Wishing you…NOT a “Holiday Heart!”

Heart Ornament

We don’t mean to be Scrooges here!  While we certainly wish you a festive and wonderful Holiday Season, we also want to remind you that more of a good thing is not always better.  We are referring here to the effect that “large” quantities of alcohol ingestion may have on the heart, even on a healthy heart.

The term “holiday heart” was coined in the late 1970’s by doctors who studied patients admitted to the hospital for arrhythmia and who were also intoxicated with alcohol.  The admissions occurred more frequently on Sundays and Mondays, and there was a peak in incidence during the week between December 24 and January 1.  None of these patients had evidence of other heart problems, and the arrhythmia—usually atrial fibrillation—typically resolved as the alcohol intoxication resolved.  The doctors therefore suspected that the cause of the arrhythmia was binge-drinking on weekends or during Christmas week.Read more

Cardiomyopathy

 

Please note: this article is for general information only and should not be taken as specific medical advice. Should you have any symptoms or concerns, please seek medical attention or contact us for further evaluation. If you feel you are having a medical emergency, contact 9-1-1 immediately.

Cardiomyopathies are very common causes of exercise-related cardiac arrest in youth and young adults, but can occur to anyone at any age.  An unfortunate example is the case of a 45-year-old seasoned runner who collapsed during a marathon last November in Tennessee.  The autopsy revealed an unsuspected cardiomyopathy.Read more

Coronary artery disease in simple terms

 

Please note: this article is for general information only and should not be taken as specific medical advice. Should you have any symptoms or concerns, please seek medical attention or contact us for further evaluation. If you feel you are having a medical emergency, contact 9-1-1 immediately.
What are the coronary arteries?

The coronary arteries are the blood vessels that run on the surface of the heart, bringing blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the heart muscle.  As you can see on the image below, each coronary artery has a name that corresponds to its location on the surface of the heart.Read more

Is the ‘Google Pill’ the only hope for heart disease detection?

There has been a great deal of buzz around Google’s announcement of their plan to develop a “pill” that will circulate in the blood stream to detect early forms of cancer and give warning signs about impending cardiac complications.  Thissounds like science fiction, but who knows?  We certainly wish them the best success in this endeavor.

But do we really need to wait for these futuristic projects to be able to detect heart disease early?  I wrote an Op Ed for the San Jose Mercury News which you may find informative.