Reducing Cholesterol

Four Things You May Not Know About Salt Consumption

Monday, August 23, 2010 by Stephen Sinatra

If you’re working hard to prevent heart attack and stroke, as well as the occurrence of other cardiovascular problems, you need to beware of the dangers associated with salt.

As any decent doctor or holistic practitioner will tell you, having too much salt in your system can make it difficult for you to maintain healthy blood pressure levels, as well as healthy cholesterol levels. In fact, too much salt can severely compromise your overall health and force you to deal with a myriad of serious heart risk factors you’d do well to avoid.

Here are four things you may not know about salt consumption:

Your body requires sodium (a component of salt) to regulate fluid balance and distribution, as well as nerve and muscle cell function. Although you need some sodium, the standard American diet includes way too much. That’s why I urge my patients to try what I often refer to as "the healthiest diet of all." You'll be amazed at how effective it can be.
The current recommendation for salt consumption is less than 2,400 mg of sodium a day, which amounts to about one teaspoon of salt. Recent research suggests that people ingesting less than 1,500 mg of sodium a day are better able to keep their blood pressure low. If you have high blood pressure, you should definitely aim for that kind of level. Don’t use salt from the shaker, and read labels to add up the amount you’re taking in.
Many items at fast food restaurants are high in salt, so you can easily exceed the recommended level with one serving.
You can easily make up for the reduced salt in your diet by cooking with fresh herbs and spices such as basil, garlic, oregano, rosemary, chives, parsley, and onion. What’s more, all of these flavorings contain natural substances that are good for your health. Garlic, in particular, has been shown to have a positive effect on blood pressure when consumed on a daily basis.

I hope you'll share this information with your friends and loved ones. It's just another example of how you can do something simple to help control your cardiovascular health.

For more information on blood pressure levels and other cardiovascular problems, visit www.drsinatra.com.

Let Food Be Thy Medicine

Thursday, August 19, 2010 by Jan Sinatra

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.

Healthy Cholesterol Is Great, But...

Monday, August 16, 2010 by Stephen Sinatra

Though you wouldn’t know it based on today’s obsession with cholesterol levels, cardiology has been slowly veering away from the narrow view of cholesterol as a primary cause of

coronary artery disease (CAD).

The field is finally realizing that although good cholesterol levels can help deter the biochemical process that creates damage in arterial walls—which in turn leads to plaque, occlusions, and clots—it’s a relatively minor one. In other words, they’ve realized that even though they may find cholesterol at the scene of the crime, it’s not necessarily the perpetrator.

An excellent example of this is shared in a population study that showed how the French have the highest total cholesterol levels in Europe—about 250—but the lowest incidence of cardiovascular problems, including heart disease.

This being said, I continue to encourage you to find natural ways to maintain healthy cholesterol, including adhering to a smart, cholesterol lowering diet. I just want you to also realize that cholesterol is just one of many heart risk factors, and is not necessarily the most deadly.

For more information on reducing cholesterol and other cardiovascular problems, visit Dr. Sinatra's Web site.

Four Common Heart Risk Factors For Women

Wednesday, August 4, 2010 by Stephen Sinatra

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.

The Truth About Cholesterol

Monday, August 2, 2010 by Stephen Sinatra

Contrary to popular belief, cholesterol is not a villain. Your body needs cholesterol to synthesize certain nutrients and hormones, construct the semi-permeable membranes around each

of the 100 trillion cells that make up your body, and facilitate cell communication and memory in the brain.

Cholesterol moves through the body with the help of two proteins: LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, and HDL, or high-density lipoprotein. LDL carries ready-to-use cholesterol molecules that can be absorbed by cells that need it, and HDL picks up excess cholesterol and carries it back to the liver for recycling and excretion.

LDL, often referred to as the “bad cholesterol” only becomes unsafe when it interacts with molecular fragments called free radicals. The effect of such interaction is that the LDL becomes oxidized. Unlike normal LDL, oxidized LDL has toxic effects on the cells it attaches to. This is especially troublesome when oxidized LDL penetrates the endothelial cells lining the arteries because it contributes to—and accelerates—the inflammatory process.

When you get down to it, though, the real problem is not cholesterol—it’s whether your body’s antioxidant system can effectively neutralize the free radicals that damage LDL molecules.

In order to enjoy healthy cholesterol, it’s important to adhere to a cholesterol lowering diet, like my PAMM diet. You’ll also want to exercise on a regular basis, which will also help to keep other cardiovascular problems away.

For more information on good cholesterol levels or reducing cholesterol, visit www.drsinatra.com.

Coronary Artery Disease: More Common Than You Think

Friday, July 30, 2010 by Stephen Sinatra

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is by far the most common cardiovascular problem.

You may have heard of the term atherosclerosis, which refers to the buildup of plaque in the blood vessels. Essentially, coronary artery disease is a form of atherosclerosis that affects the arteries leading to the heart. As plaque in the coronary arteries builds up and blockages grow, the level of oxygen and nutrients provided to the heart decreases, limiting the heart’s effectiveness. Should an artery become blocked completely—due to plaque buildup or the inability of a clot to pass through the narrowed opening—a heart attack results.

Informing a patient that he or she has coronary artery disease is never pleasant for me. But what the patient says to me in the next few minutes can make all the difference in that individual’s course of recovery. In over 35 years of practice, I have found that the single most important question that can come from a patient is: “Dr. Sinatra, what can I do to help myself?”

I tell them that, in almost every case, coronary artery disease is a story about an unhealthy lifestyle. I probably don’t have to remind you traditional heart risk factors can predispose you to it, including:

cigarette smoking,
high blood pressure levels,
diabetes,
physical inactivity,
obesity,
unhealthy cholesterol levels, and
emotional stress.

Research has clearly demonstrated that the more heart risk factors you have, the greater your chances of developing serious coronary artery disease.

I challenge my patients, as I’m challenging you now, to become proactive and do what it takes to reduce your heart risk factors and take control of your health. You must realize that all of the advice, medicine, and technology in the world won’t help you if you continue to abuse your body and live an unhealthy lifestyle.

For more information on coronary artery disease or other cardiovascular problems, visit www.drsinatra.com.

Eight Stroke Prevention Tips

Monday, July 26, 2010 by Stephen Sinatra

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.

When Does Cholesterol Become A Threat?

Friday, July 9, 2010 by Stephen Sinatra

Maintaining good cholesterol levels is important, but, contrary to popular belief, cholesterol is not a villain. Your body needs cholesterol to synthesize certain nutrients and hormones, construct the semi-permeable membranes around each of the 100 trillion cells that make up your body, and facilitate cell communication and memory in the brain.

Cholesterol moves through the body with the help of two proteins: LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, and HDL, or high-density lipoprotein. LDL carries ready-to-use cholesterol molecules that can be absorbed by cells that need it, and HDL picks up excess cholesterol and carries it back to the liver for recycling and excretion.

Healthy LDL cholesterol levels are always of great concern, as they should be, but few people know that it’s impossible for your cells to absorb too much of it. LDL becomes unsafe only when it interacts with molecular fragments called free radicals. The effect of such interaction is that the LDL becomes oxidized. Unlike normal LDL, oxidized LDL has toxic effects on the cells it attaches to.

When you get down to it, though, the real problem is not cholesterol—it’s whether your body’s antioxidant system can effectively neutralize the free radicals that damage LDL molecules.

Here’s what you need to remember about cholesterol: It’s a relative heart risk factor and it’s influenced by other factors. You should also keep in mind that good cardiovascular nutrition and a cholesterol lowering diet can go a long way to helping you keep good cholesterol levels.

For more information on cholesterol guidelines, reducing hypertension, and overall heart health, visit www.drsinatra.com. While there, sign up for FREE e-letters or subscribe to Dr. Sinatra’s monthly newsletter, Heart, Health & Nutrition.

Lp(a) Cholesterol Guidelines

Thursday, July 8, 2010 by Jan Sinatra

Lp(a) cholesterol has been of great interest to many of you, and we’ve had many comments

posted on the topic. I’d like to take the opportunity to answer a sound question from a concerned mom, because it is exemplary of what folks often ask us in the office that all of you can benefit from it.

Like many of you looking at the results of your cholesterol profiles, she reports that she is not sure what constitutes an alarming abnormal Lp(a) value. In her 50-year-old daughter’s case, the blood work read as follows:

Total Cholesterol: 173
HDL: 74
LDL: 87
LDL cholesterol-C: 90
Lp(a) : 12

In this particular case, there is no family history of cardiovascular disease, and the lipid panel results were within normal limits.

As with other blood level parameters, there may be some variation in normal ranges for Lp(a) as reported by different labs. I have seen some labs where up to 30 was within the normal range for the equipment and reagents they use. Our concerned mom reports that, for her daughter’s lab, anything over 10 is out of the normal range; hence her concern.

Her question is a good one. In the absence of any family history of cardiovascular problems and good cholesterol levels, how much should one be concerned about slightly elevated Lp(a)?

In this particular case, Dr. Sinatra and I would like to reassure her not worry about this finding. First of all, her daughter’s Lp(a) is only elevated two points (or 20 percent above the limit). Secondly, her high HDL “good” cholesterol levels of 74 (HDL > 60 for a woman, and > 45 for men is considered desirable) is a very protective component. And, thirdly, there is no family or personal history of heart disease.

When do we get concerned? Dr. Sinatra takes action when he sees Lp(a) levels that are twice the normal limit (he sees some that are even four times higher or more!). In those cases, he recommends fish oil (a total of 2 grams/day in divided doses) and nattokinase (50 mg twice daily).

Even if your Lp(a) levels are normal, borderline, or even slightly elevated and you want to be more aggressive in your preventive medicine efforts, then just be sure that omega 3s are part of your daily vitamin and mineral plan. About one to two grams of a high quality fish oil—or squid oil—should do the trick.

Lp(a) may still be a new blood component to know about for many of you. Be sure to watch for an upcoming newsletter article on the seriousness of this risk factor. For other tips on healthy cholesterol levels, visit Dr. Sinatra's Web site. While there, don't forget to sign up for his FREE eLetters!

Statin Drugs and Baby Aspirin

Monday, July 5, 2010 by Stephen Sinatra

When I am considering prescribing something to help a patient maintain healthy cholesterol or good blood pressure levels, I often select drugs that can treat plaque instability at the same time—like statins and baby aspirin.

And, as much as I strongly disagree with the use of statins for treating isolated high LDL cholesterol levels when heart disease is not apparent, I endorse statin therapy in situations where direct measures need to be taken to limit inflammation in anyone with documented coronary artery disease and to treat lipid disorders.

Researchers comment that we still lack the evidence to start pulling out the prescription pad and routinely ordering statins for anyone who has calcified heart valves. However, if you already have this condition, and are on a statin drug to treat your lipids, you should know that you may be improving your valvular function as well—or at least keeping it from worsening with age.

Statin drugs have been known to help stabilize plaque in acute coronary syndromes, so it’s logical to me that they have a probable impact on the calcification process and may also prevent plaque ruptures. In fact, research shows that patients who were admitted to a hospital on statin therapy, and had these medications discontinued while treatment focused on heart attack or unstable angina, actually did not fare as well as those who continued to take their statins. Something about statins obviously assists in stabilizing unstable plaques.

Anyone taking a statin drug for an appropriate reason should be chasing it down with a minimum of 200 mg of standard CoQ10.

Low-dose aspirin—i.e., one baby aspirin a day or one half of a standard adult aspirin every other day—is known to help maintain good blood pressure levels and has also been shown to help prevent coronary events in patients with known coronary artery plaque. It will help reduce CRP levels, which lowers the risk of inflammation, resulting in fewer cardiac events. I also recommend chewing on one adult aspirin while you wait for an ambulance if you think that you may be having a heart attack.

For more information on stain drugs, cholesterol levels, or other cardiovascular problems, visit www.drsinatra.com. While there, sign up for FREE e-letters or subscribe to Dr. Sinatra’s monthly newsletter, Heart, Health & Nutrition.

The Magic of Garlic

Friday, July 2, 2010 by Stephen Sinatra

A few years ago, a small-scale trial conducted at UCLA explored the effects of aged garlic extract (AGE) on the natural course of calcified coronary artery (hard) plaque. The 19 subjects

who completed the protocol were well-matched for important variables like statin use and heart risk factors.

Researchers measured plaque at the study’s start and after twelve months. In the placebo group of ten people, the annual plaque progression rate was 22.2% (the range was actually an increase of 3.7 to 40.7% in this group).

Now, while levels for CRP and cholesterol parameters didn’t change significantly for any of the 19 individuals, the nine taking aged garlic extract tended to that it helped to increase HDL cholesterol levels and improved plasma homocysteine levels. Progression of calcific coronary disease detected by EBCT was significantly less, measured at 7.5% +/- 9.4%.

This preliminary finding should provoke larger scale investigation, but for now, it’s just another potentially good reason to add AGE to your program—especially if you know you have hard plaque and/or other cardiovascular problems.

For more information on cholesterol guidelines and cardiovascular problems, visit www.drsinatra.com.

Prevent Lp(a) Cholesterol

Thursday, June 17, 2010 by Jan Sinatra

To offset the inflammation caused by elevated Lp(a) levels, Dr. Sinatra recommends that you try one or more of the following:

Niacin: Take up to a total daily dose of 1 gram (1 gram=1,000 mg) taken in one or two doses. Start at a dose of 125mg, then double it as tolerated, up to the full amount.
Fish or squid oil: Take 2 grams daily of a good quality fish or squid oil (but not krill oil).
Nattokinase: 50 mg daily.
Bolouke: Boluoke contains the enzyme lumbrokinase, which has been shown to assist with the breakdown of fibrin, a protein involved in blood clotting. It is a Canadian product and can be purchased online. This is the only measure I know of that may actually lower your Lp(a). Take as directed.
Delta tocotrienol: Take 100–200 mg of this natural form of vitamin E once a day.
Get grounded! Remember, heart disease—like diabetes, cancer, and a host of autoimmune problems—is a disease caused by inflammation. In the case of heart disease, it’s the arterial walls that get inflamed. Once they puff up from inflammation and all kinds of debris that accumulate in the arterial walls, they then get clogged, especially if you have a tendency to clot. Grounding can help to reduce inflammation, and help avoid cardiovascular problems and prevent blood clots.

For more information on healthy cholesterol, visit www.drsinatra.com.

Cardiology Terminology: Lp(a)

Tuesday, June 15, 2010 by Jan Sinatra

Lately, Dr. Sinatra has been getting a lot of questions about the very small, dense, and highly inflammatory cholesterol particle known as lipoprotein(a)—or Lp(a) for short.

Good questions! Dr. Sinatra is one cardiologist who just doesn’t think that total cholesterol levels are the evil culprits behind cardiovascular problems that they have been made out to be. In fact, he believes that it is high time we switch the heart disease prevention paradigm from total cholesterol to Lp(a). There are too many folks with normal cholesterol levels having heart attacks not to believe that something is amiss.

But before we discuss ways to lower or prevent high Lp(a) levels, you must first know what you are up against.

Lp(a) is small, dense, highly inflammatory sub-fraction of a cholesterol particle and is made in the liver. Dr. Sinatra believes that it is so dangerous, it should be listed as a specific risk factor for heart disease—instead of total cholesterol.

While we know a lot about what it does in terms of how it affects the body, we are still in the theoretical stages in terms of how Lp(a) is metabolized and all of its physiological functions. So, here is what we’ve got on it to date:

Because of its small dense properties, Lp(a) has been shown to contribute to atherosclerosis;
Your Lp(a) level is often hereditary, with DNA determinants;
Lp(a) is thought to have something to do with coagulation and clot formation;
It can help with wound healing because of its ability to turn on inflammatory reactions; and
At high levels, it can promote excessive inflammation.

In short, Lp(a)’s characteristics include:

small—it can easily sneak in and permeate the cell wall and wreak havoc;
dense— like a stone that sinks to the bottom, it can pile up on the walls of your blood vessels; and
highly inflammatory—it is a provocative little monster.

Everyone should know what their Lp(a) level is, especially anyone with known heart disease. Anyone with a family history of heart disease should also know, since Lp(a) blood levels are inheritable, and its production is controlled by a specific gene (an apolipoprotein(a) gene on chromosome 6q26-27 to be specific). That’s why we see elevated Lp(a) levels run in families. Also, if you are of African-American or some European heritages, you may be more at risk.

Lp(a) levels can range from 0.2 to 200, and because folks with very low Lp(a)s appear to be quite healthy, whatever its functions, they are not thought to be critical. Dr. Sinatra likes to see levels less than 35 nmol/l, according to the Quest Diagnostics standards he usually sees.

Here are the usual parameters, depending on how your lab expresses this level:

Desirable: < 14 mg/dL (< 35 nmol/l)
Borderline risk: 14 - 30 mg/dL (35 - 75 nmol/l)
High risk: 31 - 50 mg/dL (75 - 125 nmol/l)
Very high risk: > 50 mg/dL (> 125 nmol/l)

Should you find your Lp(a) elevated, then you need take action. Later this week, I’ll tell you the most effective natural ways to reduce or even prevent Lp(a) cholesterol.

For more information on cholesterol guidelines and other cardiovascular problems, visit www.drsinatra.com.

Sugar Equals Poor Cardiovascular Nutrition

Thursday, June 10, 2010 by Jan Sinatra

Just this year, Dr. Sinatra wrote in his newsletter Heart, Health & Nutrition about a study from the Journal of the American Medical Association showing that diets high in added sugars raise the levels of blood fats and increase cardiovascular disease risk. Specifically, people who ate about 20 percent of their daily calories in the form of sweeteners of any kind were much more likely to have lower HDL good cholesterol levels and higher triglyceride levels.

In the study, Emory University researchers surveyed about 6,000 adults and determined that average sugar intake was 16 percent of daily calories—21.4 teaspoons, about 359 calories. These findings also support guidelines released last year by the American Heart Association recommending that men keep their daily intake of added sugars below 150 calories (10 tsp.) and women limit themselves to 100 calories (6 tsp.).

I found the study perhaps most interesting for what it didn’t say: that sweeteners contribute to higher blood viscosity, a major overlooked component of cardiovascular problems. Research shows sugar stokes inflammation and increases C-reactive protein (CRP), and the added calories also contribute to weight gain and abdominal body fat, in turn, generating more CRP.

An earlier 2001 Harvard study found ultra-high CRP levels among women who ate large amounts of high-glycemic carbohydrates (ones that break down into glucose more quickly), such as potatoes, cereals, white bread, muffins, and white rice. Those women also tended to be overweight. So go easy on the sugar and limit your intake of foods that contain added sugar. Your body, especially your heart, will thank you.

For more information on healthy heart nutrition, visit www.drsinatra.com.

Prevent Blood Clots by Reducing Fibrogen

Monday, June 7, 2010 by Stephen Sinatra

Arteriosclerosis, or narrowing of the arteries, is the most common cause of heart disease, but in women younger than 45, we see more heart attacks caused by improper blood clotting that can be triggered by high fibrinogen levels.

Too much fibrinogen, an inflammatory product of blood coagulation, can make the blood clot too fast.

High fibrinogen levels aren’t the sole province of younger women. At age 57, one woman went to her doctor with signs of unstable angina. She had bypass and angioplasty, followed by drugs to help her maintain healthy cholesterol, as well as other conventional treatments.

Nine years later, she had a second heart attack and underwent a cardiac catheterization to reopen some of the grafts that had closed. In her mid-60s and depressed about the recurrence of her heart disease, she came to see me seeking alternative ways of minimizing her cardiovascular problems and healing her heart.

I prescribed a fish oil (EPA-DHA) supplement to promote “slippery” blood platelets and help improve blood circulatin by neutralizing her fibrinogen and triglyceride levels. I also put her on my PAMM diet, my cardiovascular nutrition plan that includes much lower levels of carbohydrates (to combat her insulin resistance), plus healthy fats and garlic. I also recommended that she exercise to help her lose weight.

If these measures failed to support these critical blood parameters enough within three to six months, she agreed to go on natural estrogen therapy. Estrogen is important because fibrinogen levels rise with falling estrogen. Recent research suggests that estrogen replacement therapy can significantly reduce plasma fibrinogen levels.

The most important contributor to high fibrinogen levels is cigarette smoking: Smoking is just about the worst thing you can do for your health. According to research, almost half of all heart risk factors can be attributed to cigarette smoking.

While there may be some variations among laboratories, an acceptable range for serum fibrinogen is less than 300 mg/dl; anything over 350 mg/dl is considered undesirable.

For more information on heart risk factors and how to prevent them, visit www.drsinatra.com.

The Connection Between Lipoprotein A and Heart Disease

Friday, June 4, 2010 by Stephen Sinatra

Lipoprotein A, or Lp(a), is a component of LDL or “bad” cholesterol and high levels of it in your blood can be a serious heart risk factor.

According to an article in the 1997 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Lp(a) appears to regulate clot formation (thrombosis) and inhibit blood thinning, which can lead to blood circulation problems.

We know that Lp(a) increases in unstable diabetics and menopausal women with elevated levels due to lowered estrogen levels. This may be why the incidence of heart disease among menopausal women quadruples.

Conversely, Lp(a) decreases with estrogen replacement therapy. For this reason, it’s imperative that all menopausal and perimenopausal women with a strong family history of heart disease have their Lp(a) levels checked by their doctor. Further, postmenopausal women with multiple heart risk factors should consider natural, topical estrogen replacement therapy, particularly if their Lp(a) is elevated.

Research shows that elevated Lp(a) levels appear to be even stronger predictors for the development of premature heart disease in men. JAMA reported a study of 2,191 men confirming this.

Statin Drugs Will Not Reduce Lp(a)

Statins, drugs commonly prescribed to help you keep good cholesterol levels, are not effective for lowering Lp(a) levels. In fact, a study involving these drugs showed an increase in Lp(a) levels! And therein lies the dilemma.

While cholesterol-lowering drugs can reduce LDL, they can’t reduce Lp(a). If you find that a high Lp(a) level runs in your family, you must attack it with an alternative approach.

Here’s what I recommend:

Take 100 mg of niacin, twice a day. If you experience side effects like flushing, headache, and diarrhea, follow the diet and stop the niacin. You can try a lower dosage at a later date and you can increase the dose to 500 mg a day, twice a day for further protection, or reduce it by no less than 100 mg daily if you have side effects. Twinlabs’ quick-acting Niacin is a good product.
Follow my Pan-Asian Modified Mediterranean (PAMM) diet.
Take 1–2grams of vitamin C and 100–200 mg of standard coenzyme Q10.
Take 1–2grams of fish oil daily.
Take 50mg of nattokinase twice a day.
Take 100mg of delta tocotrienols twice a day.
Exercise regularly.

If you’re concerned, you and your family members should have your Lp(a) and other risk factors (homocysteine, fibrinogen, and serum ferritin) evaluated by your doctor. And be aware of other heart disease risk factors, including smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, glucose intolerance, and repressed emotions, all of which can cause cardiovascular problems.

For more information on LDL cholesterol levels and ways to lower them, visit www.drsinatra.com.

Dr. Sinatra Book: Arthritis Interrupted

Thursday, May 27, 2010 by Jan Sinatra

Dr. Sinatra has been busy the last year or so collaborating with Jim Healthy on a book designed to help people navigate the tough waters of living with arthritis. While arthritis seems so out of the realm of a cardiologist, you may be surprised to learn that, like most cardiovascular problems, inflammation is a major culprit at the root of arthritis.

The motivation for Dr. Sinatra to do this book is personal. After playing high school football, as well as “wrestling” his way into a college scholarship on the mats (along with four more years of wrestling), and skiing moguls as an adult, Dr. Sinatra has his own personal collection of injured and arthritic joints. As for Jim Healthy, he too has dealt with joint aches and pains secondary to his life as a semi-pro football player and athlete extraordinaire.

I like to refer to this book as a couple of “good ole boys,” Monday morning quarterbackin’ as they sit rocking in their chairs on the front porch—and sharing with you what they have learned through research and direct experience. Actually, a better picture is these two silver haired, hunky ex-jocks riding exercise bikes in tandem as they banter new ideas and approaches to share based on what has worked for their own bodies.

As I said earlier, arthritis and cardiovascular problems share a common cause: inflammation. Inflammation is a culprit behind the myriad faces of heart disease:

high blood pressure levels;
cardiac arrhythmias;
high LDL cholesterol levels;
high triglycerides;
elevated L(p)a; and
heart attack and stroke….just to name a few.

The medical suffix “--itis” literally means INFLAMMATION. Unchecked, many of these “-itises” can not only wreak havoc in terms of overall health and localized pain, the chromic inflammation over time can lead to infection…and no one wants THAT! It must be intercepted, and these football-playing cronies know all about interceptions!

To reduce the inflammation, and therefore alleviate arthritis and also reduce your risk for a number of cardiovascular problems, your first (and easiest!) step is to eat an anti-inflammatory diet. A pro-inflammatory diet can make you sick, and feed the fires of the health problems mentioned here…and more. Therefore, you must be armed with a solid anti-inflammatory eating plan so you can calm the flames of arthritis, as well as heal so many other diseases.

Arthritis Interrupted, featuring the Arthritis Healing Diet, will give you the diet tips you need to ease arthritis. It will also broaden your understanding about how inflammation can be downright debilitating, and provide you with an action plan to “tackle” your arthritis head on. Hold on to your helmets!

You can order a hard copy of Arthritis Interrupted at myhealingkitchen.com. While there, you can choose to download a copy of the book to your computer to get you started, and even get free bonus recipes and other booklets on foods that fuel, foods that heal arthritis, non-drug pain relievers, and more.

For more information on overall health and nutrition, visit www.drsinatra.com.

Exercise, But Do It Carefully

Wednesday, May 19, 2010 by Stephen Sinatra

While exercising, I urge you to learn to listen to your body. Is the exercise you’re doing causing pain? Tight muscles? Does it hurt your posture? Is it affecting your sleep? Is it disturbing your breathing, digestion, vision, or other functions not normally associated with fitness?

If you experience any of the following symptoms, stop immediately.

Lightheadedness or dizziness
Palpitations
Shortness of breath (unable to carry on a conversation)
Jaw pain
Arm tingling or numbness
Tight feeling in the lungs (bronchospasm)

Be aware of any symptoms that come up during or up to an hour after exercise. If you feel ill, stop and rest. If symptoms persist after three to five minutes of rest, seek medical attention immediately.

Let me stress, however, that some form of exercise is of paramount importance to your health. It can help improve circulatory problems, reduce triglycerides, and fight chronic hypertension. Exercise can also help you to maintain good cholesterol levels. And, believe it or not, just a daily walk around the block goes a long way toward helping you to prevent blood clots, heart attack and stroke.

For more information on cardiovascular health, visit www.drsinatra.com.

Exercise is a Great Way of Lowering Blood Pressure Naturally

Monday, May 17, 2010 by Stephen Sinatra

I am often asked what the best exercise is. I answer that the best exercise is the one you will do. Afterall, there’s no point recommending an exercise if the person you’re recommending it to won’t do it.

You can’t be truly healthy without exercise and it is great for people who are dealing with circulatory problems, need help reducing cholesterol levels, or are trying to maintain healthy triglycerides.

Exercise also is just what this doctor orders when it comes to lowering blood pressure naturally. As you know, maintaining healthy blood pressure levels is one of the smartest things you can do to reduce your risk of risk for heart attack and stroke.

Two of the best forms of movement are also the most pleasant—walking and dancing. Research, including some of my own, has continued to reinforce this view.

Research has demonstrated that exercise reduces the incidence of coronary heart disease, diabetes, depression, and osteoporosis. Now we can add stroke to the list. In a study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), 4,065 nurses ages 40 to 65, without cardiovascular disease or cancer, completed detailed physical activity questionnaires. The surveys revealed that walking was associated with reduced risk of stroke.

If all this isn’t enough to get you off the couch, consider that if you have been relatively sedentary most of your life, you are likely to lose 30 to 40 percent of your muscle strength by the time you’re 65. By age 75, more than a quarter of American men and two-thirds of American women can’t lift a gallon of milk above their waist with one hand.

Exercise burns calories and increases body metabolic rate, which means that your body burns more calories even as you rest. So let's get moving!

For more information on lowering blood pressure naturally, visit www.drsinatra.com.

Fight Heart Risk Factors With Nutraceutical Support

Friday, April 30, 2010 by Stephen Sinatra

Vitamin and mineral supplements are not substitutes for a proper diet, but even the rare American who eats a balanced diet does not get the amount of nutritionals needed to combat the toxins and heart risk factors that threaten his/her health. This is why it’s critical that you take a quality multivitamin/mineral supplement with antioxidants every day with your meals. It’s just smart cardiovascular nutrition.

Hundreds of studies have shown that antioxidant nutrients protect cells from free radicals, neutralizing these molecular marauders before they do serious damage. Antioxidants protect your genetic DNA, cellular membranes, and even the enzyme systems that support cell metabolism. These activities have implications far beyond daily health. They can be found at the heart of aging itself.

Additionally, there are some key nutritional allies that reduce your risk for many of the cardiovascular problems out there today, including heart attack and stroke. For example, taking the right supplements is one of the best natural ways to lower blood pressure levels, improve poor blood circulation, and maintain healthy cholesterol and healthy blood pressure. Check out my previous postings, then consult with your doctor or holistic health practitioner to find out what’s best for you.

To read more on how to fight heart risk factors, visit www.drsinatra.com.