Dr. Curtis McElroy

Tag: healthy

  • Overweight And Healthy

    Is It Possible To Be Overweight And Healthy?

    One of the main things that people look at when considering whether a person is healthy or not is their weight and the way they look. If a person is overweight, they will generally look overweight, by having excess fat on parts of their bodies.

    It’s more common for people to look like they are a healthy weight when in actual fact they fall into the overweight category on the BMI scale.

    Is being overweight unhealthy?

    The fact of the matter is that if you’re overweight, you are at risk of more health problems. Even if you’re only a few pounds overweight, your risks are going to be higher than a person who isn’t a few pounds overweight. This is something that none of us can really get away from, although there are many things besides weight which come into play when determine a person’s health levels.

    Gender and other factors

    While the BMI scale works to a certain degree, it doesn’t take in many different factors which help to determine whether a person is actually overweight and unhealthy.

    For example, the difference between men and women when it comes to weight can be quite huge. Women tend to have more fat on them, so they might not necessarily weigh more but will have excess fat which could be toned by exercising a little. Some people are naturally larger and appear to be overweight, when it actual fact it is the shape of their body or the way they are built.

    Ways to become healthier

    You shouldn’t stress too much about the number on the scale or the person you see when you look at yourself in the mirror. If you’ve been to the doctor and you’ve been told your BMI number and what this means, don’t worry about it too much.

    You can become a healthy person by eating a healthy balanced diet, getting regular exercise and avoiding too much stress in your life. Drink around two liters of water per day in order to stay hydrated and help your overall digestive system and internal organs.

    Some people look overweight even when they go to the gym every day and eat the best diet they can possibly find. If you’re obese and you don’t seem to be losing weight when you’re doing all the right things, speak to your doctor or see a dietician. However, if you have a few extra pounds but you’re living a healthy lifestyle, it’s possible to be healthy even though you might look overweight.

  • What You Can Do To Reduce Risks For Stroke

    What You Can Do To Reduce Risks For Stroke

    Stroke is a condition that falls under the umbrella of heart disease. Most people don’t realize that there are three kinds of stroke and that there are things you can do to reduce your risk of all kinds of stroke.

    The three major kinds of stroke include the following:

    • Thrombotic stroke – This is the type of stroke in which plaques build up on the arterial walls of the arteries leading to the brain. The plaques narrow the blood vessels and clots can form in the narrowed areas, causing a reduction in oxygen and blood flow to the brain stops.

    • Embolic stroke – This is the type of stroke in which there is a blood clot somewhere in the body (usually on a heart valve) that breaks off and travels through the bloodstream so that it cuts off the circulation to an area of the brain, resulting in a stroke.

    • Hemorrhagic stroke – Rather than an area of the brain being without blood and oxygen, a blood vessel in the brain opens up, causing bleeding to occur within the brain. This can be due to areas of weakness in the blood vessels or to aneurysms in the brain that open up and bleed.

    Stroke Statistics In The United States

    • Stroke is the 3rd leading cause of death in the United States
    • There are 795,000 strokes every year
    • Someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds of each and every day in the US
    • Stroke is the leading reason for serious disability overall, and those who survive are often left with paralysis and speech impairment causing long term disability, often requiring long term care
    • After the age of 55 years old, the risk for stroke doubles every decade
    • Almost ¾ of all strokes occur in people age older than 65

    (Data source: Internet Stroke Center)

    Prevention Of Stroke

    There are different ways to prevent a stroke depending on the type of stroke you are trying to prevent. There are some things you can do that prevent a certain type of stroke but that has the potential to worsen another type of stroke.

    The following are some things you can do to prevent a stroke:

    • Maintain a normal blood pressure – This holds true for all kinds of stroke. If your blood pressure is too high, it contributes to arterial spasm and increases the risk of thrombotic stroke. If the blood pressure is too high, it can push the blood clot in the heart from the heart valve into the circulatory system of the brain, resulting in an embolic stroke. In a completely different way, high blood pressure can cause hemorrhagic strokes. If there is a weakness in the walls of any part of the brain’s circulatory system, high blood pressure can cause that weak area to open up, resulting in the kind of bleeding you see in a hemorrhagic stroke.

    • Maintain a normal cholesterol – Cholesterol is what makes up part of the plaques that contribute to getting a thrombotic stroke. If you maintain a good level of cholesterol, the plaques don’t build up so much and the chance that a blood clot can form in the arteries is much less. You can keep a good cholesterol level by eating food that is low in cholesterol or by taking medications designed to lower the cholesterol level.

    • Stop smoking – Smoking has the potential to raise your blood pressure, increasing the risk of all kinds of strokes. Smoking also contributes to plaque formation in the walls of the blood vessels so that the risk of thrombotic stroke increases. The longer you smoke, the greater is the risk of developing all kinds of heart disease, including that of thrombotic stroke.

    • Take a baby aspirin – Baby aspirin is a commonly used medication used to prevent the recurrence of heart attack in a patient who has already had a heart attack. Aspirin is a platelet inhibitor, which means that it blocks platelets from sticking together and forming a blood clot. This same phenomenon can work in the prevention of both thrombotic strokes and embolic strokes. If the platelets cannot form a blood clot, it will prevent a blood clot from forming on a heart valve so that it can’t travel to an area of the brain, leading to an embolic stroke. In the same way, when platelets are blocked from forming a clot inside a narrowed area of the blood vessels leading to the brain, this thwarts the onset of a thrombotic stroke.

    Living a healthy lifestyle so that the blood pressure is reduced, smoking is not a problem, and cholesterol is kept within normal levels will go a long way toward reducing the incidence of all kinds of strokes.

    If you are concerned about stroke, or any type of heart disease it is a great idea to see your doctor and get a full physical and relevant screenings to be sure that there is not more that you can do to ensure you remain in optimal health.

  • 10 Best Foods To Eat For Optimal Energy

    Top 10 Energy Boosting Foods You Can Eat

    The top complaint of those attempting to balance work and personal life in this fast-paced, stressful world in which we live is not having enough energy to do it all.

    Energy doesn’t come in the form of a magic pill that you can take and immediately escape your feeling of fatigue.

    The main way you can get that energy and maintain it is by eating the right foods several times per day.

    The following are the top 10 healthy foods that can help boost your energy:

    1. Bananas – Adding more fruits to your diet can provide lasting benefits. One of the most important fruits you can add to boost energy are bananas – a powerhouse of potassium and electrolytes that help stimulate the nerves and muscles.

    2. Almonds – These little nuts are chock full of monounsaturated fats that can help your mental clarity and provide Omega-3 oils, essential to combat fatigue and low energy levels.

    3. Oats – Eating oatmeal for breakfast can set you up to have energy throughout the day. Oats provide B vitamins that can turn carbohydrates into energy and give you the fiber you need for nutritional value and a healthy colon.

    4. Lentils (Beans) – A source of fiber, beans also provide B-vitamins, calcium, carbohydrates and protein and can help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol.

    5. Chocolate – This incredible source of quick energy has been used for eons to provide antioxidants (dark chocolate) and improve red blood cells. It increases your energy level with the compounds known as tyramind and phenlethylamine. Eat dark chocolate in moderation.

    6. Whole Grains – Whole grain products contain complex carbohydrates, which can increase your energy levels. If you combine the whole grain food (such as bread) with a high-protein food such as peanut butter, you will sustain the energy boost for a longer period of time.

    7. Fruit Juice – Just make sure the juice is 100% pure. Otherwise, you’ll get sugars and other elements that you don’t need and can bring you down from the temporary high you get from the sugar.

    8. Coffee or Tea – If you drink coffee or tea without the sugar and cream, you’ll get the perk you need to stay awake and keep on going. Just don’t drink too much.

    9. Water – Without the benefit of water you won’t be able to absorb the nutrients you do receive from healthy foods. Lack of water intake could cause fatigue because of dehydration.

    10. Salmon – This type of fish can decrease your risk of heart disease by providing you with the Omega 3 acids that you need to be alert and maintain a constant energy level.

    Rather than eating three large meals a day, eating energy-rich foods several times a day lets you pace your energy boosts to accomplish everything you need to do and still get a good nights rest. This strategy can also help in reducing stress and boost your metabolism which will promote weight loss.

Copyright @ 2017 DrCurtisMcElroy