Heart Disease

Low Fat vs Low Carb

At a time when Americans are getting fatter and struggle to find a strategy to combat the obesity epidemic, the rift between proponents of low fat vs low carb eating remains intact.  Both philosophies have fans and detractors, but the mixed messages in the media create confusion about what truly is healthy for average individuals to consume.  Obesity has been associated with an increased risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, several different cancers and premature death.  So, finding the right remedy is more than just a matter of vanity and looking good in a swim suit, it is a matter of length and quality of life. Read the rest of this entry »

Statins and Cholesterol: Hope or Hype?

Cholesterol had become the indisputable villain for heart disease over the last several decades.  After all, it seemed intuitive that cholesterol was the cause of heart disease, since cholesterol made up a large portion of the vascular plaque that characterized atherosclerotic heart disease.  But as the understanding of cholesterol metabolism has become better delineated, the connection between cholesterol and the cause of heart disease has become considerably more tenuous, and the role of statin drugs questionable. Read the rest of this entry »

Are You Playing With A Loaded Gun?

One of the most shocking surprises to emerge from the Human Genome Project in 2003 is the discovery that we are the proud owners of a paltry 30,000 genes — barely twice the number of a fruit fly.

After a decade of hype surrounding the project that gave us the full sequence of our human genome, and the regular discovery of genes for killer diseases and complex traits, this unexpected result led many scientists to a stunning conclusion. The seesaw struggle between our genes (nature) and the environment (nurture) had swung sharply in favor of nurture. “We simply do not have enough genes for this idea of biological determinism to be right,” asserted Craig Venter, president of Celera Genomics, one of the two teams that cracked the human genome. Read the rest of this entry »

Andropause: the “Male Menopause”

In 1980, an 18-year veteran police detective in Ontario with a previously spotless record stole approximately $1000.00 worth of items from the evidence room of his department.  He persuaded the judge in his case to spare him a prison sentence, claiming that “male menopause” had clouded his judgment.

 Ever since the term “male menopause” was first coined in 1949, there have been debates about whether men go though a psychological and physiological change that is similar to menopause in women.  Read the rest of this entry »

Desmond Ebanks, M.D. in the Hartford Business Journal

Desmond Ebanks, M.D., of Alternity Healthcare, a preventive medical practice

Q. You have brought the SphygmoCor CP system, a new cardiovascular test, to your practice at Alternity Healthcare in West Hartford. What is it and why should people care about it?

A. The SphygmoCor CP system is a painless and non-invasive test that measures critical cardiovascular system parameters that are not available with traditional brachial blood pressure cuff measurements. The CP system allows the non-invasive measurement of the pressure that the heart, brain and kidneys actually experience. Through a complex algorithm, the pressure wave at the ascending aorta is derived from an external measurement of the patient’s radial artery at the wrist. This identifies the central aortic pressure, determines the portion of the pressure attributable to diseased or stiffened arteries, the relative workload of the heart, and the ratio between the heart’s demand for oxygen and the available supply.

These central blood pressure measurements have been shown to be a superior predictor of cardiovascular events. Traditional peripheral brachial blood pressure cuff measurements do not accurately reflect central pressures due to pressure amplification. And, medications have different effects on central blood pressure despite similar reductions in brachial blood pressure.

Incorporating this technology into the cutting edge cardiovascular screening already available at Alternity Healthcare helps me to correctly answer two questions for my patients: (1) Do I have cardiovascular disease that puts me at risk for a heart attack or stroke? (2) If so, what can I do about it? Read the rest of this entry »

Your Heart and Your Bones

We all probably know someone who can predict the weather by the way their bones and joints feel.  And, when someone is especially committed to someone or something, they often say they “feel it in their bones”.   But we now have mounting scientific evidence linking the health of your bones to your risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Read the rest of this entry »

Vitamin D and Healthy Living

Both medical journals and the popular press over the last several years have been replete with information about the adverse health risks associated with insufficient vitamin D.  Low levels of vitamin D have been linked with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease[1], diabetes[2], certain cancers[3], osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases, obesity, multiple sclerosis[4] and chronic pain.[5] Read the rest of this entry »

Lifestyle Changes for Fat Loss – Exercise

Starting an exercise program is a necessary part of a healthy lifestyle change.  Granted, this is no major revelation.  Burning more calories than you eat is a fairly obvious recipe for weight loss.  The question then becomes: How should you exercise for maximal fat loss and optimal long term changes in body composition? Read the rest of this entry »

The Good and Bad of Fish Oil

By now, nearly everyone has heard about the tremendous health benefits of consuming fish oil supplements that contain essential fatty acids, such as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. They are considered essential because they are vital for good health but cannot be produced by our bodies.[i]  Proper cell function is dependent upon the balance of these fats. The typical American diet has an over abundance of omega-6 fatty acids from refined oils, processed foods and grain fed meat, which has upset that balance. Read the rest of this entry »

Start Growing Younger

Since the days of Cleopatra and Ponce de León, if not before, people have been seeking the elusive Fountain of Youth. Until recently, such pursuits were the realm of quacks and charlatans. To be sure, there is no shortage of dubious promises and untested remedies to increase longevity that are available for the naïve or ill-informed. But recent scientific discoveries are bringing respectability to the field, unraveling the secrets of aging on a cellular level and looking for ways to slow it down.  It is, afterall, the workings of the cellular machinery that determines the overall health and functioning of the whole person. Read the rest of this entry »