Couple general heart questions

[Hiker in Hawaii]

Hi,

My recent bloodwork was about same cholesterol=130, HDL=33, LDL=88, triglicerides (triglycerides)=58, cardio CRP=.06

I take 2,000 mgls. in effort to raise myy HDL which has always been low...I'm 37, thin, very active, non-smoker, but my father died of heart attack @48, so my MD treating the low HDL aggressively...

My first question: Is it more important to raise the HDL as much as one can, or lower the LDL to the lowest possible level, given a family history?...

Last couple weeks have been rather stressful....Last week several times, I had some quick twinges of chest discomfort, lasting couple seconds.....Didn't hurt, but I get scared if any twinge occurs in chest area, even though it only lasts seconds...

Second question: Can stress, (I mentioned this in a prior post, I do drink alot of soda, 8 cans a day) & diet cause any occassional twinge of pain/discomfort in chest area?...

I was looking at my report of a chest ray I had few years ago (I had pneumonia in 2004 & this report was done 7 weeks after the pneumonia diagonsis to see if the pneumonia was gone) & the report was fine on in that the pneumonia was gone & it said the heart appeared fine...

Third question: can a simple chest x-ray point out heart trouble?

Last question: How far in advance is needed to schedule an appointment w/preventive cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic if you aren't an Ohio resident?....The doctors on this site always seem friendly, the last thing I want to do is see a cardiologist & he/she have the personality of the MD on "House" - LOL..

Sorry to pontificate, & thanks for your help...

[Forum-M.D.-bkj]

Hiker,

Thanks for the post.

Is it more important to raise the HDL as much as one can, or lower the LDL to the lowest possible level, given a family history?

Unfortunately, there isn't a great way to raise HDL at this point. You are doing most of the apporpriate things to get it up. There is good data about lowering your LDL and your currenlty is very good.

Can stress, (I mentioned this in a prior post, I do drink alot of soda, 8 cans a day) & diet cause any occassional twinge of pain/discomfort in chest area?

There are a lot of different things that can cause chest discomfort. If you have a chronic syndrom (syndrome) and it occurs with stress it certainly could be associated. It is important to have this type of symptom examined by your physician.

Can a simple chest x-ray point out heart trouble?

It's not really effective. Sometimes, certain conditions can be detected by enlargement of the cardiac silhouette or other structures on the x-ray.  However, the types of problems you are worried about generally are not seen on an x-ray.
,

How far in advance is needed to schedule an appointment w/preventive cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic if you aren't an Ohio resident?

Not too long. I would probably start with someone in the general Cardiology section though as they are also excellent.  You can call 1-800-ccf-care for an appointment.

good luck.

[someone21231]

"I do drink alot of soda, 8 cans a day"

You fool, you should not be drinking a drop of soda a day and be drinking only 100% fruit juice, V8, and water.


I was addicted to soda for decades and its one of the reasons I have heart disease and a hunch back now. That garbage increases your triglycerides and thins your bones. These days if I take a gulp of soda my blood pressure goes to scary levels.
I'm sure that **** gave me diabetes too. My life is so horrible now, I'm pretty much on my death bed. Like I said earlier that garbage should be illegal and also all of those dam 10% juices filled with high fructose corn syrup. Everyone also should give a hand to McDonalds/Burger King and their ads targeting children to buy their ****.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_fructose_corn_syrup
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphoric_acids
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca_cola


This is one of my posts to someone who said what to eat if they have heart disease [I'm sure you will find it helpful]:

http://www.whfoods.com/diseasestoc.php
Eating Right for Your Disease

http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php
The World's Healthiest Foods


No cholesterol
No saturated fat [increases cholesterol more then dietary cholesterol]
No trans fat
No meat or cheese
No fried rice
No french fries or hash browns
No eggs
No mashed potatoes and gravy
No biscuits [especially buttermilk]
No junk food
Low or no sodium
No milk
No rice-a-roni or uncle bens
No garlic bread
No butter or margerine

No coca cola or soft drinks [high fructose corn syrup makes cholesterol sky rocket and the phosphoric acid thins your bones. I think coca-cola should be illegal and all 10% juice garbage that are full of high fructose corn syrup.
Coca-cola is one of the reasons why this country is full of fat and unhealthy people. F*cking McDonalds.



Eat:
Only drink 100% fruit juice and V8 low sodium
baked potatoes with no butter, margerine or salt [only add pepper or fresh chives]

Seedless grapes!!!! [http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=40]
Subs with no meat
Salads with no dressing
Fruits
Vegetables with no added salt or melted cheese
Plain white rice with nothing on it

Spaghetti with EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL and sauce with no meatballs
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=132
Extra virgin olive oil has more poly and monounsaturated fats then anything and these lower the bad LDL cholesterol and raise the good HDL cholesterol.


Take:
Huge amounts of vitamin C, vitamin E [don't overdose on vitamin E]
Vitamin A
other antioxidants
green tea extract
Swanson cardio complex [awesome]
Large B vitamin pill


and Swanson super cayenne:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=140
Cardiovascular Benefits

Cayenne and other red chili peppers have been shown to reduce blood cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and platelet aggregation, *****while increasing the body's ability to dissolve fibrin, a substance integral to the formation of blood clots.***** Cultures where hot peppers like cayenne are used liberally have a much lower rate of heart attack, stroke and pulmonary embolism.


http://www.bodyandfitness.com/Information/Health/antioxidant.htm
To much to paste here.


http://www.amazon.com/Homocysteine-Revolution-Kilmer-S-McCully/dp/0879839759/ref=cm_syf_dtl_pl_5_rdsssl0/102-1780927-4832161/102-1780927-4832161
Arterial plaque is, in essence a form of scab that forms on wounded arteries to protect us from internal hemorrhaging. What causes wounded arteries? One cause is free radicals, which can be combatted by antioxidants. But a second major cause of arterial wounding -- and arterial plaque -- was discovered by the author of this book, Dr. Kilmer McCully: elevated concentrations in the blood of a chemical called homocysteine. Homocysteine is a natural product of the metabolism af an amino acid called methionine and, therefore, our body's always contain some homocysteine. Vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid keep blood concentrations of homocysteine low enough to be safe. But deficiency of these vitamins can allow homocysteine to build up to concentrations that can wound our arteries and lead to the formation of arterial plaque -- which can eventually trigger a heart attack. Recent research has confirmed Dr. McCully's findings. If you want to understand the role of homocysteine in causing cardiovascular disease and resultant heart attacks -- and learn how to protect yourself from them -- I strongly suggest that you acquire and read this valuable book.



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