Heart Disease Expert HeartHawk 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/45631 http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631 http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/91069/3-phenomenon Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:40:00 -0400 HeartHawk It seems each passing year adds another new chapter in the story of the fish oil phenomenon.  The keen interest in the heart-healthy effects of fish oil began in earnest shortly after publication of the Italian GISSI Prevenzione Trial involving over 11,000 participants.  It demonstrated that doses in the range of 1000mg of EPA and DHA provided an enormous 30% reduction in death from cardiovascular disease and a 45% reduction in sudden... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/91069/3-phenomenon http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/85070/contributors Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:15:00 -0400 HeartHawk I spend a great deal of "electronic ink" harping on the subject of "Informed, Self-directed Healthcare (ISH).  In a nutshell, ISH is about spending a little time studying your personal health concerns (using resources like HealthCentral.com) and working with your doctor as a team to solve them.  Remember, your doctor has to study, understand, diagnose, and treat perhaps hundreds of thousands of diseases and conditions and manage... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/85070/contributors http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/83083/perspective Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:16:00 -0400 HeartHawk It is no secret that I have embraced the concept of informed, self-directed healthcare and am one of its most ardent proponents.  In a nutshell, this healthcare philosophy preaches that you must take your health into your own hands and not rely on the "one-size fits-all" type of medicine often provided.  If I had simply followed what my primary care physician and first cardiologist offered I would likely have become just another... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/83083/perspective http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/78111/sufferers Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:05:00 -0400 HeartHawk Like many other heart disease sufferers, especially those taking niacin as this supplement can raise blood sugar, I routinely (perhaps once per year) have my fasting blood sugar tested to remain on guard for diabetes and pre-diabetes.  As most of us are already aware, diabetes as well as any form of elevated blood sugar, is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease.  Given the ubiquity of the fasting blood sugar test as a... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/78111/sufferers http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/75923/insurance Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:22:00 -0400 HeartHawk Just as the science of jet aircraft advanced to break the sound barrier, a new Texas law has broken the "Insurance Barrier" to providing heart scans for asymptomatic patients at risk for heart disease.  The primary supporting evidence was provided by the SHAPE Guidelines (full report).   The bill was introduced by an asymptomatic Texas legislator who first discovered he had life threatening heart disease after a heart scan. ... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/75923/insurance http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/70599/pressure Tue, 12 May 2009 20:38:00 -0400 HeartHawk For the past several years, cardiologists have been beating the drum for lower blood pressure.  We have all seen the studies and/or articles that have challenged the notion that the old cut-off of 140/90mmHg is too high for diagnosing high blood pressure.  The medical community even went so far as to coin the new term "pre-hypertension" to describe individuals with a  blood pressure over 120/80mmHg.  Now, a review of data... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/70599/pressure http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/69089/healthcare Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:52:00 -0400 HeartHawk Do any of these situations sound familiar?  You just finished a weeklong vacation and yet you are completely exhausted and cannot figure out why.  You just started a new diet or exercise program, or perhaps you started or changed the dosage of a nutritional supplement and are wondering how it is affecting your metabolism.  Or maybe you have a chronic illness and want to keep a closer watch on how a prescription drug affects your... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/69089/healthcare http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/61721/mortality Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:59:00 -0500 HeartHawk One would think that with all the advances in drugs, diet advice, nutritional supplement support, and lifestyle changes being made that the rate of heart attacks would be dropping like a rock.  Today, we have methods like heart scans and calcium scores to identify more at risk persons and lipoprotein blood testing to more accurately pinpoint  causes of heart disease.  With all this new technology, how is it possible that over the... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/61721/mortality http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/57876/pills Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:44:00 -0500 HeartHawk Talk about getting old! Each and every day I take 14 different drugs and supplements for a total of 25 pills to fight my heart disease. Anybody else who wants bragging rights feel free to comment and claim your throne as the king of pill takers. If nothing else it will make the rest of us feel better. So, just what is old HeartHawk taking? Well, here is the list with a little descriptive commentary on why. As always, consult your physician... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/57876/pills http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/54165/missing-link Sun, 04 Jan 2009 13:11:00 -0500 HeartHawk For years there have been hints and hypotheses that heart disease and periodontal (gum) disease are associated or share common factors.  Among the more humorous notions held by the uninformed press and public was that heart plaque and tooth plaque were somehow the same thing.  That dubious notion notwithstanding there have long been provocative findings that have pointed to a relationship between a healthy mouth and a healthy... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/45631/54165/missing-link