Q: I went to see my doctor last month because I was feeling off balance and short of breath. He sent me to a cardiologist, who did a blood test and told me that I'd had a mild heart attack! An echocardiogram confirmed it. I never felt any chest pain, so how is this possible? - Selma K., Montgomery, Alabama
A: You're a lucky woman. You lived through a heart attack. Now, take advantage of that luck and reduce your risk for another, far more serious one.
Many people who have a so-called silent heart attack don't recognize the signs because symptoms mimic everything from the flu to fatigue - or there are none at all! That means many folks don't follow up with a doctor like you did, to figure out what's not quite right.
Now that you know you had a silent heart attack, you can get on top of your heart health by learning to manage stress and exercising regularly. You'll also want to ditch all ultra-processed foods, red meat, egg yolks and simple sugars; don't smoke anything; and get seven to eight hours of quality sleep nightly. Doing cardio rehab and seeing your cardiologist regularly are also essential. You may start taking medications like statins, co-Q10, low-dose aspirin and/or blood pressure medications, if prescribed. By being conscientious about taking care of yourself, you may save yourself from a not-so-silent second heart attack!
But don't feel badly about missing your heart attack when it happened! A recent study found that 47% of Americas aren't familiar with at least some of the symptoms of a not-so-silent heart attack. So let's review: The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort. Sometimes that's accompanied by a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness. Women are more likely than men to experience shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain. If you have any of those symptoms, don't dismiss them. Call your doc and, if he or she is not immediately available, get to an emergency room pronto!
Q: My sister wrote and self-published a cookbook that's filled with recipes that use artificial sweeteners. She swears by it. I've been trying to lose weight, but nothing seems to work, even sticking to her recipes. Is there something wrong with me? - Sandi K., Lordstown, Ohio
A: What artificial sweeteners do is trick your body into thinking it has ingested sugar when it hasn't. That seems to have physiological and psychological repercussions.
1. Your body wants REAL sugar to fuel your cells. It should be getting it from complex carbs in 100% whole grains, not stripped/refined carbs, and from fruits and veggies, not added sugars and syrups. The brain and every other organ depend on real sugars to function! So these fakers may trigger cravings that lead to overeating.
There's also a theory that these nutrient-barren sweeteners can cause a negative change in the balance of healthy bacteria in your gut biome, altering how you metabolize real sugars and disturbing the regulation of your blood glucose levels (as do red meat, cheese and egg yolks). That might be another reason why you can't lose weight on an artificially sweetened diet.
2. Using fake sweeteners may make you feel virtuous for having that diet soda, so you order fries with a fast-food sandwich. That will blow a weight-loss plan in an instant!
To confirm the risks of artificial sweeteners, researchers from the University of South Australia conducted an observational study of more than 5,000 adults for seven to eight years. What they saw in this self-reported data was a strong link between the use of artificial sweeteners and not only weight gain, but the development of Type 2 diabetes.
So our advice: Stick with real - water, tea and coffee for beverages. Skip sweet, sugary tasting desserts, and opt for berries, melons or an ounce of 70% cacao dark chocolate! Adopt a Mediterranean-type diet (see Sharecare.com for details) and get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
Read more http://cdn.kingfeatures.com/rss/feed/editorial/index.php?content=YouDocQ_20200112