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How to Fight Heart Disease with…Dental Floss?

I’m not at all opposed to playing jokes, but I’m actually serious here!  Flossing your teeth – all of them – on a daily basis can actually help prevent heart disease.  I know what you’re thinking, but I’m not making this up folks.  Dental floss is wicked stuff; MacGyver could do all sorts of crazy things with it.  Many of you may have already heard these reports, but for those of you that haven’t, just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Numerous studies have come to the same conclusion over the last few years:  there is growing evidence that periodontal disease actually does contribute to heart disease.  Apparently the nasty little bugs that cause your gums to bleed, swell and otherwise deteriorate also like to inflame your arteries (atherosclerosis).  It all goes downhill from there of course.

The good news is that now you can tell your kids with a straight face to floss or they could be in big trouble.  No more making stuff up with “if/then” statements.  But of course the best thing to do is lead by example, so pick your favorite dental floss and get to work!  Incidentally, if you can’t floss for whatever reason, they say to at least use disinfecting mouthwash, but only as a second option.

So if flossing prevents heart disease, then what kind of weird habits prevent cancer?  That’s what I want to know!  Maybe it’s cracking your knuckles.  If so, I’m all set because that’s one habit I’ve downright mastered.  Of course, I’ll be writhing in pain from arthritis instead, but hey, you can’t have everything…

Lower Your Cholesterol WITHOUT Drugs

In recognition of National Cholesterol Month in September, there are several things that you can do to dramatically lower your total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and your triglycerides while raising your HDL cholesterol. The best part about this strategy is that for most people it can be extremely successful without the use of statins, or cholesterol lowering drugs. Statins are certainly effective, but I prefer to think of medication in general as a last resort. It is often used as a band aid, or as a treatment of a symptom instead of treating the cause.

For example, a run-of-the-mill headache can often be attributed to dehydration, but I have witnessed countless people just pop a few pills to dull the pain, rather than drink water instead of soda or alcohol. Likewise, statins shouldn’t be taken alongside foods laced with trans fats, saturated fats and cholesterol in an effort to ward off the harmful effects of such foods. Although I would never compromise my own health or recommend anyone else do the same just to avoid using prescription drugs, the side effects of prescription medication are of great concern to me.

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What is cholesterol, anyway?

An overly scientific explanation of cholesterol is needlessly complex, except perhaps for those of us interested in medical school. The definition that makes the most sense to me because it is easy to understand and remember is that cholesterol is simply a fatty substance produced in the liver and found in the blood and tissue of all animals. This means that not only can we consume cholesterol in meats, eggs, and fatty dairy products, but we also produce it in our own bodies regardless of what we eat. This can be a significant problem for certain people whose bodies are “production-happy”.

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National Cholesterol Month

Did you know that September is National Cholesterol Month?  I will be talking in depth about this subject and why we all need to know more about it.  For example, you have no doubt heard the word “cholesterol” hundreds or perhaps thousands of times, but can you explain exactly what it is and why it is so important?  Probably not, but if so congratulations - you have already taken the first step.  Remember, it’s difficult to effectively solve a problem if we don’t understand it in the first place.  Knowledge is power…