Cardiovascular Nutrition

More people vacation during the summer months than at any other time of year. And the topic of “airport angina”—an old cardiology phrase—may be getting tossed around now more than usual. But what, exactly, does it mean?

Essentially, “airport angina” is a phrase coined to describe heart symptoms of ischemia (lack of oxygen to the heart) that are provoked by hauling and lifting luggage. And getting angina when you’re far from home is always an unsettling experience.

Of course, we all know that there’s more to traveling than lugging luggage, regardless of your mode of transportation. But airports are fraught with a few more built-in stressors than other forms of travel, including:

• scheduling and weather concerns;
• airport security;
• flight delays;
• cancelled flights and rerouting;
• tight connections and time urgency;
• dread about lost luggage; and so on.

So, the psychological stress combined with the isometric physical work of carrying your bags is sort of “like being in double handcuffs,” as Dr. Sinatra would say.

And, let’s face it, all traveling and vacationing has the potential for some family and other unpredictable stressors, in addition to the physical exertion of lifting bags onto “trains, planes, and automobiles.”

Dr. Sinatra will be addressing the topic of safe air travel for cardiac patients in an upcoming issue of Heart, Health, and Nutrition. And in a few days, I’ll post another blog on how heart patients can manage their luggage from a physical exertion standpoint. So, stay tuned!

For more information on angina and other cardiovascular problems, visit Dr. Sinatra’s Web site.

• C-reactive protein, 
• interleukin-6, 
• homocysteine,
• fibrinogen, 
• lipoprotein (a) or Lp(a), and
• ferritin (iron).

These blood elements are helping to explain why people with “normal” blood profiles and no obvious risks sometimes turn up with serious heart disease, and more than two of them can produce an increase in risk of heart disease.

Fortunately, these heart risk factors can be detected with a blood test, and most are extremely responsive to good cardiovascular nutrition, nutritional supplements, and other healthy lifestyle changes.

For more information on what I consider to be healthy levels of these blood elements, along with a summary of my recommendations to achieve these healthy levels, visit www.drsinatra.com or subscribe to my monthly newsletter, Heart, Health & Nutrition.

No matter what time of year, seems like we are always looking to detox and to manage our weight! Through the winter months, I convince myself that weight management will be easier in the warm weather when I can work in the yard; walk about more freely without ice, snow, and storms to contend with; enjoy longer days and more light and natural vitamin D; and so on.

Then, from my midsummer night’s dream I awaken to realize that longer days mean the joy of more social activities; more meals out with family and friends; more grab ‘n go food on our jaunts to be out of doors more; and on it goes.

This summer, Dr. Sinatra and I were mindful to create healthy, farm stand meals at home to balance dining out during vacation and business trips. And we added daily juicing to offset our dietary indiscretions.

Dr. Sinatra’s sister, Dr. Maria Seidel, got us jumpstarted. She stayed with us after taking her nursing students to Costa Rica. There, her local hosts made her fresh juice from their organically grown gardens every morning for three weeks. Maria came home feeling like a million bucks, and juiced us every morning of her visit. Now, we are all hooked!  

Instead of an occasional juice meal to detox, Dr. Sinatra and I have made juicing a regular breakfast ritual. In fact, we both feel so much better physically and mentally that we got motivated to maintain the “habit” even when we are on the road. If we feel we have overindulged, we compensate by juicing for dinner as well.  All those live enzymes are nature’s way of cleansing and restoring your GI tract, nurturing all the cells in your body, and boosting your immune system, as well as your overall energy.

Traveling in your own car with a cooler is the easiest way to maintain a juicy life. You can pack some organic fruits and veggies to juice along with your Vitamix, Cuisinart blender/food processor, or juicer. We actually find the Vitamix and Cusinart less messy, easier to clean, AND you don’t lose all the nutrients in the pulp strained and discarded in traditional juicers. The juice is more of a textural experience as well, which we enjoy—and there’s more fiber included to boot.

When staying in hotels, we looked for those with a kitchen set up or a counter with an available electrical outlet. If we can find a Jamba-juice kind of place when we travel by air, that’s a big plus too!

There are plenty of juice recipes out there to get you started if you are new at it, but feel free to be creative and have fun too! Pick the ingredients you like to eat. Dr. Sinatra’s favorite is to combine leafy greens with fresh fruit, beets, and a splash of ginger.

Here is one if his favorites. Combine one or all from each category:

• Berries: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
• Other fruit: apple, banana, kiwi (no citrus)
• Vegetable: Beets are our breakfast favorite (but mixed veggie juices are great for lunch and dinner) 
• Ginger: skin and add fresh ginger to taste
• Greens: Swiss chard, baby spinach, parsley, kale, broccolini
• Add water or ice to get consistency for easy pouring

To prepare:

1. Just wash and cut fresh, hopefully organic, produce in chunks.
2. To liquefy in blender/processor, we use “chop” setting, then use food processor setting to make finer. If you use juicer, just turn it on.
3. Enjoy.

Note: These juices don’t keep long or store well, so make just enough for your meal.

For more great recipes and other cardiovascular nutrition tips, visit Dr. Sinatra’s Web site.

About six months before my scheduled hip surgery, I started to “train” for it, much as I trained for wrestling matches during my athletic heyday. Here’s the 5-step plan I followed:

Step 1: Think Positive. Recovery from surgery starts in the mind. Rather than getting down, I reframed everything for myself, the same way I encourage my patients to do. I visualized a scenario of total success. I thought about coming out of surgery and walking the very first day. And that’s just what happened.

Step 2: Get Fit. Surgery recovery will go much more smoothly if you’re in good physical condition. I exercised every day, incorporating Pilates, stretching, and strength training so I would be well conditioned going into surgery and have the greatest possible chance for a successful outcome.

Step 3: Eat Right. My pre-surgery diet looked very much like my normal healthy diet of lean protein, whole grains, and lots of vegetables and fruit.

Step 4: Supplement Smart. My regular supplement routine consists of my daily multivitamin and mineral formula; the Awesome Foursome of CoQ10 (200 mg), broad-spectrum carnitine (1 g), magnesium (200 mg), and ribose (5 g); and my anti-inflammatory supplement program that includes fish oil (2 g), bromelain (100 mg twice a day), 3 tablets of Wobenzym digestive enzymes, and nattokinase (100 mg). A couple of months before the surgery, I doubled my vitamin D intake to 10,000 IU daily to strengthen my immune system and bones.

A week before my surgery, I stopped taking my fish oil, multivitamin/mineral complex, and nutritional anti-inflammatories due to the possibility of thinning my blood too much during recovery from surgery. But, my surgeon, anesthesiologist, and I agreed that I should continue with my CoQ10 right up until the surgery. I also continued to sleep grounded, as I do every night.

Step 5: Balance Mind, Body, and Spirit. Before my surgery, I also listened to The Surgery Companion, a CD program by Dr. Olga Stevko and her husband Mitchell Stevko, which employs mind-body techniques used by the Mayo Clinic and other top hospitals to promote successful surgery by making patients feel more positive about surgery, reduce pain, and speed healing.

To learn more about my five-step plan for successful surgery recovery, visit my Web site. If you would like to the whole story of my journey through hip replacement surgery, check out the September 2010 issue of my newsletter, Heart, Health & Nutrition.

And to see pictures of my recovery from hip replacement surgery and to share what worked for you, join me on Facebook.

For years, I’ve been telling my readers and my patients to avoid acetaminophen—especially the extra-strength variety—because of the potential for liver problems. I’ve also told them to avoid NSAIDs because of the potential for gastrointestinal bleeding, liver damage, and kidney dysfunction. Now there’s yet another reason to avoid these analgesics, as recent studies suggest that they can also make it difficult to maintain healthy blood pressure levels.  So…

If you take painkillers regularly, please inform your doctor or holistic health practitioner. He or she may have some safer recommendations. You can also talk to your doctor about trying my recommendations for pain control, which include:

• White willow bark (180 mg twice a day); or
• Low-dose aspirin (325–650 mg a day as tolerated, but discontinue if you experience abdominal discomfort); or
• The nutritional supplement SAM-e (200–400 mg, once or twice a day as needed).

These options are safe for almost everyone, including people with cardiovascular problems.

For more information on how pharmaceuticals can lead to cardiovascular problems, visit www.drsinatra.com.

With the summer starting to fade into fall, Dr. Sinatra and I are getting in all the grilling we can while the weather is still warm and the days are still long. So, in the spirit of great grilling and healthy heart nutrition, here are a few of our favorite recipes.

Grilled Chicken Teriyaki
(Makes 2 servings)

• 8 to 10 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, split and pounded thin
• 2 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. dry sherry
• ½ cup unsweetened canned pineapple juice
• 1 tsp. ginger, grated
• 2 slices canned pineapple
• 1 scallion, slivered

Place chicken breast in a shallow glass or ceramic pan. Combine soy sauce, honey, sherry, pineapple juice, and ginger, and pour over chicken breast. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours. Heat grill pan and cook chicken for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Discard any remaining marinade. Grill pineapple briefly if desired. Garnish with scallions and pineapple.

Nutrition Facts per Serving: Calories 220; Total Fat 3 g Sodium 786 mg Total Carbohydrate 21 g Fiber 1 g; Protein 25 g

Grilled Red Snapper
(Makes 4 servings)

• 1 lb. red snapper fillet
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• Fresh ground pepper

Preheat broiler. Combine olive oil and lemon juice and brush on filet. Season both sides of snapper with pepper. Grill five inches from broiler for 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily.

Nutrition Facts per Serving: Calories 140; Total Fat 6 g Sodium 75 mg Total Carbohydrate < 0.5 g Fiber 0 g; Protein 49 g

Chickpea Salad with Rosemary
(Makes 2 servings)

This salad is a great accompaniment to either chicken or fish. I like to use rosemary and parsley right from my herb garden!

• 1 (15 oz.) can unsalted or low sodium chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 Tbsp. red onion, chopped
• 2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 small tomato, diced
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and chill for several hours or overnight.

Nutrition Facts per Serving: Calories 290; Total Fat 15 g Sodium 56 mg Total Carbohydrate 133 g Fiber 13 g; Protein 42 g

For more information on healthy heart nutrition or some of Dr. Sinatra’s famous recipes, visit his Web site at www.drsinatra.com.

Dr. Sinatra has long believed in the famous words of Hippocrates, the Greek physician of centuries past who is now recognized as the “Father of Medicine.” Hippocrates employed food to assist his patients in healing their physical ailments. With all our high tech medical approaches and complex pharmaceutical agents, it is amazing how much we have forgotten that simple approach!

After years of applying nutritional solutions to the myriad faces of heart disease—high blood pressure levels; chronic hypertension; high triglycerides; elevated L(p)a; angina; and heart attack and stroke—Dr. Sinatra has finally answered his patients’ many requests for a book that they can have as a reference at home. His research and personal experiences with his family, friends, and cardiac patients has continually impressed my husband that Hippocrates was so right on—and provided the foundation for this effort.     

Dr. Sinatra has collaborated with former pro athlete and health editor Jim Healthy, as well as recipe queen Rebecca Bent to write Bottom Line’s The Healing Kitchen. The Healing Kitchen is a strategic resource for making healthy grocery selections and healing meal planning guidelines, as well as specific recipes to assist you in selecting the right healthy foods to meet your specific health and fitness needs.

Subscribers to Heart, Health, and Nutrition have been reading Dr. Sinatra’s take on which foods, herbs, and supplements can help with their cardiovascular problems (not to mention cancer and other diseases caused by inflammation) for many years. Now all that information and more is the basis for this one reference to help guide you to foods that can heal your body.

For instance, the omega 3 essential fatty acids—especially those found in squid and fish oils—assuage cardiac arrhythmia, lower blood pressure levels, reduce LDL cholesterol levels, and even prevent plaque rupture.

Garlic is a potent blood thinner and, like onions which are rich in quercetin, helps you prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Garlic and onions are both superb foods for lowering blood pressure levels. And, speaking of hypertension, Dr. Sinatra also recommends sardines and wakame seaweed as natural blood pressure lowering foods.

And that’s just the beginning! Did you know that the right diet can help alleviate your migraines headaches, or that non-inflammatory foods can heal your arthritis?

Foods can also protect women from menopausal symptoms, as well as heal and protect us from cancer. The lutein in tomatoes along with pumpkin seeds and other fine herbs and spices can help men with their prostate concerns. From heart disease and diabetes to sleep and sex, The Healing Kitchen will educate you about natural, tasty remedies for many of the illnesses that afflict the 20th century. 

If you are looking to use simple, healthy foods, herbs and spices to get your body back on track, and keep it there, you will love this book!

For more information on healthy heart nutrition or some of Dr. Sinatra’s famous recipes, visit his Web site at www.drsinatra.com.

I worry about the fact that so many women still think that cardiovascular problems, like heart disease and stroke, is primarily a problem for men. The truth is that heart disease is a major health risk for women, but many physicians did not realize this until recently, so they’ve done little to encourage their female patients to take steps to protect their heart health.

I also worry because much of our knowledge about heart disease describes how the condition affects men. This leads many physicians, including some holistic practitioners, to diagnose and treat women as if heart disease affected them the same way. Nothing could be further from the truth. Heart disease affects men and women very differently and I’ve written about that here in this in newsletter articles, books, and here in this blog.

For example, if a 45-year-old woman and a 45-year-old man both come into the emergency room with chest pain, most physicians will probably admit the man and tell the woman her symptoms are due to stress and anxiety. Not many physicians realize that the incidence of coronary events among women quadruples as they reach middle age.

What You Can Do About It

I want you to understand that much of this, in both women and men, is related to lifestyle and the choices you make.

• Choose to seek natural ways to lower blood pressure if that’s a problem for you.
• Choose to adhere to good cardiovascular nutrition, which may include increasing the amount of fresh vegetables you consume and lowering the amount of breads and other starches you eat each day.
• Choose to do what you need to do to maintain good cholesterol levels, improve blood circulation, and healthy triglycerides.
• Choose to exercise so that you can more easily prevent blood clots and maintain a healthy weight.

In short, while it may be difficult at the start, choose to live a healthy lifestyle.  Choose life.

For more information on women and cardiovascular problems or tips for good cardiovascular nutrition, visit Dr. Sinatra's Web site.

The dangers of excess refined carbohydrate and sugar consumption are downright endemic in our society. Sugar causes a myriad of health concerns from obesity and diabetes to high blood pressure levels and cardiovascular problems. Excess sugar is even a major culprit in anxiety, depression, fatigue, and pain.

As Dr. Sinatra has warned in lectures, books, newsletters, e-letters, and blogs, elevated blood sugar stokes inflammatory processes that fuel disease. In fact, his concern for the overconsumption of sugar is what led Dr. Sinatra co-author Sugar Shock in 2006 with Connie Bennett.

Dr. Sinatra also recommends Beat Sugar Addiction NOW! (Fair Winds Press, March 2010), the newest book from one of Dr Sinatra’s “top docs,” Jacob Teitelbaum, MD.  In the book, Dr. Teitelbaum reveals four types of sugar habits and their hidden causes. “Understanding your sugar addiction type, you can take steps to beat it and in the same stroke improve your overall health,” says Dr Teitelbaum. “Knowing the type of sugar addict you are also helps to solve many other chronic medical problems.”

By understanding your metabolic makeup, you are more likely to succeed in kicking your sugar habit. See if you recognize yourself as one the types Dr. Teitelbaum describes:

• Type 1. Sugar addiction driven by fatigue. This is characterized by being hooked on so-called “energy drinks,” which are in reality energy loan sharks.
• Type 2. Sugar addiction driven by adrenal exhaustion. This is when your body's stress handlers (the adrenal glands) are exhausted by the stresses of modern life. It is characterized by intermittent feelings of “feed me now or I'll kill you!”
• Type 3. Sugar addiction driven by yeast/Candida overgrowth. In addition to fatigue and sugar cravings, this is often associated with digestive problems (irritable bowel syndrome/spastic colon) and chronic nasal congestion or sinusitis.
• Type 4. Sugar addiction driven by depression and anxiety caused by hormonal shifts. These include PMS, perimenopause and menopause in women, and andropause (testosterone deficiency) in men.

The best part of his down-to-earth approach is that Dr. Teitelbaum doesn’t give you some insurmountable goals to achieve. He doesn’t wasn’t you to obsess about it! Rather, he shows you how to simply make sugar your dessert, instead of the main course!

For a good chuckle, and an introduction to the four sugar addiction types defined in the book, check out the animation promo on YouTube.

And for more information on proper nutrition or other health concerns, visit Dr. Sinatra's Web site.

I have long considered myself to be the farmers’ market queen. There is nothing more appetizing to me than going to a local farmers’ market and selecting from the bright display of fresh produce—and even some cascading flowers to make your dinner table colorful and engaging.

Well, imagine my delight one evening as I entered a restaurant in nearby Providence, Rhode Island, to see a photo of the book above on a marquee display. I may not have been invited to the goings-on that night, but I quickly jotted down the name of the book with the cover that appealed to my summer-lovin’ soul—The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook—and later ordered myself a copy.

Author Amelia Saltsman is a well-known journalist and television personality in the Santa Monica area who has put together a great resource you may want to know about. After over 20 years of shopping at this famous southern California farm stand, talking with its farmers, and cooking up it’s cornucopia of fruits and vegetables, she has compiled what her subtitle promises: seasonal foods, simple recipes, and stories from the market and farm. If the content doesn’t have you jumping in your car to find a local farmer’s market, the photography will.

Though she doesn’t discuss how to avoid genetically modified produce, she does help the novice navigate the market and plan ahead.

Additionally, some of her recipes need be to tweaked a bit for health (i.e. substituting organic low-fat yogurt for the heavy cream in a dessert). But short of a few minor healthy heart nutrition adjustments, the book is a real winner.

Best of all, most of the recipes align nicely with Dr. Sinatra’s PAMM guidelines. (For a quick and engaging video of Dr. Sinatra discussing Top 12 healing foods—most of which you can find in the laid back atmosphere of a local farm market—take a look at his video discussion on the subject.

Also, check back in a week or so to read about Dr. Sinatra’s newest book on how to use healing foods to get your health back, or to keep from losing it in the first place. You won’t want to miss it!

In the meantime, for more information on cardiovascular nutrition or great heart-healthy recipes, visit Dr. Sinatra’s Web site.

The leading causes of high blood pressure levels include stress, genetics, being overweight, a high-sugar diet, heavy metal toxicity, and lack of exercise. 

This blog is loaded with posts that can help you manage all of these.  And once you have them under control, you’ll be well on your way to avoiding a host of cardiovascular problems, including heart attack and stroke.

Obviously, it’s better to prevent high blood pressure levels than to treat them.  That’s why I work so hard to educate my readers.  I want you all to know that there are natural ways to lower blood pressure, including:

• reducing stress,
• losing weight  (you can get great tips for doing this here),
• controlling your sugar intake, and
• exercising more.

You also want to adhere to good cardiovascular nutrition and following my PAMM diet makes that easy.  You’ll never go hungry, but will enjoy delicious foods filled with the nutrients you need to maintain good health.

For more information on blood pressure levels and healthy blood pressure, visit Dr. Sinatra's Web site.

Even as a medical student, Dr. Sinatra was taught that the average diabetic ages 15 years quicker than the average non-diabetic. We watched that dire prediction come true for Dr. Sinatra’s diabetic mother, as well as our diabetic patients.

But it makes sense—if you have problems with sugar metabolism, that you’re going to age quicker, and we know now that it’s because the sugar and proteins create glycolated proteins in the body, and these cause accelerated aging.

Now we have another recent finding to support what we observed, but specifies yet another possible root cause: PHOPHATES.

An investigator from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine teamed up with a colleague from the Department of Pathology at Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Japan to perform provocative animal research with three groups of mice. Their bottom line finding was that phosphates—the “fizzy” part of sodas that we have cautioned our family, friends, and patients to avoid—may accelerate the aging process in humans as well as their rodent counterparts.

Even though the exact physiology of phosphate toxicity is not yet known in mammals, lead researcher Dr. Razzaque reports that phosphates represent a culprit behind the prevalence of age-related medical problems and complications such as cardiovascular problems, kidney disease, and weakened skin and muscular structures.

So, for an alternative to those sugary summery drinks, consider something equally cold and refreshing, but much more nutritious. Green tea over ice with zesty lemon and a spring of lime is one of our favorites. You can also try natural mineral water sweetened with flavored liquid stevia or mixed with a puree of your favorite fruit. I am particularly partial to watermelon or strawberries!

For more information on general or cardiovascular nutrition and other great heart-healthy recipes, visit Dr. Sinatra’s Web site.

It’s a well-known fact that obesity is on a steady rise in U.S. since the introduction of high fructose corn syrup to our foods. Look for high fructose corn syrup on the your labels—some foods you may not even suspect have sugar in them!—and you may be amazed at how much sugar you are actually getting in your diet.

No wonder so many of us become sugar junkies without even realizing it. Our tendency to grab a quick carb pick-me-up can lead to anything from “brain fog" and fatigue to mood swings and cardiovascular problems. And that’s just what’s happening to non-diabetics.

People with type-2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance get heart disease at an alarming rate. That’s because they have problems with sugar metabolism. And sugar is useless in the body anyhow—it’s full of dead calories.

Whenever you eat sugar and refined carbohydrates, you get an insulin response. We know now that insulin is a pro-inflammatory hormone. People are drinking loads of sugary sodas, adding sugar to their tea and coffee, and consuming breads and pasta, bagels, and donuts and cookies in alarming amounts—we’re a sugar society. And then there’s that artificial high fructose corn syrup, which is even worse than sugar.

These sugars and refined carbs turn on an insulin response, and insulin causes inflammation of blood vessels. If you have surging insulin levels bouncing from high sugar to insulin, back to high sugar, then insulin and so on (i.e. the blood sugar rollercoaster), your cells to become inflamed and the first stage is set for inflammatory atherosclerosis.

The key is to avoid refined sugars and, to swear off high fructose corn syrup for good. And, if you want to read more about the dangers of sugar and how to cut sugar sources from your diet, I highly recommend Dr. Sinatra’s book Sugar Shock! How Sweets and Simple Carbs Can Derail Your Life—and How You Can Get It Back on Track, which he co-authored with self-proclaimed sugar addict in recovery Connie Bennett.

For more information on general or cardiovascular nutrition, as well as heart risk factors, visit Dr. Sinatra’s Web site.

There are four key heart risk factors that affect women more than men. They include:

Diabetes. Diabetic women have a higher risk for heart disease than diabetic men. This is because the incidence of diabetes and its complications (including heart disease) is much higher in women. If you are a diabetic woman, your risk for heart disease is five to seven times normal, compared with a risk of only two to three times normal for a diabetic man. For you, proper heart sense means you should increase your physical activity and adhere to good cardiovascular nutrition to maintain a healthy body weight.

Overweight. Women have a higher heart disease risk from being overweight than men do. Studies indicate that being only 20 pounds overweight doubles a woman’s risk of heart disease. If you are overweight, I don’t want you to go on a diet. Instead, get physically active—it’s your most powerful weapon against fat—and eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, and lean poultry.   That’s the “Dr. Sinatra” way to safe weight loss.

Cholesterol. Women have a higher risk for heart disease than men if they have low levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol. For men, high levels of LDL present a greater risk, but for women, research indicates that a low HDL, not a high LDL, is the more significant risk factor for developing heart disease. The good news is that HDL is sensitive to factors such as smoking, obesity, and lack of exercise. So you can easily increase your HDL cholesterol by quitting smoking and dropping excess weight through a combination of healthy heart nutrition and physical activity.

High Triglycerides. When you get your cholesterol checked, also have your doctor check your level of triglycerides, which are another type of blood fat. A high triglyceride level (above 200 mg/dL) is more dangerous for women than for men, especially if you are a diabetic. Diabetic women with high triglycerides are up to 200 times more liekly to develop heart disease. A healthy triglycerides level can be obtained through exercise and weight control.

Though you should take the above risk factors very seriously, I want you to keep in mind that you can substantially reduce all of them. There are no secrets to doing this. Healthy eating, weight control, and regular physical activity are your weapons for keeping heart disease at bay.

For more information on heart risk factors or other cardiovascular problems for women, visit www.drsinatra.com.

One of Dr. Sinatra’s safe at-home summer grilling tips is to always marinate your meat, fowl, or fish in the refrigerator, not the kitchen counter.  Set aside any extra sauce you wish to use for basting before it touches the raw foods.  We also follow the American Cancer Society warning to trim off visible fat before grilling, and cook it at a higher rack position so that it is farther from the heat. (Use only the minimum number of flames sources needed on your grill in order to reduce exposure to higher temperatures.)

But our KEY extra pointer that works is to rub your meats with rosemary. In the summer months, we have small pots of herbs on our patio so we can pick them fresh off the plant, but store-bought or dried rosemary can also work.

Rosemary helps to prevent the buildup of toxic carcinogens in the meats and even contains compounds that prevent skin cancers. It’s also a great antioxidant. You can add a drizzle of a light olive oil to the aid in the rosemary rub. Grapeseed oil is even better because it does not break down with high heat as much as olive oil can.

Lamb is the perfect complement to rosemary. Lamb is a rich, natural source of L-carnitine, an antioxidant that is one of Dr. Sinatra’s Awesome Foursome. A 4-ounce serving of lamb will net you about 75 mg of L-carnitine, a great energy substrate for cardiac muscle cells—and the entire body!

Remember, food can be your medicine. Here is a fun recipe that put our taste buds into orbit this summer.

And, stay tuned for more on Dr Sinatra’s new book about foods that heal. For even more great recipes and information on cardiovascular nutrition, check out Dr. Sinatra’s Web site.

Lamb a la Rosemary

• one organic New Zealand rack of lamb
• 1-2 tablespoons of grapeseed (preferred) or extra virgin olive oil
• leaves from a 3-4 inch sprig of fresh rosemary, finely chopped ( or1/2 tsp dried rosemary)

Combine oil and rosemary and rub lamb on both sides. Place in refrigerator for one to two hours. Remove and salt and pepper to taste. Cook on both sides over propane grill to desired doneness (at least 145 degrees). Place on clean place and garnish with sprig of fresh rosemary to serve.

As you may know, there’s an email that periodically floats around the Internet regarding what is supposedly an easy test for whether someone is having a stroke. And I often have concerned patients come into my office and ask, “Dr. Sinatra, is there any truth to it?”

Well, I checked it out, and I’m happy to report the information there is correct. Hopefully you never need to apply it, but in case you do, the simplicity of it can perhaps make a difference in saving someone’s life or minimizing their symptoms.

Note the key words in each of these first three steps. Smile. Talk. Raise. The words start with the first three letters of the word stroke: s, t, r.

• Step No. 1: Ask the individual to smile.
• Step No. 2: Ask the person to talk. Try a simple sentence, like “it’s rainy (or cloudy or sunny) outside.” Look for coherence in how the person speaks.
• Step No. 3: Ask the person to raise both arms.
• Step No. 4: Ask the person to stick out his or her tongue. A “crooked” tongue that curves outward to one side or the other is another easy-to-recognize indication of a stroke.

If the person has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, then seek immediate medical attention.

Again, my hope is that you’ll never need to apply this.  I hope you’re adhering to good cardiovascular nutrition, exercising daily, and trying to maintain healthy blood pressure levels.  Doing this will go a long way toward helping you to avoid a stroke, as well as other cardiovascular problems.

For more information on strokes or other cardiovascular problems, visit www.drsinatra.com.

I love summertime dining, farm stand meals, and harvesting my own crops from my container garden. (This week, I even cut and zip locked our own fresh basil, oregano, mint, and chives to take on vacation with us!)

But, I was recently perusing a friends gardening eLetter when I came across an important tip. If you reside in an older home that was ever painted with lead paint—even if those painted wood, shingles, trim, stucco, brick, or what-have-you was covered over with some kind of siding—never plant any edibles in beds next to the house. That means never plant fruit, veggies, herbs, or fruit-bearing trees in the soil near the house known—or suspected—to have been painted with lead-based paint.

Lead can leach out of weathered paint and remain in the soil for a long time. The lead is then absorbed by the plants, which is very dangerous.  We should be especially aware of this exposure for pregnant women and children.  Of course, all of us must avoid lead contamination!

When I shared this info with Dr. Sinatra, he was reminded of a famous French vineyard that was planted close to a highway. Leaded gas fumes penetrated the soils, and the wine was contaminated with lead when it was tested.

In the cardiology world, higher levels of lead in the body are associated with high blood pressure levels and an increased risk for heart attack in men. Excess lead in the body can cause also renal failure, and for our children, behavioral problems and more.

So, if you have an older home that may have been painted with a lead-based product, just don’t take any chances. Plant colorful flowers and shrubs for display close to the house, but nothing that could end up on your plate and/or in your body.

For more great information on cardiovascular nutrition or ways to lower blood pressure levels, visit Dr. Sinatra's Web site.

The following eight tips can help you improve blood circulation and even reduce your risk of stroke:

• Address any lifestyle-related or heart risk factors you have with your doctor.
• Follow a good cardiovascular nutrition eating program, such as the PAMM diet.
• Take 1–3 grams of fish oil daily.
• For women over 65, take 100 mg of aspirin (equivalent to 1.25 baby aspirin) a day. (Beware of stomach bleeding, though, which is always a possibility with long-term aspirin use.)
• Drink 1 to 3 cups of green tea and 2 ounces of pomegranate juice daily.
• Take a 500–1,000 mg garlic supplement or eat one crushed clove daily. (Avoid this tip if you’re taking Coumadin.)
• Be aware of your high inflammation marker scores: CRP, homocysteine, fibrinogen, and Lp(a).
• Maintain good cholesterol levels, including an HDL less than 40.

Following these tips will minimizes your chances of having a stroke and will also help to keep other cardiovascular problems at bay. For more information on stroke, heart risk factors, cardiovascular problems and overall heart health, visit www.drsinatra.com.