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The results of a European study recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that virgin olive oil contained more antioxidants that a more refined olive oil. What does this mean to you? More antixoidants may offer more protection against heart disease.

In this study those taking the virgin olive oil had higher levels of polyphenols (a certain class of antioxidants), higher levels of HDL (the good cholesterol that protects your heart) and higher levels of substances that help prevent the oxidantion of the LDL (bad cholesterol). All of this means you may be able to lower your risk of heart disease and strokes by using virgin olive oils over other types of oils in your diet.

How much olive oil? The participants, all men, ate about 1 tablespoon of virgin olive oil per day for three weeks. (Other particpants ate refined olive oil or a mixture of virgin and refined).

Remember when adding fats to your diet to look at your overall fat intake.

You know all the reasons to quit smoking, yet you still do it. That is the power of that Nicotine Demon that lives in your head. I tell my patients that their little demon is akin to a toddle having a major temper tantrum in the middle of the cereal aisle at your favorite upscale grocer.

Becoming a smoke free individual is not easy, but there are lots of resources available to help you quit. In WA State we have Quit Line - a service where you can actually call and talk with a Quit counselor 7 days a week. Your state health department may have a similiar program.

Other online resources to check out include:

Tobacco Free Nurses - the first national program focused on helping nurses and student nurses to stop smoking
www.tobaccofreenurses.org/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Tobacco Information and Prevention Source
www.cdc.gov/tobacco/

Surgeon General - ‘You Can Quit Smoking’ Consumer Guide
www.surgeongeneral.gov/tobacco/default.htm

American Lung Association - Tobacco Control
www.lungusa.org/tobacco/

American Cancer Society - Guide to Quitting Smoking
www.cancer.org

Quitnet.com - Savings Calculator
www.quitnet.com

Smokefree.gov - Dictionary
www.smokefree.gov/dictionary.html

Quitnet.com - ‘Quitticisms’ (Quitting terms & phrases)
www.quitnet.com/library/quitticisms.jtml

Smoking is an issue that seems to penetrate all aspects of an individuals life. It’s not just an individual health issue anymore…it’s a quality of life issue, a societal issue, a financial issue, and a public health issue. It affects you, your children, your grandchildren, your partners, your friends.

It’s time to stop…for good.

May is Stroke Awarness Month and the American Heart Association | American Stroke Association has launched new guidelines for stroke preventon.

Here are some things that you can be doing:

• Get your blood pressure checked. Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a significiant risk factor. You can reduce your risk of stokes due to hypertension with proper treatment.
• Dont’ smoke and eliminate your exposure to secondhand smoke.
• If you have diabetes, it is imperative that you maintain tight control of your blood pressure, as well as your cholesterol.
• If you already have hypertension reduce you intake of sodium (salt) to no more than 2.3 grams per day and increase your potassium intake to (4.7 gms per day) - eat a diet high in fruit, vegatbles, low-fat dairy products and low in saturated and total fat.
• Lower your total cholesterol to acceptable levels.
• Be physically active (moderate-intensity) for at least 30 minutes a day. That’s one brisk walk for 30 minutes.

The American Stroke Association recently launched Power To End Stroke, an aggressive education and awareness initiative to reach African Americans, who are at greater stroke risk than other ethnic groups. For more information on stroke or the Power To End Stroke campaign, call 1-888-4STROKE, or visit the American Stroke Association Web site: strokeassociation.org/power.

In case you need another reason to take that walk…..

Walking Program Slows Decline in Peripheral Artery Disease -

“CHICAGO, Jan. 3 - Ninety minutes of walking a week, made up of three or more therapeutic walks, may slow the progress of lower extremity peripheral arterial disease, according to researchers here.

Compared with PAD patients who walked fewer than three times a week, the regular walkers were able to walk longer and faster on annual six-minute walking tests, Mary McGrae McDermott, M.D., of Northwestern and colleagues reported in the Jan. 3 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.”

The complete article can be found here .