Health Expert Lisa Nelson, RD, LN shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. 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/profiles/c/42538/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/42538/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/42538/index http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/42538/160622/meatless-mondays-heart Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:58:05 -0400 Lisa Nelson, RD, LN The Meatless Monday program is associated with the John Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health. This program advocates that you can make a positive impact on your health by decreasing your meat intake once a week.   The Dietary Guidelines for Americans in 2010 even included a section on vegetarian diets, indicating that vegetarian style eating patterns are associated with lower levels of obesity, decreased cardiovascular disease... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/42538/160622/meatless-mondays-heart http://www.healthcentral.com/high-blood-pressure/c/42538/160525/pressure-monitor Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:14:50 -0400 Lisa Nelson, RD, LN How to Find the Best Blood Pressure Monitor   Blood pressure should be checked every two years after the age of 21, annual checks after age 50, more frequent checks if you have risk factors.  It is easiest to treat high blood pressure if you catch the gradual increase early on.  If you have a family history of heart disease or stroke, all the more reason to pay attention.   Home Monitoring Blood Pressure   If you... http://www.healthcentral.com/high-blood-pressure/c/42538/160525/pressure-monitor http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/42538/159989/educating-behaviors-risk Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:08:03 -0400 Lisa Nelson, RD, LN At the American College of Cardiology Scientific Session in March of 2012, information was presented from the University of Michigan Systems showing that children understand the effect of healthy behaviors on overall health.   Project Health Schools, which is a community-University of Michigan System project, measured risk factors for heart disease in middle school children. Measured risk factors included lipid profiles and physical... http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/42538/159989/educating-behaviors-risk http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/42538/159960/stress-disease-levels Sun, 24 Mar 2013 21:05:00 -0400 Lisa Nelson, RD, LN Stress is part of life. There’s no way you can avoid it entirely. However, if you constantly live with high stress levels, it can lead to physical problems, including high blood pressure, angina (i.e. chest pains), arrhythmia (i.e. irregular heart rate) and heart disease.   How Does Stress Increase Heart Disease Risk?   Stress can increase heart disease risk in different ways.  First, it affects... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/42538/159960/stress-disease-levels http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/42538/159413/cholesterol-disease-risk Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:11:18 -0500 Lisa Nelson, RD, LN Do you take statin medication? If so, when did your doctor recommend you being statins? Was it when your lab results found your LDL cholesterol levels to be elevated?   LDL cholesterol has been the measure used to determine when lipid lowering therapy is needed…and statins are often the therapy started.   Research is beginning to question if LDL is the best measure for knowing if cholesterol treatment is warranted to reduce... http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/42538/159413/cholesterol-disease-risk http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/42538/159406/bad-increasing-disease Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:39:13 -0500 Lisa Nelson, RD, LN Annually, the American Heart Association (AHA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and National Institutes of Health (NIH) publish the latest statistics for heart disease and stroke. The most recent updates found deaths due to cardiovascular disease actually decreased by 33% over the past 10 years and deaths due to stroke were reduced 37%.   This goes to show that a significant amount of progress has been made to improve outcomes for... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/42538/159406/bad-increasing-disease http://www.healthcentral.com/high-blood-pressure/c/42538/158878/blood Thu, 31 Jan 2013 11:50:04 -0500 Lisa Nelson, RD, LN According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 65 million Americans have high blood pressure with approximately 74 percent taking medication to treat high blood pressure.   Research presented at the 61st American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session found internet-based telemedicine to lead to more effective medication prescriptions, improved blood pressure control, and a reduction in cardiovascular risk... http://www.healthcentral.com/high-blood-pressure/c/42538/158878/blood http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/42538/158373/stroke-risk Tue, 08 Jan 2013 19:04:04 -0500 Lisa Nelson, RD, LN Did you know stroke is a major health risk for women?   I was able to interview Sherry Torkos on the concerns regarding stoke and women and what you can do if you are at risk.    Sherry Torkos is a pharmacist, author, certified fitness instructor and health enthusiast who enjoys sharing her passion with others. Sherry graduated with honors from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science in 1992. Since that time she has... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/42538/158373/stroke-risk http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/42538/157976/checklist Tue, 18 Dec 2012 19:54:12 -0500 Lisa Nelson, RD, LN Do you go to your doctor’s appointment with a checklist? Creating a checklist is an easy way to go prepared and ensure you go home with what you need to know.   A small study presented at the annual American College of Cardiology meeting, was conducted on patients admitted to the hospital for heart problems. Half the patients went through a 27 steps checklist prior to discharge, while the other half received standard discharge... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/42538/157976/checklist http://www.healthcentral.com/high-blood-pressure/c/42538/157957/lower Mon, 17 Dec 2012 21:23:01 -0500 Lisa Nelson, RD, LN Do you need to worry about how much salt you consume in your diet? It has been argued that only those who are “salt sensitive” need to be concerned about decreasing sodium/salt intake to lower blood pressure.   A study published online in Circulation researched how a high sodium diet may lead to hypertension. The study followed over 5000 participants from the Dutch PREVEND study for close to six and a half years. All... http://www.healthcentral.com/high-blood-pressure/c/42538/157957/lower