Monterey, CA Seniors Need To Stick To A Healthy Diet Or Risk Alzheimer’s, Dementia

Elderly lady holding caregivers hand - In home dementia care Pebble Beach

We all know that processed foods aren’t good for you.  More proof of this come from the Alzheimer’s Association, which did a presentation at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in San Diego to show the audience proof from various studies which showed that food like instant noodles, sugary drinks and frozen meals all play a role in cognitive decline.  “It’s no secret that physical and mental cognitive health are intimately involved with each other, so it’s no surprise that this latest research suggests brain impairment too,” Rafael Perez-Escamilla, a professor of public health at Yale University, told the audience.  “Just 100 calories of processed foods can affect your physical health.  So, that’s two cookies,” he continued.  Other research has linked ultra-processed food consumption to health problems such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancers.  Try the Mediterranean Diet, it’s great for your health and delicious.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and grandmother had this terrible disease when they passed away.  If you need information or just someone to talk to, there are some wonderful people at the Monterey branch of the Alzheimer’s Association in Ryan Ranch.  They also have a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-272-3900.

Obesity Is A Growing Problem In This Country

A doctor is measuring the obese belly of the man

Obesity can lead to a number of health problems including diabetes, heart disease and strokes.  One issue that can easily be tackled is to stop drinking sugary beverages.  A 20-ounce bottle of cola contains 65 grams of sugar—five times as much as a typical glazed donut.  Even things that you think are healthy might be a bad choice.  Store-bought orange juice has as much sugar as soda!  Try switching to sparkling water with lemon or making your own iced tea.

Doctors Not Picking Up On Symptoms Of Heart Disease In Women

A doctor showing the report to the senior female patient

There was a disturbing story in The New York Times which reported that new research found that women may not realize that they are having symptoms of heart problems, and that their doctors aren’t picking up on it either.  Studies have shown that women are more likely than men to dismiss the warning signs of a heart attack, sometimes waiting hours or even longer before calling 911 or going to the hospital.  Now researchers are finding that this may be due to the fact that women have less serious symptoms than men when having a heart attack, and doctors have also been downplaying their symptoms and delaying treatment.  Women sometimes have no chest pain but rather have more subtle symptoms like shortness of breath, cold sweats, malaise, fatigue and jaw and back pain.  And when they do get to the hospital, a study which was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association which studied data from millions of emergency room visits before the pandemic, found women complaining of chest pain had to wat an average of 11 minutes more than men to see a doctor or nurse.  The study also found that women were less likely to be admitted to the hospital, had less thorough evaluations, and were less likely to be administered tests like an electrocardiogram, or EKG, which can detect heart problems.  One study found that women complaining of symptoms consistent with heart disease, including chest pain, were twice as likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness than men who complained of identical symptoms.

Sneaky Sigs You May Have Heart Disease

AARP The Magazine (February/March 2022, page 22) had an interesting article entitled “10 Sneaky Signs You May Have Heart Disease” and many of them are completely unexpected.  Things like bad breath and hip pain can actually be signs of heart disease.  Check out the Top 10 signs from AARP:

  1. You struggle to breathe when lying flat : This can indicate fluid in the lungs, which is associated with heart failure;
  2. You have leg or hip pain while walking (or both). This could signal circulation problems in the legs, a potential sign of peripheral artery disease;
  3. You can’t rise to the occasion : This could signal a blood-flow problem, potentially caused by heart disease;
  4. Or get your juices flowing : Blood-flow issues aren’t just for men. A study found that 84% of men and 87% of women with heart failure reported some degree of sexual disfunction;
  5. You’re fatigued for no reason : This could be a sign of an obstructed coronary artery;
  6. You get up to pee in the middle of the night : A weak heart pumps less blood to the kidneys, which can cause fluid buildup and swollen ankles and leg. At bedtime, gravity drains fluid back to the heart, and the kidneys have more fluid to filter;
  7. Your breath could kill houseplants : Bad breath is caused by bacteria which can enter your bloodstream through bleeding or diseased gums, which is linked to inflammation, clogged arteries and stroke;
  8. You spot fatty growths : Known as xanthomas, these lesions feel like calcium deposits in the tendons, and they can indicate sky-high cholesterol;
  9. Your ankles are swollen : When the heart isn’t pumping blood efficiently, fluid can swell both legs; and
  10. You’re feeling nauseous : Unexplained queasiness could be a sign of heart failure.

Check with your doctor if you have any of these issues, particularly if it has been going on for some time.

 

A-Fib Help Without Using Blood Thinners

Blood thinners are used by seniors for a variety of ailments.  However, they can be an issue if you have a fall or need to have emergency surgery as they can cause excessive bleeding.  Some people are turning to a new treatment for A-Fib which is an implant that seals off a fingertip-size pouch on the heart.  During A-Fib, blood can pool in the pouch, clot and travel to the brain, Robert Hauser M.D., who sketched the Watchman’s initial design, told AARP The Magazine (October/November 2021 Issue, page 54).  Surgeons implant the device by threading it through blood vessels.  An analysis of more than 36K people who have had the device implanted since it debuted in 2015 found that it reduced the risk of stroke by 70% and made the use of the blood thinner warfarin necessary.

CHOMP Shuts Down Cardiac Procedure Lab Temporarily : By Derek Baine, Monterey, CA

There have been labor shortages all across the country but most of the focus has been on the inability to hire unskilled labor.  However, Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP) has just announced that it has temporarily shut down its cardiac procedure laboratory because an important position is now vacant.  They are searching for a lab coordinator position which is a highly skilled nurse who manages the care of patients who are undergoing specific procedures in the lab.  The state-of-the-art lab was opened just two years ago.  It’s unclear if this is related to another recent report that CHOMP and other hospitals in the county are facing a severe labor shortage due to employees refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

 

https://www.montereyherald.com/2021/09/23/community-hospital-of-the-monterey-peninsula-temporarily-shuts-down-cardiac-lab/?utm_email=7404B4F5358244C5647B14D271&g2i_eui=B5dv00xjia5jtX%2fZFTuOn45qYHnjNzVq&g2i_source=newsletter&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.montereyherald.com%2f2021%2f09%2f23%2fcommunity-hospital-of-the-monterey-peninsula-temporarily-shuts-down-cardiac-lab%2f&utm_campaign=norcal-monterey-morning-report&utm_content=automated

 

Start Up Cleerly Aims To Shake Up Heart Disease Treatment In The U.S. : By Derek Baine

650K Americans will die from heart disease this year, and more than half of them—roughly 490K—won’t have seen it coming.  That’s because about 60% of people who have a heart attack have no prior symptoms.  Dr. James Min, a cardiologist, is hoping to change these statistics at his start-up Cleerly, which will use machine learning to help doctors personalize heart disease treatment plans before patients end up in the ER.  He calls his company’s approach ”precision prevention.”  Dr Min says that the market opportunity is massive, with more than 100 million Americans at risk of having a heart attack.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/katiejennings/2021/06/21/this-ai-startup-raised-43-million-to-save-lives-and-money-by-treating-heart-disease-earlier/?cdlcid=607e1442fe2c195e916f3bb4&utm_campaign=dailydozen&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&sh=2f1977e859bd

 

Healthy Heart Tips For Seniors From AARP : By Derek Baine

A doctor showing the report to the senior female patient

AARP.org has some great tips for keeping your heart healthy, starting with the simple advice to brush and floss regularly.  Swollen or bleeding gums can lead to microorganisms traveling into the bloodstream, which can cause inflammation and heart damage.  Older adults who skimped on oral hygiene were 20 to 35 percent more likely to die during a 17-year study done by  University of Southern California researchers.  Also, doing 10 minutes of resistance training each morning can go a long way.  In a study which was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, women (average age of 62) who did just 20 to 59 minutes of muscle-strengthening exercises each week were 29% less likely to die during a 12-year study than those who did none.  There are also simple alterations that you can do to your diet which will help a lot.  For instance, try replacing half the butter in your baking recipes with mashed avocado.  Replacing saturated fats with MUFAs can help lower LDL (bad cholesterol).  Try eating more bananas!  A diet rich in potassium can help offset some of sodium’s harmful effects on blood pressure.  (AARP Bulletin Volume 62, Number 4, Page 13).

DASH Diet Cuts Heart Damage, According To New Study : By Derek Baine

A study which was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that the popular “DASH” diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) reduces heart stress and damage which often results in heart disease.  The diet emphasizes consuming fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products, as well as shole grains, poultry, fish and nuts.  This sounds similar to

the Mediterranean diet, with a focus on avoiding red meat.  The Mayo Clinic says that the diet encourages the reduction of sodium and is a “lifelong approach to healthy eating that’s designed to help treat or prevent high blood pressure.”  Another study which was done by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard Medical School found that it reduced cholesterol and blood pressure and lowers damage to cardiac heart muscles.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-/2021/06/01/dash-diet-reduces-heart-damage-stress-study-shows/7468363002/