Dr. Curtis McElroy

Category: Internal Medicine

  • Biggest Loser Diet Pyramid

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  • Heart Disease

    Should You Be Concerned About Heart Disease

    Under the broad term of heart disease, the condition is broken down into different categories for causes of the disease.heartdisease

     

     

     

     

    The top causes of heart disease for men are:

    Coronary artery disease

    Congenital heart disease

    Arrhythmias

    Diseases affecting the valves

    Cardiomyopathy

    Hardening of the arteries

    Heart disease ranks as the number one reason why men die and heart disease can affect men in the prime of life as well as in the senior years.

    Having heart disease puts men at greater risk of premature death from a heart attack or stroke regardless of age.strokeheartattack

    The causes of the various types of heart diseases can stem from diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, family history, to habits such as smoking, sedentary life style and obesity.

     

    To catch heart disease before it causes serious or fatal consequences, there are some steps men can take to improve the health of the heart.

    You’ll need to get a complete physical and undergo testing for your doctor to accurately determine your risk or to diagnose your type of heart disease.

    You may need to have an electrocardiogram.electrocardiogram

    If your doctor suspects narrowing of the arteries, he may want you to have an outpatient cardiac catheterization test done.

     

    The treatment for heart disease depends on the type of diagnosis you receive after seeing the doctor.

    First, if you don’t exercise, for the sake of having a healthy heart, begin an exercise program.

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    Carrying excess weight raises your chance of getting heart disease – especially if you have that extra weight around your abdomen.

    Lose weight if you don’t have a normal BMI reading.

    If you smoke, break the habit. Smoking damages your blood vessels and contributes to the hardening of the arteries.smokingandheartdisease

    By quitting smoking and exercising, you can lower your bad cholesterol and your blood pressure, both of which can contribute to the risk of heart disease.

     

    Though the types of heart diseases are different, all types have some universal symptoms in common.

    If you have any of the following symptoms, you should be evaluated by your doctor as soon as possible:

    Sudden occurrence of irregular heartbeats, dizziness that may come and go, chest pressure, feeling short of breath especially when exerting yourself, fatigue that you can’t seem to shake and fainting.

    Some of the symptoms may not occur on a regular basis so remember that if you do notice any unusual symptoms, it could be a sign that your heart is trying to tell you something.

  • What Is Metabolic Syndrome

    What Is Metabolic Syndrome

    Metabolism plays a big factor that not enough people think about when it comes to their health. Metabolic syndrome is a collection of three or more risk factors that are present because of the body’s inability to burn food properly throughout the day, or when exercising.

    When the body can’t burn food as a fuel properly, it stores more fat – typically at nighttime – and when people exercise, they burn the food they eat as energy rather than fat cells.

    Most people assume a fast metabolism is for skinny people and slow metabolism makes it hard to lose weight, but an unbalanced metabolism has more risk factors than just weight.

    People with slow metabolisms are at a higher risk for increased blood pressure, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance – which all can lead to more diseases. Weight, age, race, diabetes and other factors all play a role in how your metabolism functions, and typically those who are older, out of shape, and have poor lifestyle choices run a higher risk for metabolic diseases.

    The reason thinner people have a higher metabolism is because their body naturally burns fat on its own, which is why some people can eat thousands of calories and not gain a pound.

    Just because you may have a slower metabolism, it doesn’t mean that you can’t change it. Better nutrition choices, more water, and consistent exercise is a great way to improve metabolic function to help your body burn fat more efficiently.

    If you have the money to invest in your health, you can call your doctor about getting your metabolism tested. Active metabolic assessments will show you how your body burns fuel – whether it burns carbs or fats during your workouts at different heart rate zones

    Resting metabolic assessments are great for knowing how your body burns fuel outside of your time spent working out. If you don’t wish to invest in an assessment, there are free calculations such as the bronze method that can be done at no cost online for an educated guess.

    Knowing where to start is a crucial part of improving your metabolism and preventing metabolic syndrome because everyone has a different heartrate zone to begin with. After about two to three months of changing to healthier eating habits, staying hydrated, and conditioning, your metabolism – through easy to moderate intensity cardio – should start to show improvements in how your body burns fat.

    Increasing your metabolism will not only help you slim down faster and prevent a plethora of diseases, but it will give you more energy and an overall more enjoyable and active life.

Copyright @ 2017 DrCurtisMcElroy