Heart Disease Expert Dr. William Davis shares Heart Disease management news and commentary at MyHeartCentral.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435 en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/ http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/33213/heart-disease Tue Jul 08 16:55:00 -0400 2008 Dr. William Davis Low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, small LDL particles: the most common triad of abnormalities today behind heart disease. Along with this pattern comes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, diabetes and pre-diabetes, increased inflammation, increasingly blood clot-prone blood. This common collection that now afflicts over 50 million Americans goes by a number of names, including metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance syndrome, and... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/33213/heart-disease http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/33090/low-treatment Mon Jul 07 11:59:00 -0400 2008 Dr. William Davis When should low thyroid be considered and when could it be blamed for contributing to risk for heart disease? You’d think the answer would be straightforward: Either it’s normal or it isn't. But the boundary between “normal” and “low” thyroid has been the focus of vigorous debate over the last decade, a question that has vexed doctors and patients alike, often searching for answers to unexplained fatigue,... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/33090/low-treatment http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/32463/heart-learn Mon Jun 30 15:32:00 -0400 2008 Dr. William Davis The New York Times featured an article on June 29th that discussed rapidly expanding use of CT scans for the heart. The article discusses the potential for overuse of this and other diagnostic testing when the physician actually owns the device and profits from the volume generated. It also highlights the very substantial radiation exposure of angiograms performed on CT devices.   However, the article goes on to say that “they expose... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/32463/heart-learn http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/31469/convention-5 Fri Jun 20 13:26:00 -0400 2008 Dr. William Davis It is, indeed, easy to second-guess Mr. Russert’s doctors, fumbling their way through explanations of why their popular talk show host died suddenly despite the appearances of receiving good healthcare. The fault doesn’t really lie with Mr. Russert’s doctors. We should point fingers at the system that perpetuates the least-common-denominator level of preventive advice that is usually provided, advice that fails too many... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/31469/convention-5 http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/31290/preventable Wed Jun 18 16:35:00 -0400 2008 Dr. William Davis Mr. Russert had a heart scan in 1998. Score: 210. What does that mean?It means that Mr. Russert’s untimely death was every bit as predictable as knowing when the next football season is likely to begin. Heart scans provide a precise, measurable index of coronary atherosclerotic plaque. They provide a level of confidence in predicting cardiovascular “events” that no other non-invasive screening test can match. If his heart... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/31290/preventable http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/30998/healthcare Mon Jun 16 10:45:00 -0400 2008 Dr. William Davis The sudden passing of news giant, Tim Russert, of sudden cardiac death dealt a blow to the American consciousness. Perhaps his hard-hitting interviewing style, while making guests squirm, provided an appearance of invincibility. But, of course, none of us is invincible. We are all vulnerable to this disease. We should not allow Mr. Russert's tragic death to pass without taking some lessons. Unfortunately, much of the popular media will leap to... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/30998/healthcare http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/30488/empowerment Tue Jun 10 13:45:00 -0400 2008 Dr. William Davis Google has just announced the release of its new Google Health service. They join a growing panel of online services (including Microsoft’s HealthVault and America Online founder Steve Case’s Revolution Health) designed to allow users to store and retrieve health information online. The search engine powerhouse brings an impressive pedigree of technological expertise that has engineered the likes of Google Earth, Google Maps, and... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/30488/empowerment http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/29644/healthcare Mon Jun 02 11:41:00 -0400 2008 Dr. William Davis Imagine a new health care proposal that does the following: Continues employer-based health insurance. Maintains Medicare and Medicaid in their current form, though reimburses healthcare providers based more on quality measures, not just volume. Maintains individual and familyaccess for purchasing insurance, but allows crossing state lines to take advantage of premium cost differences. Prevents health insurers from dropping their insured... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/29644/healthcare http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/28409/dark-vitamin Tue May 20 14:55:00 -0400 2008 Dr. William Davis As the days are getting longer and the days getting sunnier, many of us are enjoying increasing the melanin in our skin, otherwise known as a tan. Melanin is the pigment that provides the brownish coloring that grows in intensity as we tan.   You'd think that by sporting a nice “healthy” tan, having a normal vitamin D blood level is guaranteed. Right?   Unfortunately, no. In fact, it is possible to remain severely... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/28409/dark-vitamin http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/27359/health-reform Thu May 08 14:45:00 -0400 2008 Dr. William Davis Though the war in Iraq and the downturn in the economy continue to dominate political conversation among the presidential hopefuls, health care reform remains an enormous and looming issue, one that increasingly demands change away from an unsustainable status quo.   To be sure, informational tools that provide self-empowering information, such as that provided on health websites like this, are growing forces on the health care... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/27359/health-reform