Heart Disease
Cardiologist, author, and heart health expert Dr. Sarah Samaan offers advice on how to live a heart smart life.
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Aug 25 2011
Trans Fats: What You Need to Know
Trans fats have been a hot topic for several years, but most people still don’t know exactly what they are or how to spot them. A trans fat usually starts out innocently enough as soybean oil. It is put through a chemical process that fundamen...
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Aug 11 2011
Stop and Think before You Stop Your Aspirin
Aspirin is the Rodney Dangerfield of pharmaceuticals. As the iconic comic would say, it can’t "get no respect.” Although many of us think of aspirin as a cheap and effective painkiller, it is also a lifesaving drug for people with heart disease...
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Jul 28 2011
Your Mammogram and Your Heart Health
Most women are aware of the importance of mammograms for the detection of breast cancer. In the best case scenario, cancer is caught early, before it has a chance to spread and become seriously life threatening. About 70 percent of women have ...
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Jul 21 2011
Making Sense of the Body Mass Index
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America’s Health recently released their 2011 report, “F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future.” The most telling statistic is the finding that 12 states now have obesity levels ...
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May 26 2011
Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Your Heart Health
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) can be found in most of our medicine cabinets, purses, and desk drawers. Drugs like ibuprofen (sold as Advil and Motrin), diclofenac (Voltaren), and naproxen (Aleve and Naprosyn) are taken millions ...
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May 09 2011
Hypertension: It’s Time to Take it to Heart
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is called the “silent killer” for a very good reason. This usually painless condition is a major contributor to heart disease, stroke, dementia, and kidney failure. Hypertension, defined as a blood pressure...
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May 05 2011
Love Your Heart, Love Your Colon?
Lifestyle makes an enormous difference in our heart health. We know that a commitment to regular exercise, following a Mediterranean diet, drinking alcohol in moderation, maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking may lower our heart attack ...
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Apr 25 2011
Video Games and Weight Gain: Truth or Fantasy?
It’s no mystery that a sedentary lifestyle is a major contributor to obesity. Obesity, in turn, plays an important role in the development of heart disease and many other chronic conditions. In my February column for Healthline.com, I told you ...
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Apr 18 2011
Working Overtime: Does Your Heart Pay the Price?
The economy and jobs situation being what it is, a lot of us are being asked to work longer hours and take on more responsibility. In fact, let’s be honest, sometimes we are not so much asked as told to stay late to get the work done. I see the ...
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Apr 14 2011
More Bad News for Smokers: Breast Cancer Risk Rises
I am always looking for new angles to use to help my patients to quit smoking. Each year, more than 430,000 Americans die from tobacco-related illness, including heart disease and stroke. Smoking even one cigarette each day raises the heart att...
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