Blog Archive
Take Home Message #2: Consider your social determinants of health to prevent cardiovascular disease. Why are some areas in the world healthier than others? Do we really understand what is influencing our health? Research has shown that most people live about 80% of their lives in a twenty-mile radius around...
Take-Home Message #1 – Promote a Healthy Lifestyle throughout Life. Welcome to the first blog of the Preventive Care Blog Series. In this series, we will be taking a closer look at the “Top Ten Take-Home Messages” from the recent American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association meeting on...
You may have heard the old adage, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” And if you haven’t you certainly know that kids are frequently reminded, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Well, this is certainly the modus operandi of preventive care – to keep...
Please take 15 minutes to listen to Dr. Speck speak on heart health, risks, and HRT. Follow this link to listen: Heart Health Podcast
February, 2019 A Woman’s Heart… As one of the first woman cardiologists to practice in the Seattle area, I’m often asked to address women about their risk of developing heart disease. Heart disease remains the biggest challenge to women’s health as more women die of heart disease and stroke than...
Sit Less. Did you know that the amount of time you spend sitting increases your risk for cardiovascular disease and is associated with other adverse health issues? A study on over 15,000 people showed that, even if you are moderately active, the amount of time you spend sitting increases...
With the New Year among us, we are vigorously working towards our resolutions to become a healthier and fitter version of ourselves. More than half of goals set this time of the year are health-oriented and gym owners are glowing with more and more memberships. Even though people who set...
Obesity has been a major problem within the United States since the late 90's and it doesnt seem to be slowing down as Obesitry reaches an all time high among U.S. adults. As youth rates of obesity begin to rise, we can only hope there is a solution to the...
The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology have changed their guidelines regarding hypertension. High blood pressure is now defined as 130/80 rather than 140/80 meaing that 46% of Americans now have stage 1 hypertension. Experts say that nutrition and exercise are the best ways to lower blood...
https://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20180423/hydration-may-be-key-to-a-beneficial-workout
Weight loss in always an impoartant topic and people are constantly looking for ways to lose weight without making drastic changes to their lives. Rather than making changes to the number of calories eaten per day, try altering the time in which food in consumed. Research shows that dieters who...
The biggest part of living healthy comes down to simply making healthy choices. While you can’t change things like age and family history, the good news is that even modest changes to your diet and lifestyle can improve your heart health and lower your risk by as much as 80...
We all know that exercise is one of the best things you can do for your body. Among the benefits, exercise can promote functional ability and movement, cardiovascular endurance and relieve stress and anxiety by reducing cortisol levels within the body. The latest craze within the fitness industry includes high...
Are you happy and fulfilled with your life? Research shows that only 10% of people believe their lives are ideal and 20% of adults have a strong sense of purpose and are fully satisfied. The everyday stressors in life is preventing people from living their life to the fullest. Overtime...
Having a healthy heart is a struggle for many Americans thus many scientists are looking to other cultures who have low numbers of heart disease to help determine the contributing factors to heart disease development. A newly studied group of natives in the Amazon are believed to have the healthiest...
It is known that stress is harmful for your health, the latest study published in Obesity is quantifying the effects in pounds by measuring cortisol values overtime. Cortisol, also known as the stress hormone, is a regulator of many important functions such as increasing blood sugar, fat, protein, and carbohydrate...
Sitting for 8-9 hours per day is known to have negative impacts on one’s weight, mood, and health. Sitting for extended periods of time increases the risk of developing atherosclerosis, or buildup of plaque in the arteries, depression, and obesity. There are multiple ways to combat being sedentary such as...
The benefit of wearables has been the topic of many debates; some feel the continuous data is not helpful and it all can quickly become overwhelming. Others believe the data is motivating and can be helpful in making healthier choices, we fall into this category. Wearables with built-in heart rate...
We tout the benefits of yoga for mind and body connection, strength, flexibility, and stress relief. Regular yoga practice has also been shown to improve cardio and circulatory health as well as promote weight loss. This success story displays more benefits such as posture and pain relief. Anna Pesce an...
Are you a fidgeter? Are your toes constantly tapping or legs swaying from side to side? Did this get your in trouble in school?. Good news, you may be healthier than your still counterpart! A study published in The American Journal of Physiology Heart and Circulatory Physiology in July showed...
Choosing to recommit to a healthy lifestyle can be daunting and deterring. Many feel it is all or nothing, though it does not have to be. Small healthier choices can add up and build on each other, leading you to a healthier lifestyle. Start with one small healthy habit, then...
Media has been sharing how exercise is beneficial for the brain for some time now, the latest studies from the NIH are delving into exactly how exercise benefits the pain. A key method is how exercise promotes neurogenesis, or neuron growth, in the brain. Previous study finds encouraged experimenters to...
The media and health reports over the years have made us fat phobic, but that is changing for we’re finding all fats are not created equal. We need to continue to be wary of fat in our diet but recognizing healthy versus unhealthy fats is crucial. The latest study, out...
The New York Times just came out with an article detailing the numerous health benefits of regular exercise. 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity for adults, or about 30 minutes each weekday, can prevent chronic disease, have the same effects as medications, and benefit mental health just to name...
“Elevated blood pressure is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide and sodium is one of the leading causes of elevated blood pressure.” – Lawrence Appel, M.D. and Director of the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Over the past several decades, there has been a...
All carbohydrates are not created equal and over the years carbohydrates have gotten a bad reputation. Diets have painted carbohydrates as responsible for all of the bad thingswhen in truth the trouble is the amount of carbohydrates not carbs themselves. Carbohydrates are one of the two sources our body uses to fuel...
It is widespread knowledge that trans fatty acids are harmful to one’s health, thus the United States government vowed in June to gradually eliminate them from the American diet by 2018. Trans fats are unsaturated fatty acids, or fats with chemical makeups with one or more double bonds which are stronger and more difficult...
The “runner’s high” is an interesting phenomenon; the euphoric, relaxed feeling after a good bout of exercise brings many people coming back for more. For many years endorphins have been thought to be the ones to thank for the joyous feeling after exercise, but the latest studies are showing endorphins...
The long awaited 2015 Dietary Guidelines were finally released in early January. The USDA recommends three diet types: the Mediterranean diet; the American diet; and the Vegetarian diet. We, being big fans, were very pleased to see the Mediterranean diet on the list due to its known cardiovascular benefits. The big...
For several years now, cardiovascular disease has stood and remained as the leading cause of death around the globe. What is perplexing is how preventable the majority of cardiovascular diseases are, yet they still reign as the number one killer. It is true there are some uncontrollable factors we cannot...