not something you can neglect. That’s why I tell people that taking care of your health is like making sure you put your oxygen mask on first in an airplane emergency. If you can’t take care of your health, you can’t take care of others.�

Ironically, it took a near-death experience to make Brueggergosman realize that putting other things first, like her career, was endangering her life. Despite having a strong family history of cardiovascular disease — her athletic, hockey-playing father had a heart attack at 38 (and later a quadruple bypass) and her grandparents plus two aunts succumbed before they were 50 — she led a hectic, stressful and weight-gaining lifestyle as a rising young star of Canadian opera.

“I was, for the most part, active as a kid growing up in Fredericton,� she says. “I speed-skated and played rugby. But once I started university, I started gaining more and more weight. It was neglect and a lack of education. I was naïve enough to think I had to be 40 to have a heart attack.�

Nothing could be further from the truth. While awaiting a table at a trendy Toronto restaurant in summer 2009, she “started to feel numbness in my fingers. It was blood being redirected as my aorta was splitting.�

Initially diagnosed with high blood pressure in the emergency room, she was back at the hospital the next day, complaining of chest pain. She immediately underwent open-heart surgery to repair the tear.

“We were in Nova Scotia when we got the call and were in Toronto the next afternoon,� remembers her mother Ann Gosman, who has joined her daughter in the Becel campaign. “At that point, she’d lost weight, got into exercising and was taking care of herself. Her dad kept reminding her to watch her blood work. We thought ‘she’s doing lifestyle changes and she should be OK.’ But that was not the case.�

Since then, Brueggergosman has made the kinds of changes that gladden the hearts of cardiac experts. Influenced by her mother, who says “women don’t think heart disease is an issue … but you mention breast cancer and they’re on it,â€? she gets regular checkups and blood work. And while she says that “sometimes, you lose the medical lotteryâ€? due to bad genes, “I do everything I can to put me on the winning side.â€?

Already a Bikram yoga devotee, Brueggergosman became an instructor and now guest teaches wherever she goes. She watches her diet, eats “salad and meat or salad and fish,� avoids “any food that makes me tired,� drinks “tons of water� and takes blood pressure medication. And when not on the road, she relaxes at home with her husband Markus, who is studying at Algonquin College to become a paramedic.

“My husband is way more of a homebody, so we need that balance. I really enjoy Ottawa. I like hockey and skating on the Rideau Canal, so it’s a no-brainer,� says Brueggergosman, who will sing the national anthem at the Ottawa Senators’ game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 24. (While living in Toronto, she says, she cheered both the Sens and the Leafs, but admits to a deep admiration for Leafs’ defenceman Jeff Gardiner’s elegant skating. “It’s a thing of beauty. And yes, I’m free for coffee, Mr. Gardiner.�)

But perhaps most importantly, she says, “what I’ve learned is that by stepping back from the action, I have a sense of what I like, what stresses me out, and it’s ultimately my family who will benefit. I wasn’t necessarily thinking ‘kids’ before I almost died. It wasn’t like I was avoiding having kids, but it hadn’t become a priority. I grew up without grandparents, but I see my parents as grandparents and I think, ‘My kids could have that. I could have that.’ �

Heart disease by the numbers

â–  One in three Canadian women die of heart disease and stroke.

■ High blood cholesterol is a key risk factor, yet 70 per cent of Canadians don’t know their cholesterol number.

■ While LDL cholesterol is a significant risk factor, HDL cholesterol is protective. Moderately intense physical exercise “is a very powerful stimulant of HDL,� says Dr. Andrew Pipe, director of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute’s prevention and rehabilitation unit.

■ Knowing your body mass index (BMI) is important, but “fitness is more important than fatness,� says Pipe. “We very much encourage someone who is overweight to focus on waist management instead of weight management. If a woman’s waist is greater than 88 centimetres, she should lose 10 per cent of her weight within six months.�

■ If you smoke, quit. If you don’t exercise, do. “The two most important doctors for many of us are our left and right legs,� Pipe says.

■ Ask your doctor to calculate your Framingham Risk Score. For example, a 53-year-old female smoker with total cholesterol of 6.3 and systolic blood pressure of 157 has a 27.5-per-cent chance of having a cardiovascular event within 10 years. “That’s a high risk,� says Pipe. “So we’d want to treat her for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking cessation.�

Article source: http://www.timescolonist.com/health/Healthy+heart+happy+heart+Soprano+Measha+Brueggergosman/6185471/story.html

The hereditary ailment causes dangerously high cholesterol levels and is particularly prevalent in certain parts of Quebec.

Maine cardiologist Dr. Robert Weiss said there is an unusually high number of cases of the disease in the Lewiston-Auburn region, which welcomed waves of French-Canadian migrant workers in the late 1800s.

Weiss encourages area residents with francophone ancestors to get tested for familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) — even if they have no family history of cholesterol problems.

To spread the word, he and some colleagues even hosted an information session on the disorder titled, “The French Connection,” during a local Franco-American festival.

“When they’re the children, or grandchildren or great-grandchildren of these people, they should be checked as part of their normal exams as they grow up,” Weiss said in an interview from Auburn, about 50 kilometres north of Portland.

“We’d like people to get checked when they’re five years old.”

Physicians have treated patients with FH for decades and, over the years, it has become increasingly treatable with medication.

But Weiss noted there’s still an awareness vacuum about a disease that can cause arteries to harden in those who are physically fit — even in teenagers.

A colleague of Weiss told a Lewiston newspaper that the rate of the ailment is 10 times higher in the area than elsewhere in the United States.

“You’ll see people in their 40s — even in their late 30s — who will have actual heart attacks, not just warning signs, but actual events,” said Weiss, a practising cardiologist who has conducted clinical research on FH for 25 years.

Battling the disorder

Maine’s Ouellette clan knows this all too well.

Bert Ouellette, who has FH, recalled how his cholesterol level registered at 500 milligrams per decilitre when he was in his late 20s. The American Heart Association considers a score of 240 to be high.

The Auburn resident, now 70 years old, has had several medical procedures to unclog arteries and he’s been taking medication to keep his cholesterol in check for decades.

Ouellette has many relatives who have also battled the disorder, including his daughter and his two granddaughters — who have both been on medication since they were preteens.

The former hockey player said his athletic son, Carl, survived a heart attack a few years ago.

“He almost died — he had five bypasses when he was 34 years old,” said the elder Ouellette, who himself swallows $1,500-$2,000 worth of meds every month.

“Believe me, I never thought I’d reach 50 years old and now I’m 70, because of the medication.”

Ouellette’s family roots trace back to Quebec where, in some areas, the rate of FH is more than six times higher than the worldwide average, says Quebec City physician Patrick Couture.

Couture recommends that all people with FH — even children as young as 10 — take medication to control their bad cholesterol because regular exercise and a healthy diet just aren’t good enough.

“Without medication, I would say it’s impossible to bring cholesterol down to a normal level,” he said of those with the disease.

There are two forms of FH: heterozygous and the rarer, more serious homozygous.

Couture said people with the heterozygous type usually have bad cholesterol levels two to three times higher than normal. Those with homozygous FH have levels six to eight times more than average, he added.

His clinic has around 500 people with FH, 20 of whom have the homozygous type.

Researchers like Couture believe FH, which is caused by a genetic mutation, was introduced to Quebec hundreds of years ago by an early settler from France.

Couture believes the disorder was common in isolated corners of the province because, historically, people had big families and travelled infrequently.

“You didn’t find the girl that you married on the other side of the world, often you married the girl from the place next door,” he said, adding the chances the gene was passed down were relatively high.

He noted that high rates of the disease are found in other pockets of the world, including northern Finland and parts of Tunisia and Lebanon, particularly among the Christian population.

In Quebec, he said FH is far less common in multicultural Montreal — where the rate is similar to the worldwide prevalence of one in 500 people — compared to more isolated regions in the northeast like Iles-de-la-Madeleine, where the rate is about one in 80.

Keeping the culture alive

Back in Maine, physicians hope to put an end to the health risks caused by the FH family tradition.

Ironically, it comes at a time when locals are working hard to keep the cultural and linguistic ties to French Canada alive.

Weiss said Lewiston’s French-language newspaper shuttered its doors in the 1980s, while the area’s largest cathedral now has been reduced to just one French church service on Sundays.

But the historical links are maintained through museums and annual festivals.

“That population is winding down and the grandchildren might understand French, but not speak it,” said Weiss, who moved to the area from New York in 1985.

“(The festival) tries to help people connect to their roots, and I think those are important — and maybe they should do a cholesterol (awareness) part of it.”

© The Canadian Press, 2012

Article source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2012/02/21/us-docs-french-canadian-genes.html

Article source: http://gulfport.patch.com/articles/cholesterol-unchained

American Red Cross blood drive

NORWALK –To make an appointment for an American Red Cross blood drive, call the American Red Cross at (800) RED-CROSS (800) 733-2767 or visit RedCrossBlood.org.

Adult survivors of child abuse meet

NORWALK — A group for survivors of childhood abuse meets on Monday evenings from 7 to 8 p.m. at 16 River St. For more information, call (203) 520-2130.

Pet Protectors needs volunteers

FAIRFIELD– Pet Protectors in Fairfield is in need of volunteers for various activities such as baking, making telephone calls, distributing flyers, fundraising, helping at events, transporting animals to the vet, pet sitting, running errands, walking a dog, picture taking, and much, much more. For more information, call (203) 330-0255, or visit www.petprotectorsrescue.org.

Support group for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder meets 3rd Fridays

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield County OCD Support Group, free and open to all individuals, families and friends dealing with OCD, holds meetings at First Church Congregational 148 Beach Road in Fairfield on the third Friday of each month. For directions or information about OCD visit the group website at fairfieldocdgroup.freehostia.com or contact Dr. Christina J. Taylor at (203) 372-4593 or taylorc@sacredheart.edu.

American Cancer Society seeking volunteers to help cancer patients

NORWALK — The American Cancer Society is looking for Road to Recovery volunteers to drive cancer patients to and from medical treatment facilities, providing a friendly, supportive and reliable presence for patients who are unable to drive themselves. Volunteers must be 18 years or older, with a car, good driving record and daytime availability. For information, call (800) 889-3340.

Free Sahaja meditation classes held in Norwalk Library on Mondays

NORWALK –Free Sahaja meditation classes will be held in the Norwalk Library’s second floor Chess Room, 1 Belden Ave. at 7:30 p.m. every Monday.

Animal rescue group seeks volunteers

NORWALK –Straysand Others, a local animal rescue and adoption organization, is seeking volunteers to assist with animal care, adoption events, fundraising and publicity. For more information, contact (203) 966-6556 or email: straysandothers@hotmail.com.

Nasal flu vaccine available for $35

WESTPORT?– The Westport Weston Health District has received a supply of nasal flu vaccine, also known as FluMist.This vaccine is a live, attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) and recommended for healthy individuals between the ages of 2-49 years. LAIV does not contain thimerosal or other preservatives. Influenza (flu) is caused by a virus which can be spread by coughing, sneezing, or nasal secretions. The cost of the live attenuated influenza vaccine is $35. For more information or to make an appointment, call Loren Pace, RN, at (203) 227-9571 ext. 231.

Health Dept. offers encephalitis vaccine

NORWALK — In response to client requests and as part of ongoing efforts to provide comprehensive travel immunization services, the Norwalk Health Department now offers the Japanese encephalitis vaccine for persons ages 17 and older. The vaccine protects against Japanese encephalitis virus, a mosquito-borne virus that exists throughout most of Asia and parts of the western Pacific. Travel immunizations are available by appointment. To make an appointment for an immunization, call (203) 854-7776.

American Red Cross blood drive

NORWALK –To make an appointment for an American Red Cross blood drive, call the American Red Cross at (800) RED-CROSS (800) 733-2767 or visit RedCrossBlood.org.

Adult survivors of child abuse meet

NORWALK — A group for survivors of childhood abuse meets on Monday evenings from 7 to 8 p.m. at 16 River St. For more information, call (203) 520-2130.

Pet Protectors needs volunteers

FAIRFIELD– Pet Protectors in Fairfield is in need of volunteers for various activities such as baking, making telephone calls, distributing flyers, fundraising, helping at events, transporting animals to the vet, pet sitting, running errands, walking a dog, picture taking, and much, much more. For more information, call (203) 330-0255, or visit www.petprotectorsrescue.org.

Support group for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder meets 3rd Fridays

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield County OCD Support Group, free and open to all individuals, families and friends dealing with OCD, holds meetings at First Church Congregational 148 Beach Road in Fairfield on the third Friday of each month. For directions or information about OCD visit the group website at fairfieldocdgroup.freehostia.com or contact Dr. Christina J. Taylor at (203) 372-4593 or taylorc@sacredheart.edu.

Support group for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder meets 3rd Fridays

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield County OCD Support Group, free and open to all individuals, families and friends dealing with OCD, holds meetings at First Church Congregational 148 Beach Road in Fairfield on the third Friday of each month. (This Friday, Feb. 17, is the third Friday this month.) For directions or information about OCD visit the group website at fairfieldocdgroup.freehostia.com or contact Dr. Christina J. Taylor at (203) 372-4593 or taylorc@sacred heart.edu.

American Red Cross blood drive

NORWALK –To make an appointment for an American Red Cross blood drive, call the American Red Cross at (800) RED-CROSS (800) 733-2767 or visit RedCrossBlood.org.

Adult survivors of child abuse meet

NORWALK — A group for survivors of childhood abuse meets on Monday evenings from 7 to 8 p.m. at 16 River St. For more information, call (203) 520-2130.

Health Care Planning and Advanced Directives — topic at Waveny Care Center

NEW CANAAN — Upcoming programs in the Norwalk Hospital Waveny Care Center lecture series include:

• Thursday, April 12, at 4 p.m. Dr. Stuart Novack, rheumatologist, Norwalk Medical Group, will discuss “Arthritis.”

• Thursday, May 17, at 4 p.m., Dr. Robert Weiss, Connecticut Center for Advanced ENT Care, will discuss “Hearing Loss.”

• Thursday, June 7, at 4 p.m., Dr. Nicholas Polifroni, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Coastal Orthopaedics, will discuss Osteoarthritis and Joint Replacement”

For more information, and to make a reservation to attend the program on Feb. 9 at Waveny Care Center, 3 Farm Road in New Canaan, call (203) 594-5357.

Westport Weston Health District offers ‘Heart Awareness Month’ screenings

Westport/Weston — February has been declared Heart Awareness Month by the American Heart Association (AHA). Coronary heart disease is the No. 1 killer of Americans. Heart disease develops slowly and silently, over decades. In fact, it can go virtually unnoticed until it causes a heart attack.

“The good news is that many of the risk factors for heart disease are modifiable or treatable, such as high cholesterol, blood pressure and physical inactivity, or entirely preventable, such as smoking. Healthy eating habits and behaviors do take time to develop, but it’s worth the effort. The old adage ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ certainly applies to heart disease. So find out your cholesterol and blood pressure, identify your risks, and get started on the road to a healthy future,” says Monica Wheeler, RN.

The Westport Weston Health District (WWHD) is offering cholesterol and blood pressure screenings on Tuesday, Feb. 28, from 8 to 10 a.m.

This rapid test that only requires a few blood drops from a finger stick will generate a total lipid profile (Cholesterol, Triglyceride, LDL, and HDL) and Glucose levels (make sure to fast for 12 hours before your test).

“With this information, our health professionals will help you develop a personal action plan to make hearthealthy choices,” Wheeler said.

The cost for the screening is $25 payable by cash, check, MasterCard, or Visa. Registration is required; register on the WWHD website www.wwhd.org, or call Wheeler at (203) 227-9571 ext. 242.

Free six-week workshop set at the Westport Center for Senior Activities

Westport/Weston — “Looking for a new lease on life? Want to age successfully and in comfort? Do you want to be a take-charge kind of person? Then Live Well is right for you,” says Monica Wheeler, RN.

The Westport Weston Health District will offer Live Well, a free six-week workshop at the Westport Center for Senior Activities on Mondays, Feb. 27 through April 2, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. An evening session will be offered beginning on Thursday, April 26, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. for those who find this timeframe more convenient.

Live Well is facilitated by specially trained leaders, and provides opportunities for interaction and group problem solving related to common issues experienced by most people living with health concerns or conditions.

“We are more like coaches”, says Wheeler, Community Health Director at WWHD, a facilitator of the Live Well program. “The answer to someone’s question usually comes from the participants in the room.”

Each week, participants get the support they need to enhance their lives, find practical ways to deal with stress, anxiety, and pain, discover better nutrition and exercise choices, understand new treatment choices, and learn better ways to talk with doctors and family about health concerns.

“So whatever your health concerns — weight, cholesterol, blood pressure, arthritis, asthma, chronic pain, anxiety, Lyme disease, or being the caregiver of another, our Live Well workshop can help you change your life and live it well,” Wheeler said.

For additional information, call Wheeler at the Westport Weston Health District at (203) 227-9571, ext. 242. Space is limited and registration is required. To register, call the Center for Senior Activities at (203) 341- 5099.

Article source: http://wiltonvillager.com/story/520225

Heart disease kills an estimated 630,000 Americans each year. It’s the leading cause of death for men and women. In the United States, the most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD), which can lead to a heart attack. You can greatly reduce your risk for CAD through lifestyle changes and, in some cases, medication.

Heart disease is expensive to treat. Cardiovascular disease and stroke hospitalizations cost nearly $450 billion in health care expenses and lost productivity in 2010 alone. The sad truth is these ailments are usually preventable.

The good news is there are only a few causes of heart disease that are out of our control, such as genetic predisposition, family history and aging. The rest is a matter of choice. Even small lifestyle improvements can make a significant difference.

Weight control, good nutrition, regular exercise and stress reduction are all part of that. Each one of these is achievable for everyone with enough commitment and willingness to make the efforts. Thinking about heart disease is a good start, but it doesn’t end there. You need to do something about it.

It’s easy to forget about your heart health when you’re on the go. In the daily grind of working, raising a family or rushing to get to a meeting, we often take the health of our hearts for granted. Show your heart some extra TLC by getting active and eating better.

• Get active: Thirty minutes per day of moderate physical activity, five days per week, will lead to feeling better and living longer. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be all at once. Make time for walking. Park at the far end of a parking lot or take the stairs. Take short walks during the workday. Plan a walk with a special person or canine companion when you get home from school or the office, before you get tied up making dinner or cracking open books.

• Eat better: A healthy diet is one of your best weapons in the war against heart disease. Keep a journal of what you are eating and drinking. Stock your kitchen with healthy foods and leave the junk food at the store. Cut back on salt and added sugars. Eat fish twice per week. Include fruits and vegetable in a variety of colors in your diet every day. Increase your fiber intake with whole grains. Cut back on saturated and trans fats. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water.

If you need help as you get on the road to treating your heart well, we have a class for you.

Tanana District Cooperative Extension is offering the Strong Woman-Healthy Heart Program to help women improve their heart health. It is a fun, hands-on way to make positive changes to help you eat better, move more and improve your general health and well-being.

The 12-week program will be offered beginning in March. The class will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. at the extension office at 724 27th Avenue.

Classes will have an aerobic exercise session and a short nutrition lesson including topics on menu planning, portion control and healthy eating. Participants will learn how to improve cholesterol levels, blood pressure and weight.

The 12 week series will start March 6 and will have a supplies fee of $25. To register for the class or if you have questions, call 474-2420.

Roxie Rodgers Dinstel is a professor of extension on the Tanana District Extension Faculty. Questions or column requests can be emailed to her at rrdinstel@alaska.edu or by calling 474-2426. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, working in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Article source: http://newsminer.com/bookmark/17590197-Keeping-your-heart-healthy-can-also-be-good-for-your-wallet

The hereditary ailment causes dangerously high cholesterol levels and is particularly prevalent in certain parts of Quebec.

Maine cardiologist Dr. Robert Weiss said there is an unusually high number of cases of the disease in the region near the city of Lewiston, which welcomed waves of French-Canadian migrant workers in the late 1800s.

Mr. Weiss encourages area residents with francophone ancestors to get tested for familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) — even if they have no family history of cholesterol problems.

He and his colleagues even hosted an information session on the disorder titled, “The French Connection,” during a local Franco-American festival.

“When they’re the children, or grandchildren or great-grandchildren of these people, they should be checked as part of their normal exams as they grow up,” Mr. Weiss said in an interview from Auburn, ME.

“We’d like people to get checked when they’re five years old.”

He noted that physicians have treated FH for decades, but many people don’t know the disease can cause hardening arteries in those who are physically fit — even teenagers.

One of Mr. Weiss’ colleagues told a Lewiston newspaper that the area has about 10 times the rate of the ailment as the rest of the United States, or about one in every 30 to 50 people.

“You’ll see people in their 40s — even in their late 30s — who will have actual heart attacks, not just warning signs, but actual events,” said Mr. Weiss, a practising cardiologist who has conducted clinical research on FH for 25 years.

He added that FH has become increasingly treatable with medication.

In some corners of Quebec, meanwhile, the rate of the disease is more than six times higher than the worldwide average, says Quebec City physician Patrick Couture.

Mr. Couture said all people with FH — even children as young as 10 — should take medication to control their cholesterol.

“Without medication, I would say it’s impossible to bring cholesterol down to a normal level,” he said.

There are two forms of FH: heterozygous and the rarer, more serious homozygous.

Mr. Couture said people with the heterozygous type usually have bad cholesterol levels two to three times higher than normal. Those with homozygous have levels six to eight times more than average, he added.

Article source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/doctors-urge-franco-americans-to-get-checked-for-dangerous-french-canadian-disease/article2344060/?utm_medium=Feeds%3A%20RSS%2FAtom&utm_source=Home&utm_content=2344060

Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the United States, responsible for an estimated one in four deaths each year. More women die of heart disease than of all cancers combined.

The good news is that heart disease is largely preventable through an active, healthy lifestyle.

By choosing to show our heart some love now, we increase our chances of being around and able to show love to others well into the future.

Risk of a ‘broken’ heart

Let’s not wait for the signs of a heart attack before paying attention to our heart. Regular health screenings can alert us to potential problems so we can work with medical professionals to reduce our risks.

High blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar can all be risk factors for  heart disease. Each can be addressed through lifestyle changes and/or the help of a physician.

Although we can’t change our family tree, we need to know our family history of heart disease. If Mom, Dad or another close relative faced heart disease or cardiovascular problems, we can make an extra effort to take good care of our heart and reduce our chances of developing problems too.

Being overweight is also a risk factor. A waist circumference of more than 40 inches for men and more than 35 inches for women indicates a higher risk of heart disease.

The good news is that reducing our weight by just 10 percent is not only good for our heart, it can also decrease our blood pressure, lower our cholesterol and reduce our risk of diabetes.

Show love to your heart

• Don’t use tobacco: Many experts agree that quitting smoking is the single most important thing a person can do to live longer. Smokers are twice as likely to have heart attacks than non-smokers are. Chemicals in tobacco, even smokeless tobacco, can damage the heart and blood vessels.

In preventing heart disease, no amount of smoking is safe. However, no matter how long or how much someone has smoked, once they quit the risk of heart disease drops dramatically within just one year.

Call (800) 784-8669 (QUITNOW) for free help to quit smoking. This one call might be the best Valentine’s Day gift you could ever give yourself or a loved one.

• Move more: Thirty to 60 minutes of moderately intense exercise most days of the week can significantly reduce your risk of fatal heart disease as well as decrease your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.

Start where you are. Even 10 minutes of exercise beats nothing. Consider it a date with your heart. But don’t be risky – get permission from your doctor first.

• Eat better: A heart-healthy diet is lower in saturated fat, cholesterol and salt, yet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy.

Saturated fats and trans fats can increase cholesterol and the risk of coronary artery disease. Major sources of these unhealthy fats include deep-fried foods, fatty red meat, bakery and full-fat dairy products, packaged snack foods, coconut and palm oils, margarines and even some crackers. If you see “partially hydrogenated” on the food label, then it includes trans fats and is best avoided.

For more information on specific heart-healthy diets, such as the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension) Diet, talk with your doctor.

• Stress less: Stress does our heart no favors. Stress may be a part of life, but finding ways to manage it is good for our mental and emotional well-being and also for our heart health.

A walk or stretch break, deep breathing exercises, yoga or tai chi, meditation or prayer, eating healthy foods, even journaling and getting a good night’s sleep can help improve how we manage the many stressors in our day.

This Valentine’s Day, let’s show our heart the kind of love that will help keep it ticking for us well into the future.

Lisa Wade Raasch coordinates the Muskogee Wellness Initiative (www.muskogeewellness.org) and directs the EOK Health Care Coalition. Write her at lisa@muskogeewellness.org.

Article source: http://muskogeephoenix.com/features/x980637746/Be-your-own-Valentine-improve-your-heart-care