Category Archives: Heart & Vascular Health

A Season for Wellness and Optimism

Holidays can be a mixed bag for health. Almost everybody embraces this magical and festive season with joyful spirit and exciting anticipation of a new year ahead. On the flip side, there are stress issues or the temptation to have more drinks, more palatable foods and overindulgence. Yet our holidays can be filled with wellness, happiness and hope.

This blog will focus on scientifically proven health hazards during holidays, and on right actions or behaviors that help guide you to a healthier, more sparkling holiday season.

First, what has research found on holiday health issues?

1. It’s common that total and LDL cholesterol levels are elevated after the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

Observational studies show that a large majority of 25,764 adult participants have elevated levels of total cholesterol and LDL (“bad cholesterol”) after the holiday season, implying a higher risk of hypercholesterolemia in the general population.

2. Catecholamine buildup from holiday stress, excitement or overindulgence can result in cardiac deaths.

Evidence indicates that alcohol, certain foods (e.g., those high in phenols) along with holiday overeating inhibit a key enzyme responsible for catecholamine inactivation and cause accumulation of catecholamines, leading to cardiac death (often referred to “holiday cardiac death phenomenon”). Furthermore, while polyphenols (a type of antioxidant compounds) occur naturally in many plant-based foods with various health benefits, be aware that food industries also add them to some foods and too much consumption may have adverse effects.

3. The Christmas and New Year’s holidays are a risk factor for cardiac events and deaths.

It’s essential to know that sudden cardiac death is not rare. According to AHA’s 2018 update – each year there are more than 356,000 out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrests (i.e., cardiac deaths) in the U.S., nearly 90% of them fatal. Sudden cardiac death is also a major public health concern worldwide.

Next, how to enjoy lovely celebrations and prevent harmful outcome?

Cook turkey or chicken and enjoy the process. Limit consumption of red or processed meats.
Eat less “tasty” foods that are likely packed with fat, sugar and salt. Instead, have more fresh vegetables and fruits and nuts, or use them to create a healthful and nutritious dish or dessert.
Drink or serve less alcohol and soft drinks. Take pleasure in self-made vegetable & fruit juice or drink more tea. —— * Please understand that I’m not advocating to make a tightened schedule more stressful by spending more time in the kitchen, but I just want to remind folks of health benefits bundled in some pleasant activities – cooking and cleaning together through a team of family, friends and/or coworkers – an act of care, because eating healthy is an important way to take care of yourself and your family during the holidays and year round.

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Practice moderation to avoid overindulgence or overeating. As the research evidence mentioned above, “holiday cardiac death phenomenon” can occur out of unhealthy behaviors. This is exactly why moderation is key wisdom and why processed foods should be limited.
Foster emotional capacity and power, which is indispensable for surviving stressful situations in work or life. Control your stress level and handle a variety of factors or matters with grace, love, and kindness, such as leaving “political fireworks” off the dinner table, driving with courtesy, coping with loneliness or an unfavorable relative, etc.
Have a more active and livelier holiday. Don’t discount exercise. Find ways to be physically active and strengthen your heart. Dance more, walk more and move around more.
Keep good sleep patterns and make sure you have seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Holiday events may affect our sleep time. Work overload and short sleep duration contribute to potential cardiovascular disease and events. When coupled with stress, sleep deficiency can weaken your immune system and increase the likelihood of getting an infection especially in the middle of flu season.
Don’t delay seeking medical help and treatment.

Healthful and joyful holidays can help you lay the foundation for your New Year’s Resolution on a sound and continuous track.

Takeaway Message

As you wrap up the end of the year, this is also a time to make a commitment to improve your health and overall well-being. So start now, start small, and keep on. Practice healthy behaviors, reward healthy behaviors, encourage and share healthy behaviors.

Picture yourself with a consistent healthy lifestyle in the coming year.
See your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol numbers constitute a new profile.
Feel your energy and vitality to greet a productive new year!

Believe it and feel the JOY!

Wish you a wonderful and safe Holiday Season!

Image Credit: Pixabay, CPD

Sensible Caring for a Healthy Heart and Healthy Body

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

February is a month filled with love, festival events, and health observances, including the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year, Black History Month, World Cancer Day, and Heart Health Month.

In addition to sharing love and celebrating festivities, let’s direct our love to two major health issues.

Consider the top two killers in the US—heart disease and cancer. Heart disease causes about 23% of all deaths, and cancers about 22% of all deaths.

Not long ago, one of my husband’s associates described her story of a heart attack. It was not as dramatic as the kind of sudden onset that you often see on TV or read about in the newspaper, but it was indeed a vivid and a life-or-death event. To cut a long story short, her feeling of fatigue, nausea, and left shoulder pain led her to a hospital ER at her husband’s urging. Once there, she suddenly became unconscious at one point during tests and treatment, with a “flat-line” on the electrocardiogram (ECG) that lasted for three to four minutes. Fortunately, the medical team was able to revive her heart using treatments including shocks by a defibrillator and chest compressions.

The incident, consistent with what science tells us, shows that heart attack is not an old man’s disease; it doesn’t discriminate between genders or among ages. A fairly healthy middle-aged lady may experience a heart attack. Strikingly, symptoms of heart attack differ in men and women, particularly the fact that the typical chest pain or chest pressure commonly seen in men may not be a major complaint in women.

The incident reminds us of what is termed a silent heart attack. This is a heart attack without apparent symptoms that can go unnoticed. However, it may be detected by ECG during a routine check-up or a visit for some reason at a clinic.

The incident also reinforces how essential it is to learn the risk factors for heart disease and live a healthy lifestyle. Heart disease and cancer have some common risk factors, esp. those modifiable ones, a healthy lifestyle can offset them. So, every step counts and every choice counts.

Let me take hypertension as an example, because it’s a known “silent killer.” High blood pressure initially doesn’t have symptoms and doesn’t affect daily functions until after it has done severe damage to the heart and vasculature. Hypertension is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Although a causal link between hypertension and cancer has not been established, hypertension and hyperlipidemia are common among patients with cancer. High blood pressure is also associated with an increased risk of developing cancer.
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However, when digging deeper, we find that salt (sodium, diet salt) is a sneaky, slow, and silent killer. More salt intake can increase blood pressure. Average Americans’ daily salt intake exceeds the recommended amount of <2300 mg/d or 1 teaspoon measure, with about 75% of salt coming from hidden sources—particularly processed and packaged foods. Ideally, it’s better to limit salt consumption to <1500 mg/d, as American Heart Association advised.

Take another example, stress. Stress is inescapable in modern life. However, uncontrolled or chronic stress poses a higher risk for the development of hypertension and heart disease. Furthermore, a higher level of stress hormone cortisol in the blood can exhaust or compromise immune system—fundamental defense that keeps cancer at bay.

Therefore, rethink stress and reduce stress. When facing demanding tasks or difficult situations, stop and smell the roses, or at least stop and take a few deep breaths, telling yourself “all shall pass.” Plus, apply any stress-relief techniques that work best for you.

Taking everything into account, there is a lot you can do to lower your chance of having heart disease and cancer. Whatever steps you take, make it attainable and stick with it. And if you stray, get back on track as quickly as you can.

Remember: On your journey each day you have a silent partner—your immune system. You can strengthen it by consuming a healthy diet and drink, daily exercise, adequate sleep, and keeping a positive attitude and a joyful spirit. Collectively, these approaches help you prevent both heart disease and cancer.

The bottom line is –

Your heart health and overall wellness deserve your attention all year long, not just on one day or one month.

Image Credit: Clipart and CPD

TARCO – A Tool for Your Lifestyle Transformation

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

You say you want to have a healthy lifestyle to prevent cancer and heart disease, but abandoning unhealthy habits can be hard?

I hear you. So I want to suggest a tool I believe can help you achieve that healthy lifestyle you want and need. I call it TARCO, which stands for Trigger, Auto-Responder, Choice, and Outcome.

Before I show you how TARCO can help you ditch an old habit and transform to a new, more healthful one, let’s take a moment to talk about the horrible realities that can result when bad behavior is in play.

A few examples:

Smoking is a bloody wound. That wound hurts because you are bleeding, painful and injured, and worse, because deep inside and invisible it may be causing smoke-brewed cancer and/or the clogging of your arteries that can lead to heart attack.

Eating junk food is an addiction to SAD (Standard American Diet). The “toxic craving” may satisfy your taste or convenience, but it is dangerous because the prescription of animal fats, sweetness, and salts promotes weight gain and the development of many chronic diseases.

Tanning is a fever caused by vanity—caring about one’s appearance so much you allow yourself to be baked with UV radiation. It is dangerous because a hidden scar or lesion is roasted by a known carcinogen, and skin cancer finally surfaces.

So, how do you stop bleeding, the SAD addiction, or the burning? Stop the source. Specifically, to embrace a lifestyle change, work on the trigger (or triggers) to the unhealthy habit, and eliminate it or at least avoid it.

Triggers are ubiquitous in life, and inevitable.

Triggers that are relevant to health may consist of physical, psychological, or emotional signals, or inducements from the social environment.

For example, stress is often a major trigger, leading you automatically to smoke more or drink more or eat more fats and sweets. Any of these risky behaviors can be viewed as an auto-responder or a default mode that results in negative health consequences. At the same time, the behaviors themselves tend to make the stress worse, further exacerbating the unhealthy behaviors and their consequences.
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Now let’s switch to choices.

If you desire better health and are resolved to achieve it, you have various choices in responding to stress. Instead of reaching for that cigarette you feel you need, you can take a walk, take some deep breaths, or take a bath to alleviate the stress. Instead of going for that extra piece of cake you are craving, you can choose to keep a healthy, fiber-rich energy bar handy to substitute for the more harmful alternative. Choices are always available.

If you reinforce new behaviors so they develop into new habits, you improve your wellness in a new direction and with rewarding results.

Not all triggers are easily identified.

To find an original trigger, sometimes you need to retrace the steps, recount the environment or emotions, in order to discover what established the trigger in the first place. Then break away from the old “auto-responder” behavior.

For example, returning to stress, ask yourself what triggers your stress? Maybe it is anger with a situation, frustration from a demanding boss, or anxiety over your finances. Finding that trigger(s) may take some clear-eyed digging! Honest, not selective.

And remember: triggers are unavoidable, but they weaken when you identify them and realize that your choices are within your control.

Finally, as a sum-up for TARCO

Take some time to reflect on your work and personal life, examine what triggers initiate your auto-responders, and ask what can you do differently. Choose new choices that are specific, realistic, and immediately actionable. By fortifying a healthy lifestyle to counter an unhealthy one, you are bound to receive beneficial outcomes for your precious health and quality of life.

Cheers for your effort and success!

Go Beyond Knowing Obesity Is Bad (Part 1)

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

As you no doubt know, obesity is a condition of abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. The condition results from genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors. Virtually everybody knows that obesity is bad for you; but in this post, I want to elaborate further. In particular, I’m going to emphasize FAT, the adipose tissue in our bodies.

Adipose tissue is not only an inert fat-storage tissue, but an active endocrine organ, being accountable for synthesizing and secreting several hormones and inflammatory substances – from angiotensin, leptin, TNF-alpha and IL-6 to adiponectin, just to name a few.

Let’s take one of them, angiotensin, as an example to explain the link between obesity and hypertension.

Fat tissue has a local renin-angiotensin system (RAS), which is well-known as an important regulator of blood pressure and a determinant of cardiovascular homeostasis. One of the components is angiotensin II (Ang II) generated from angiotensinogen (AGT). Ang II causes vasoconstriction, reducing the lumen of blood vessels, leading to elevated blood pressure.

Yiannikouris et al’s study (2012) provided compelling evidence that fat-derived AGT contributes to circulating AGT levels and blood pressure regulation.

Under normal condition, while most AGT in the blood comes from the liver, AGT produced by fat cells contributes significantly (~26%) to the circulating pool of AGT. Noticeably, in obese state, fat mass increases fat-derived AGT, which may become a major source of circulating AGT, leading to stimulated RAS, increased Ang II and elevated blood pressure. So, you can see how obesity is linked to hypertension through fat-derived AGT.

Now, what needs to be addressed is how fat mass is expanded. Well, increased caloric intake, a sedentary lifestyle, and/or various endocrine disorders can all promote the development of fat mass, leading to an increase in AGT gene expression and a high level of circulating AGT in obesity. Furthermore, with an increase in fat tissue and circulating AGT, increased Ang II initiates fat cell growth and thus enlarges fat mass. On the whole, RAS activation results in not only hypertension but also weight gain.

Next, let’s look at how the presence of fat on various tissues and organs impacts your health.

Fat on/around Blood Vessels

Under physiological condition, vascular endothelial cells, the inner lining of blood vessels, synthesize and release endothelium-derived nitric oxide (NO) and/or other relaxing factors that induce endothelium-dependent vasodilation, increase blood flow, and play a critical role in the regulating blood pressure. We now know that functional changes in endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells contribute to the initiation and progression of cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis.

There is also fat tissue that structurally and functionally surrounds blood vessels.
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How could fat be involved in pathological changes?

Fat tissue around blood vessels can produce inflammation-promoting chemicals, subsequently promoting vascular diseases. Under conditions of hypercholesterolemia, high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS, i.e. free radicals) can rapidly destroy NO and impair endothelium-dependent vasodilation; the abnormality is evident in various disorders such as diabetes, coronary artery disease and hypertension.

After feeding mice with a high-fat diet for 2 weeks, researchers found a reduction in anti-inflammatory factors and an increase in pro-inflammatory chemicals in fat tissue around blood vessels (i.e. perivascular fat), but not fat surrounding abdominal organs (i.e. visceral fat) and under the skin (i.e. subcutaneous fat) in these animals. Consistent with functional studies, these data suggest that pro-inflammatory factors derived from perivascular fat play a key role in the development of vascular dysfunction, and vascular dysfunction is likely an early sign of cardiovascular diseases.

High fat mass can also raise your LDL (i.e. bad cholesterol) and blood pressure, and cause insulin resistance – a risk for type-2 diabetes. My research has demonstrated that bad cholesterol (especially its oxidized form) can cause endothelial dysfunction and reduced blood flow in small brain arteries. Other researchers have also found that fat diet, together with overexpression of oxidized LDL’s receptor, can cause vascular dysfunction in small mesenteric arteries.

It is worth mentioning that obesity reduces adiponectin, a substance that is secreted from fat tissue and protects blood vessels against endothelial dysfunction. Clinical data show that lower levels of blood adiponectin are correlated to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.

How about fat inside blood vessels?

You have probably heard about the “plaque”, a combination of cholesterol, fat, calcium and other substances. In atherosclerosis, plaque builds up inside your arteries, grows larger due to chronic inflammation, and can eventually rupture. When this takes place, blood clots clog up the lumen of arteries, blocking blood flow and depriving oxygen supply. Consequently, heart attack and stroke may occur, depending on a clot’s location in the coronary or brain arteries.

Overall, as fat expansion outside and inside blood vessels, increased oxidative stress and chronic inflammation promote cardiovascular aging and diseases.

Please stay tuned to learn hidden fat on intra-abdominal and vital organs (Part 2).

References (including Pt. 1 & Pt. 2) Click here

Image by CPD

Color-Coded Foods Guide Your Immune System and Vitality

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Does the food color panel tell something about your diet and your body?

Are you fully aware how your daily diet contributes to chronic inflammation? — which has been proven to be a link to countless chronic diseases, especially heart disease and cancer.

Plant-based, colorful foods, i.e., red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple vegetables and fruits, are filled with nutrients. The “food rainbow” contains not only vitamins and minerals, but most importantly, phytonutrients and antioxidants. Accumulated scientific evidence has shown their anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, anti-pollutant, and anti-cancer properties.
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Image credit: Pixabay

Men’s Health Month Ends BUT Men’s Health Challenges Persist

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

A lot of men are “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” kind of guys and believe they can fix anything by themselves. This is true many times in life. But when it comes to health conditions, it could be a dangerous misconception.

Today, I’m going to highlight how men’s masculinity or “toughness” and emotional restraint may impede them from seeking medical or professional help, consequently having a negative or even grave effect on their health.

The Cover-Ups & Attitude

Sometimes, those “annoying” symptoms (e.g., snoring, bad breath, enlarged prostate, and unexplained weight gain or loss) show up and even persist; but a lot of guys would rather tough it out or put off a visit to the doctor with various excuses. I get that. But do you know – a quiet health crisis may be underway?

How about in the workplace? Masculinity may influence workplace health and safety particularly in male-dominated skilled trades as injured workers return to work too early and “tough” workers then reinforce dominant masculine norms. Results of a joint study from the University of Toronto showed, “A desire to be viewed as a strong, responsible, resilient worker may intersect with concerns about job loss, to influence participants’ decisions to not report safety issues and workplace accidents, to not disclose post-injury work challenges, and to not request workplace supports” (Stergiou-Kita et al., Work; 2016). Certainly, institutional identification and practices play a role too.

How about social or psychosocial beliefs? Some folks believe that cancer will inevitably lead to death (so-called cancer fatalism). A study by Mitchell et al. (Res. Aging; 2016) reported that among 1,666 African American males enrolled in Medicare, 76.5% felt helpless, 44.2% confused, and 40.7% pessimistic about the ability to prevent cancer. Despite a couple of limitations, the study reveals a challenging factor for cancer prevention and screening detection. Important to note, although African American males remain at greatest risk for dying from prostate, colorectal, and lung cancers compared to men of other races, early detection and treatment save lives.

The Facts & Evidence

Men are more vulnerable to various disorders at all ages across the lifespan. Also, men’s average life expectancy stays largely behind that of women’s. Primary physical health risks that are leading causes of death or are burdens for men include cardiovascular diseases (heart disease and stroke), cancer (especially prostate and lung cancer), diabetes, depression, and suicide. Fortunately, many of the top causes of death are preventable and can be treated, if found early.

Finally, here is a list of Strategic Actions you or your loved ones can take for men’s health:

Check out critical numbers such as blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugar; keep them in normal ranges.
Schedule recommended screenings for prostate and colon cancer, and a routine testicle exam.
Schedule a routine medical care or physical examination.
Ladies, accompany your man to his doctor visit. This can be a great help with eliminating potential communication barrier(s) to disclosing a real problem or filling in a missing note.
Keep mentally active; for example, take new classes, play brain games, or learn something new.
Forge a close relationship with a circle of friends.
Never ignore some seemingly common symptoms such as snoring, bad breath, and enlarged prostate. Take note of it. If the problem persists, consult your physician to rule out any medical conditions.
Consult professional help if you (or your man) have symptoms of depression.

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In summary, to prevent a quiet health crisis in men, we all need to step in by advancing men’s mental health, strengthening men’s workplace safety, and caring about men’s overall well-being, in addition to monitoring men’s physical health.

Saving His life—men’s lives—is one of the best things to do throughout the year!

Image credit: www.communitycarechemist.com.au/category/mens-health

Cheering You on to Immune-beneficial Exercises

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

We are at the beginning of March. If you made a New Year’s resolution about health and have made some progress, cheers! If you don’t have a resolution or it fell off the wagon by the end of February, it’s time to get back on track. I’m here to help you by breaking down how a few types of exercise may boost your immune function.

Note that we are not talking about strenuous physical exercise (e.g., an Ironman race) performed by well-trained athletes. We will examine doable exercises for ordinary folks like you and me. The key is that you need to choose types of exercise that are appropriate for your particular situation.

Let’s start with moderate regular exercises.

This can be walking 20-30 minutes a day, yoga or pilates, stretching, dancing, and even badminton—physical activities that can be easily incorporated into your daily life. Moderate, regular physical exercise is considered to be associated with many health benefits, including lowered blood pressure, reduced weight gain, improved glucose tolerance, better sleep, and increased immunity to fight infection.

A few studies by the Kagawa group showed that walking at a forest park increased human “natural killer” cell activity and the level of anti-cancer proteins, with the effect lasting at least seven days. Because “natural killer” cells are a part of the immune response to cancer, the research provided an intriguing perspective despite the small samplings of human subjects in the studies.

Resistance exercise (weight training)

Resistance training ranges from push-ups and squats to weight lifting and weight machines in order to build strength. Maximal resistance exercise increases the acute immune response, which is measured by changes in circulating levels of leukocytes and inflammatory molecules (i.e. cytokines).

To avoid impairing the immune system, allow your body and your immune system the time to recover. For instance, give your muscles 48-72 hours to rest between resistance trainings.

Endurance exercise (aerobic, cardio training)
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Aerobic exercise can stimulate the immune system. At the cellular level, research reveals that acute aerobic exercise greatly enhances a cellular signaling protein (G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2) that is involved in the regulation of hypertension and heart failure. The protein also regulates an inflammatory response, measured by activities of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (e.g. lymphocytes, a critical component of immune system), which was also stimulated by the aerobic exercise.

In a human study, eight weeks of endurance exercise also changed the blood levels of some inflammatory cytokines in a beneficial way in an elderly population and people with certain inflammatory diseases. In contrast, poor exercise capacity in patients even without heart failure is independently associated with markers of chronic inflammation, which may lead to infections following surgery.

Overall, how exercises improve immune function can be explained in the following ways: 1) Exercise may facilitate to flush bacteria out of the lungs and airways, which may help prevent upper respiratory tract infection (e.g. cold). 2) Exercise may make disease-fighting antibodies and immune system cells circulate faster so that they could detect illnesses earlier. And 3) Exercise may reduce the release of stress-related hormones, by which the power of immunity is enhanced and the chance of illness, lowered.

Study note:

The issue of exercise and its benefits in regard to alteration of the immune system is a complex one and a matter of delicate balance. It depends on whether the population is healthy or diseased, and even within unhealthy groups, the effect on cancer patients may differ from that on diabetic individuals. It also depends on types and workloads of exercise, parameters measured (e.g., hormonal, chemical factors, or proteins), transient versus sustained change, age groups studied, size of sampling, time-bound periods, and other factors.

To sum up –

Despite the fact that too much exercise can have a contrary effect and reduce immunity, exercises in various proper forms at all ages are AAA (triple A) – Actionable, Advantageous, and Awesome!! Therefore, keep doing exercise or getting more physically active one day at a time, and you’ll reap the benefits toward transforming your health and life.

Image credit: www.trainer.ae

Care for Deadly Diseases: 10 Strategies to Help You Embrace Your Role

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Did you know …

More than 560,000 Americans die from cancer each year – more than 1,500 Americans each day.

More than 2,150 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each day – 1 death every 40 seconds.

Nearly 800,000 Americans suffer from a new or recurrent stroke annually – someone has a stroke every 40 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every 4 minutes.

Imagine if you or your loved one had one of these deadly diseases, what kind of care and outcome would you desire?

The Good news is that much effort has been shifting to patient-centered care, with its focus on individual needs. This is different from evidence-based practice that tends to focus on populations. Therefore, high-quality care and a good outcome must now be defined in terms of what is meaningful and valuable to the individual patient.

The Institute of Medicine has identified six areas for quality of care: safety, effectiveness, efficiency, patient-centered care, timely care, and equitable care. As a patient, you are the center of care. That means you need to take an active role in prevention and get involved in your care.

Because we’ve previously covered a great deal about prevention, today I’ll touch on a patient’s role in a high-quality care. And these strategies can extend to many other diseases, including diabetes, Alzheimer’s, obesity and rare diseases.

Here are 10 strategies for getting involved in your healthcare:

1. Know your critical numbers and results of your screening tests.

These important results include checks for blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, mammogram, colonoscopy, bone density scan, and even genetic analysis. These results are valuable for your primary care doctor too.

2. Tell your story.

Inform the doctor what’s going on with you, in addition to simply answering probing questions from the doctor. Some details of your pain or discomfort may shed light for a correct diagnosis.

3. Obtain a good primary doctor and a specialist.

Find doctors who have not only reputable professional expertise but also compassion, and who take time to listen to you instead of rushing through routines.

4. Always have a list of questions in hand when visiting your physician or specialist.
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During your visit, if you don’t understand why a particular question is relevant to your situation, ask about it or let a family member do so. You may find that the doctor is only asking the question out of routine. Conversely, you may find out that issues you ignored might actually be very important to your case.

5. Avoid medical errors, misdiagnoses, and unnecessary tests.

Hospital infections and medical errors kill 400 people each day. So, take safety initiatives to avoid being a victim. Communicate with your doctor if you have questions or concerns. Understand why your procedures or medications are necessary, and understand what will happen if you need surgery. Always keep with you a list of medications you are taking.

6. Personalized medicine starts with individuals and reflects the patient’s needs, preferences and values.

Let’s face it – different cancers need different treatments; likewise, different patients have different needs. Personalized medicine is characterized as the right treatment for the right person at the right time. It may also encompass a biological therapy that targets specific cells or an interactive approach that requires patients and their physicians to develop customized diet plans and exercise regimes or change unhealthful habits. Remember, you play a key role in transforming your health. So make sure to have proper preventative care.

7. Be vigilant for new symptoms or concerns, e.g., the occurrence of fever, fall, pain, or swelling. If you suffer from a serious chronic illness like cancer and have a weak immune system, you are very vulnerable to any infections or inflammations that may worsen your situation. So, take care of your immunizations, and of food and hand hygiene.

8. Be proactive and active.

This includes choosing a cost-effective health insurance plan and understanding your coverage. It could also be checking out where the nearest Primary Stroke Center is in town in case of a stroke emergency, because time is critical for surviving a stroke! Or volunteer to enroll a clinical trial.

9. Self-educate, but be mindful of information sources and respect the opinions of your medical team.

Reliable and accurate medical advice can be difficult to determine sometimes on the Internet. Medical issues can involve life and death! Respect and trust your physicians, because as in life, sometimes what you think you want may not be what you really need. For instance, maybe what you want is an unnecessary drug, but what you really need is the right information or modification of your behavior. So, don’t measure good care by merely meeting your desires.

10. Get family and friends involved.

Remember: Your health care is teamwork. Although you need to take ownership and get in the “driver’s seat,” you are not alone; your physicians, care professionals and care givers, the healthcare system, and your loved ones all take the ride with you.

Finally, being empowered with these principles and embracing your active role will facilitate the high-quality, patient-centered care that your medical professionals strive for. And they will help you achieve a desirable clinical outcome, leading to better health and more happiness for you and your family.

Image credit: scripps.org

How do you integrate vascular health and cancer prevention?

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

For those who may be unaware of what cancer and heart disease share in common, today I wish to remind you of why I talk about cardiovascular diseases. When I started this website, with its focus on cancer prevention, I had a well thought-out approach to maximize your benefits for heart health as well. To put it simply, there are many practices that will help you “kill two birds with one stone”—both cancer and heart disease.

So today, let me elaborate on cardiovascular risk factors that a cancer-prevention lifestyle can help allay.

First, let me ask you, Do you know if you have peripheral vascular diseases (PVD) or not? About 20 million of people in the United States are suffering from PVD, yet they don’t even know it. What does that have to do with cancer prevention? Please read on.

What is PVD, and what is PAD?

Almost everyone knows about atherosclerosis. Well, PVD is one of the major clinical complications of atherosclerosis. It affects blood vessels outside of the heart and brain, e.g. those of your body’s extremities.

When PVD only develops in the arteries, it is usually called peripheral arterial disease (PAD), which results in reduced blood flow to the lower extremities. PAD is predominantly caused by the buildup of fatty plaque in small arteries, resulting in the narrowing of those arteries, blocking blood flow from the heart to the legs. Consequently, the hallmark of PAD is extreme pain or painful cramping in the legs.

However, many folks with PAD experience no symptoms. That is why it is important to raise public awareness.

PAD and aging

PAD is neither a men’s nor a women’s disease—it is more of an aging disease. According to the NIH and CDC, one in every 20 Americans over age 50 has PAD, and approximately 12-20% of people older than age 60 have it. By age 80, 20-25% of Americans have PAD.

What are the risk factors for PAD?

So far, we have covered two already:

Atherosclerosis
Aging

Other risk factors include:

Smoking
Diabetes
High blood pressure
High cholesterol or abnormal cholesterol – too much “bad” LDL cholesterol and too little “good” HDL cholesterol
Being overweight or obese
Family history of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or cardiovascular disease (stroke, coronary artery disease, or PVD).
Stress

What does learning about PAD have to do with cancer prevention?

The table below shows the risk factors that cancer and PAD have in common.

Risk Factors	Cancer	PAD
Aging	√	√
Tobacco use / Smoking	√	√
Obesity	√	√
Being physically inactive	√	√
Inflammation	√	√ indirectly, because it’s linked to atherosclerosis
Stress	√	√
Diabetes	√	√
Junk diet (high fats, high sugar, excessive salt)	√	may lead to other risk factors above
Hormonal imbalance	√

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Without distracting from today’s focus, I have addressed each of risk factors in previous CancerPreventionDaily Summer Health Education Series, and you can learn more by visiting CancerPreventionDaily.com

What’s the take-away message?

PAD is under-diagnosed and lacking in public awareness, yet its incidence increases with age disturbingly.
Make a cancer-prevention lifestyle your priority. Lifestyle modification is one of the keys to controlling and preventing PAD as well as cancer.
Take action using the “Five Seconds Rule”—meaning that whether you consult with your physician or change one unhealthy lifestyle habit, take one small step at a time and do it now!

Image credit: CDC

Take Actions and Steps to Reduce Air Pollution

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Are you concerned or scared about breathing in smoggy, hazy air in some big cities in China? Do you really consider the air in the United State is dirt-free? This post helps you realize the pressing need to control air pollution.

“Air pollution has become the world’s single biggest environmental health risk, linked to around 7 million – or nearly one in eight deaths in 2012” – according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Generally speaking, there are two types of air pollution. Outdoor pollution comes from car exhaust fumes, industrial fumes and coal-burning, while indoor pollution comes from tobacco smoking, wood or coal stoves, and other sources from paint fumes, hair spray, air fresheners, cleaners to mold and dust.

Most people are well aware of lung diseases and lung cancer as major health risks of air pollution. Actually, air pollution has also been associated with deaths due to cardiovascular causes; particularly, a big indoor pollution-related killer is stroke. Moreover, WHO’s cancer agency classified air pollution as a carcinogen last year.

Although the government should invest in research and technology renovation to use renewable and non-polluting energy sources, we all can contribute our own part to promoting clear air and a healthy environment. Here are 12 things you can do:

Plant trees.
Support mass transit system or bike to reduce the use of single-passenger vehicles.
Check and maintain your car to ensure minimal or lower exhaust fumes.
Keep your lawn well-maintained, and try to use non-gasoline-powered landscaping and gardening equipment.

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Recycle, recycle and recycle to conserve energy and reduce production emissions.
Do chemical-free house cleaning; avoid using chemical pesticides and fertilizers in your yard or garden.
Reduce paper documents, and avoid junk mail.
Save electricity. Less electricity consumed means less power produced and fewer air pollutants resulting from burning of fossil fuels.
Use energy-saving or energy-efficiency appliances and heating/cooling systems at home.
Reduce landfills by taking care of waste treatment and taking responsibility for a green community.
Change the air filters from time to time as recommended, vacuum often, and get fresh air frequently to minimize certain indoor pollutants.
Go for local produce!

Remember: it’s important to quit tobacco smoking and test radon gas at home. Also, check out EPA site for more guidance.

Collectively, these small daily choices we make often impact our lives and earth in big ways in the long-term. These conscious practices and efforts can keep our air cleaner, our environment greener, and our bodies healthier.

Image credit: By http://www.eastasianrc.org/

Cancer Prevention Daily

Lifestyle for Staying Cancer-free & Solutions to Cancer Prevention

Category Archives: Heart & Vascular Health

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Sensible Caring for a Healthy Heart and Healthy Body

Your heart health and overall wellness deserve your attention all year long, not just on one day or one month.

TARCO – A Tool for Your Lifestyle Transformation

Go Beyond Knowing Obesity Is Bad (Part 1)

Color-Coded Foods Guide Your Immune System and Vitality

Men’s Health Month Ends BUT Men’s Health Challenges Persist

Cheering You on to Immune-beneficial Exercises

Care for Deadly Diseases: 10 Strategies to Help You Embrace Your Role

How do you integrate vascular health and cancer prevention?

Take Actions and Steps to Reduce Air Pollution