- By Jim Evans
- Around Town
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| A few years ago, my heart stopped functioning properly. A cardiac artery was blocked, and I felt some strange and scary symptoms. The blockage was relieved with a stent, and the hospital that installed it included a detailed lecture to all such patients. They don’t want to see us again. Heeding that information has kept me healthy, and I want to share what I’ve learned. | ||
Some OTC meds and supplements can clash with prescriptions and each other, so be careful. Even food can cause medication problems. Grapefruit juice and grapefruit itself, for instance, can exaggerate the effect of medications, which can be dangerous. A pharmacist can often tell you about interactions. He or she is a wonderful source of free information. And feel free to ask about interactions with alcohol and anything illegal. They'll tell you without telling on you.
So, about the "recreational" drugs? If you drink unwisely, you’ll have to stop, or at least slow way down, because if you're a heart patient, you’re probably taking a statin drug. Statins help control your serum cholesterol by inhibiting liver function so your liver doesn’t process as much fat as it wants to, allowing the fat to pass through you undigested. But that slowdown interferes with alcohol processing, and your liver can more easily overload and sustain damage. So for women, one or fewer drinks per day; for men, two or fewer. And remember, take your statin when you go to bed. That's when your liver most needs it.
Nicotine hooks people even more tenaciously than alcohol. I loved handmade cigars, never inhaled, and always used a holder so they wouldn't touch my lips, but I had to quit. My lungs were fine, and my cancer risk was low, but I was still absorbing nicotine, and that stuff makes the inside of arteries sticky, so plaque builds up. That's what caused my heart attack. Besides, tobacco, used in whatever form, is a vasoconstrictor, which means it raises your blood pressure by making your arteries reduce their diameter. Not good, especially if you have plaque buildup — and most people do — because having coronary arteries squeeze closed can mean lights out.
We all know about another kind of smoking, don't we. Like tobacco, marijuana can be ingested in several ways, and as with tobacco, that doesn't matter. THC is a vasodilator, which causes a drop in blood pressure, as do erectile dysfunction drugs. This pressure drop can also starve the heart of an adequate blood supply. It also makes those nitroglycerin tabs you keep on your person more dangerous than helpful, because they work by lowering blood pressure. So if you have a heart attack while using marijuana or an ED drug, you can't take your nitro. Just call 911 and pray.
Perhaps our biggest drug problem is what we jokingly call the basic food groups: salt, sugar, fat, and caffeine. Some would say, There you have the foundation of the fast food and snack industries. Many other columns cover the food minefield, so I won’t do that here.
On a lighter note:
In a recent column, I offered a list of kitchen tools you won't find in the kitchen department. Some, such as the welding gloves, make wonderful gifts. One item got left out: basting brushes. Don’t buy anything called a basting brush, whether you’re making baked goods or grilling. Instead, go to the paint department and get a few of the el cheapo brushes. Just make sure they’re natural bristle, and you’re all set. The smaller ones go for less than $2, and they work just fine.
I often use mine to ensure a beautifully colored roast turkey. Before it goes into the oven, in a bag or not, I brush the bird with soy sauce, and it comes out gorgeous. At the table, it’s too bad we heart patients should remove the skin from the white meat. The soy sauce adds just the right amount of salt, but with that delicious skin gone, you need to add some seasoning.
Disclaimer: This stuff comes from my own research and experience. I may sound as if I know what I’m talking about, but your doctor is the final authority.
Please direct comments and questions for this series to me This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
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