980 results found for: Blood Pressure

Heart Disease More Deadly to Women

At Kalispell Regional Medical Center’s recent Heart Health Fair, Dr. Thomas Amidon drew looks of surprise when he said heart disease kills more women than men and that more women die from heart disease than all forms of cancer. He admitted to a bias toward women’s health as a man living in a home full of females. “I’ve got a wife, three daughters, three mares and two female dogs,” he said. Amidon said he speaks about women because the medical field has considered heart disease a man’s disease for centuries. The general public still labors under that misconception. Surveys as […]

Aspirin In Seniors- Macular Degeneration?

Many of my patients are age 60 and over and as such they have specific health issues. One of their concerns is the healthcare of their eyes and preserving their vision. Recently, I became aware of a study published in Ophthalmology Magazine that warned of people over 60 developing a vision-affecting disease called wet-type macular degeneration. The study found that people who regularly take aspirin for certain health issues had a doubled risk of developing blindness from wet-type ARMD (age-related macular degeneration).  I’d like to share this warning with you as I have my own patients to hopefully prevent anyone from damaging their vision […]

Raspberry Ketones Help Fat Cells Shrink

In the last couple of months, several of my patients have asked me about using raspberries for weight loss. It’s true that ‘raspberry ketones’ has been a popular buzz phrase on television and the Internet as a substance that can, reportedly, actually force your fat cells to shrink and help you lose weight. Raspberries have always been considered a good addition to any weight loss program, as they are high in antioxidants, low in calories and sugar per 4 ounce serving.  However, you’d have to eat about 90 lbs of them to get the concentration of raspberry ketones these products offer.  After a […]

Do You Know The Healthiest Foods For Your Heart?

Like many of my patients you may want to do your best for the health of your heart (and the rest of you) and yet may be confused about which foods are the best.

SuperFoods: Basil

Derived from the Greek word meaning royal, basil is a versatile herb that has lived up to its pedigree. With its wealth of nutrients, from hefty amounts of vitamin K and calcium, to its high antioxidant oils, basil offers an array of health-enhancing benefits ranging from protection against DNA damage to combating stress. In addition, the peppermint-like leaves of basil are loaded with beta-caryophyllene, an anti-inflammatory compound that may treat conditions such as arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. An abundance of evidence is emerging to support basil’s reputation as an herbal remedy for thousands of years, making this undervalued herb a formidable opponent against some […]

Tasting Metal: What Does It Mean?

Last week, a patient, Ted, came in saying he had been experiencing a funny, metallic taste in his mouth for a while and was worried that it may be serious.  I explained to him that there were a number of possible reasons for him having this taste in his mouth but we’d do a complete exam and see what we come up with.  If you experience a metallic taste in your mouth, you’ll want to know what I told Ted about his funny taste. When Something Tastes Funny Every now and then you might get a funny, metallic taste in […]

Carnosine: A Proven Longevity Factor

Mounting evidence documents the ability of carnosine to prevent many of the detrimental effects of aging. In our youth, carnosine shields us from the onslaught of oxidation, glycation, DNA damage, and other reactions that injure tissues and cripple organs. The problem is that as we grow older, carnosine levels in the body decline

Higher Vitamin D Intake Associated with Lower Risk of Metabolic Syndrome

In an article published online on May 30, 2012 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers from the University of Minnesota report a protective effect for high vitamin D intake against the development of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms that may predict

What You Can Do If Your Taste Buds Can’t Taste?

Imagine you sit down to eat your favorite dinner. You can remember how this meal used to make your mouth water… how you couldn’t wait to take the first bite. But now, you’re dreading the first bite because you know it’s not going to taste like you remember. It’s not going to taste like it’s supposed to. Millions of people live with “taste dysfunction”. Some people with taste disorders lose their sense of taste entirely, but this is rare. For most people, a taste disorder distorts tastes or it affects some types of tastes, like sweet or salty, but not […]

How To Reap the Benefits of a Mediterranean Diet

What’s So Special About The Mediterranean Diet?    Health researchers have known for a while