“Using marijuana as little as once per month is associated with a higher risk of both heart attack and stroke, according to a large study published Wednesday by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital. The risks rose sharply the more frequently marijuana was used.

The paper, which was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting marijuana may be harmful to the cardiovascular system.

Scientists analyzed data on nearly 435,000 patients, ages 18 to 74, to see whether there was a link between marijuana use and a higher risk of heart disease, stroke or heart attack. The data came from a behavioral risk factor survey collected from 2016 to 2020 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Compared with people who had never used marijuana, daily cannabis users had 25% higher likelihood of heart attacks and 42% higher risk of strokes. People who used marijuana just once a week had a 3% increased likelihood of a heart attacks and 5% higher risk of strokes during the study time frame.”

NBC News (Marijuana use as little as once per month linked to heart attack and stroke risk in new study)

Marijuana Awareness Month takes place every February and aims to spread knowledge about the negative effects of marijuana use. Several surveys carried out in the U.S. reveal that millions of people use marijuana, making it the most widely used illicit drug in the country. Marijuana use is on the rise in the U.S., causing a rise in addiction too. The popularity of the drug is a result of the perceived myth that the drug is harmless because of its recent legalization in some states.

Where does marijuana come from and how it effects the body in a negative way:

Marijuana is made from the hemp plant, cannabis Sativa, containing the psychoactive chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other related compounds. Inhalation (smoking) is the most common method of cannabis consumption including joints, pipes, blunts, bowls, bongs, dabs, and vaporizers. Food products can also be made with cannabis as well as sprays and pills.

Effects can include lack of balance and coordination, distorted senses, increased appetite, impaired judgment, elevated heart rate, anxiety, etc. Dangers of marijuana include: anxiety, loss of motivation, impaired short-term memory and learning, slowed thinking and reactions, and addiction.

“For American Heart Month here are Heart Disease Quick Facts to know:

• Heart disease is very common. In the United States, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups.1 In 2022, 1 in every 5 deaths in the United States was caused by heart disease.12
• High blood pressure is a leading cause of heart disease. Nearly half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure, which puts them at risk for heart disease and stroke. And just 1 in 4 people with high blood pressure has it under control.3
• Heart disease is costly. The cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity from heart disease amounted to $252.2 billion between 2019 and 2020.”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-CDC (American Heart Month Communications Toolkit | Heart Disease | CDC)

          
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease. The good news? Heart disease can often be prevented when people make healthy choices and manage their health conditions.

First let’s understand what occurs to the heart with bad health habits over a long period of time:

If you are eating too much for too long that consist of foods high in sodium, fat and cholesterol your vessels will narrow in size due to high B/P and blockages due to the high fat and cholesterol foods. By allowing high B/P you expose yourself to increasing the pressure in the vessels that increases your blood pressure called hypertension.

If you are also inactive you are at risk of obesity which puts stress on the heart and in time causing high B/P.

Constantly being exposed to a high B/P or HTN in the body this could cause the vessel to rupture (at the heart=possible heart attack, also called MI, at the brain=possible stroke, also called CVA with both on high occurrences in our population of the US.).

With bad habits (especially poor diet, inactive, and smoking) you can cause over time atherosclerosis=a blockage in the artery with the resolution surgery (from what they call a cardiac catheterization which commonly starts up your groin at the femoral artery or if the surgeon is having difficulty than the procedure is done in the arm leading up to the heart where the cardiac catheter or also called an angiogram which could lead to a angioplasty with possibly a stent is performed if there is a blockage.  If they see the blockage (s) is very bad a CABG=coronary artery bypass=a 6hr plus operation where diversion of a vein from your leg or a stent (donor graft site) around the blockage is done. Smoking can lead to this. Also know smoking can cause your vessels to become brittle=arteriosclerosis.

Healthy Habits would impact a positive result for all people who have had this diagnosis CHF that is picked up or diagnosed early.  Most important healthy habits can be a great as a PREVENTATIVE measure for people not diagnosed with any cardiac disease.

There are 4 things you have no control over heredity, age, sex, and race but healthy habits are sure to benefit you by keeping the odds down of you inheriting, help your age factor, and race a lot can be associated with eating cultural habits.

If you make the decision to live a life that’s healthy for your heart through proper eating, doing some exercise or activity with balancing rest in your busy schedule would be a great direction or taking the right step.

Wouldn’t you want less chance of heart disease or obesity or diabetes for yourself and for others throughout the nation including the future generations?  Let’s build a stronger foundation regarding HEALTH in America=Prevention!

Communities, health professionals, and families can work together to create opportunities for people to make healthier choices.  February is American Heart Month, a time when all people—especially women—are encouraged to focus on their cardiovascular health. This Heart Month, the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (DHDSP) is encouraging women to listen to their hearts and speak up for their health.

Make a difference in your community: Spread the word about strategies for preventing heart disease and encourage people to live heart healthy lives.

How can American Heart Month make a difference?  We can use this month to raise awareness about heart disease and how people can prevent it — both at home and in the community.

Here are just a few tips in prevention of heart disease:

• Encourage families to make small changes, like using spices to season their food instead of salt.  • Motivate teachers and administrators to make physical activity a part of the school. This can help students start good habits early.

• Ask doctors and nurses to be leaders in their communities by speaking out about ways to prevent heart disease.  How can you help spread the word?  We’ve made it easier for you to make a difference. This toolkit is full of ideas to help you take action today. For example:  Add information about living a heart healthy lifestyle to your newsletter. • Tweet about American Heart Month. • Host a community event where families can be active while learning about local health resources.

Also know smoking can cause your vessels to become brittle=arteriosclerosis.  SO STOP SMOKING!

So prevent surgery like a cardiac cath or an artery bypass=a 6hr plus operation where diversion of a vein from your leg or a stent (donor graft site) around the blockage is done.

Healthy Habits would impact a positive result for all people who have had this diagnosis CHF that is picked up or diagnosed early.  Most important healthy habits can be a great as a PREVENTATIVE measure for people not diagnosed with any cardiac disease.

There are 4 things you have no control over heredity, age, sex, and race but healthy habits are sure to benefit you by keeping the odds down of you inheriting, help your age factor, and race a lot can be associated with eating cultural habits.

If you make the decision to live a life that’s healthy for your heart through proper eating, doing some exercise or activity with balancing rest in your busy schedule would be a great direction or taking the right step.

Wouldn’t you want less chance of heart disease or obesity or diabetes for yourself and for others throughout the nation including the future generations?  Let’s build a stronger foundation regarding HEALTH in America.

Take action: Be the cure! Join the American Heart Association’s national movement in support of healthier communities and healthier lives.

“Wear Red this month to help raise awareness of the No. 1 killer of people in the U.S.; cardiovascular disease!  American Heart Month, observed in February, is a time to focus on heart health awareness. It aims to educate beginners about preventing heart disease through healthy lifestyle CHOICES!  National Wear Red Day is Friday 2/07.”

American Heart Association (American Heart Month | American Heart Association)

The heart is like the engine to a car but for us it’s the “pump” for the human body; without the engine the car won’t run and without the pump we won’t live. The normal size of the heart is about the size of your fist, maybe a little bigger.

It pumps blood continuously through your entire circulatory system. The heart consists of four chambers, 2 on the right and 2 on the left. The right side only pumps high carbon dioxide levels of blood, after all the oxygen was used by the tissues and returns to the heart in the right upper chamber and leaves to the lung from the right lower chamber. From the lungs it than goes to the left side of the heart now, which is a very short distance as opposed to where the left side pumps the blood. The L side of the heart pumps blood to the feet, brain and all tissues in between with high oxygen levels of blood.   This is why the L side of the heart does more work than the R side since the blood leaving the L side has a longer distance in distributing oxygen. The heart pumps the blood with high oxygen blood levels to reach all your tissues and cells, going to the feet, brain, and to all other tissues in between returning home again to the right side of the heart (upper chamber) to get sent to the lungs again for more oxygen. This is why the muscle on the L side of the heart is larger than the right, it works harder. Every time your heart beats (the sound we call lub dub) the organ is sending out a cardiac output of blood either to the lungs for more oxygen or to the body tissues through the aorta to give oxygenated blood to your tissues and cells. This is the mechanics of how blood is pumped by the heart. It pumps in our body to deliver oxygenated blood to organs and remove the carbon dioxide from our organs in our body to stay alive.

What happens when the heart is diseased:

Let’s see what can occur if the heart is not functioning properly. If your heart is not pumping out a sufficient amount of blood in your cardiac output to either the body (from left side of the heart); or removing carbon dioxide from the tissues (from the right side of the heart) than it tries to work harder where it does ok at first but over time weakens. As this weak heart struggles to pump blood the muscle fibers of the heart stretch out which is particularly from the left lower chamber, the biggest muscle of the heart.  As the struggle for this organ progresses over time this stretching leaves the heart with larger, weaker chambers. The heart enlarges (called cardiomegaly).   If this continues to go on this could go into R or L sided heart sided failure. When this happens, blood that should be pumped out of the heart backs up in the lungs=L sided failure or backs up into the tissues=R sided failure.

The side the failure is on doesn’t allow proper filling of the chambers on that side and back up happens; so much like pipes work in backing up when problems occur like a blockage.  If this condition occurs that is on the L side the fluids back up in the lungs or the R the fluids first back up in the veins which can expand to hold extra blood but at some point dump the extra fluids in your tissues (What can occur over time is edema in feet first due to gravity).   This is all due to overloading of the blood not filling up in the chambers of the heart to make a good cardiac output of blood due to poor pumping of the heart and in time the fluid backs up (bad pumping=backup of blood=fluid overload in the lungs (pulmonary congestion) to fluid staying in the skin (In time to the lower extremities due to gravity=feet which we call edema trying to send the blood back to heart for more oxygen at the lungs going back up the legs when the oxygenated blood is used up.).

This condition in time with no treatment will definitely go into congestive heart failure (CHF) to first one side of the heart and if not controlled can go to both sides of the heart. CHF can range from mild to severe.

There is 670,000 cases that are diagnosed with this every year and is the leading cause of hospitalization in people over 65 y/o. Causes of CHF are: heart attack, CAD (coronary artery disease), cardiomyopathy, other conditions that overwork the heart like high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity (These diseases can be completely preventable or at least well controlled).

There is many of us in this world with knowing how our activity/exercise, eating, and habits could be better for health but do little action or do nothing on their own to change it, which is a large part for certain diseases being so high in America (diabetes, stroke, cardiac diseases=high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis to CHF and more).

If people just were more healthy and more active regarding these diseases alone it would decrease in population creating a positive impact on how our health system with insurance presently (a disaster) with our economy (another disaster) for many which could get better with healthy people in the USA.

A healthy heart can pump to all parts of the body in a few seconds which is good cardiac output from the organ but when it gets hard for the heart to keep up with its regular routine it first compensates when healthy but if going into CHF, a unhealthy heart pump it will decompensate causing ischemia (lack of oxygen to the heart tissue). It’s like any tissue in the body, lack of oxygen=lack of nutrients to the body tissue=STARVATION and with lack of oxygen will come PAIN eventually to death if not treated. Take the heart, if it isn’t getting enough oxygen it can go into angina. That is reversible since it is heart pain due to not enough oxygen to the heart tissue=no damage but if left untreated what will occur is a heart attack=myocardial infarction (MI) and is permanent damage because scarring to the heart tissue takes place that is permanent damage to that area of the heart tissue where the MI occurred for life.

Learn more tomorrow about a what happens to a diseased heart.

“February is National Cancer Prevention Awareness Month, a time to reflect on the steps we can take to reduce our risk of cancer.  Know this 40% of cancer cases and 44% of cancer-related deaths are linked to preventable lifestyle choices. By making informed decisions about what we eat, drink, and expose ourselves to, we can significantly lower our cancer risk.

5 things you should know about cancer prevention month:

1-Everyone knows, smoking remains the #1 most significant preventable cause of cancer, accounting for about 19.3% of cancer cases and 28.5% of cancer deaths.

2-Alcohol, in any amount, is detrimental to our health. Alcohol consumption contributes to 5.4% of cancer cases. It increases the risk of cancers in the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, colorectum, liver, larynx, and breast. CRI Clinical Innovator Marina Baretti, MD (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), recently highlighted the importance of controlling alcohol intake. “The recommendation is really to either stay away or (have) no more than two drinks per day for a man (and) no more than one drink per day for a woman,” she advised.

3-Our dietary habits can make a real difference towards our cancer risk.  Consumption of red meat (beef, pork, veal, lamb, etc) and processed meats (smoked and cured meats, cold cuts, sausages, etc) have been shown to increase a person’s risk for colorectal cancer. In addition, excess body weight is also a significant and preventable risk factor for cancer. Research has shown that high BMI is associated with an increased risk of developing 13 to 18 types of cancer.

4-Ultra Violet (UV) radiation from the sun and tanning beds contributes to 4.6% of cancer cases. In fact, it’s the primary cause of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Over five million annual global cases of skin cancer due to direct exposure of UV rays.

5-It may come as a surprise, but infections caused by viruses and certain bacteria play a significant role in cancer development. In fact, they account for approximately 13% of cancer cases globally.”

CRI – Cancer Research Institute (Five Things You Need to Know for National Cancer Prevention Month – Cancer Research Institute)

How do people lower the chances of getting cancer? There’s plenty of advice. But at times, advice from one study goes against the advice from another.

Cancer prevention information continues to develop. However, it’s well accepted that lifestyle choices affect the chances of getting cancer.

Consider these lifestyle tips to help prevent cancer.

1. Don’t use tobacco

Smoking has been linked to many types of cancer, including cancer of the lung, mouth, throat, voice box, pancreas, bladder, cervix and kidney. Even being around secondhand smoke might increase the risk of lung cancer.

But it’s not only smoking that’s harmful. Chewing tobacco has been linked to cancer of the mouth, throat and pancreas.

Staying away from tobacco — or deciding to stop using it — is an important way to help prevent cancer. For help quitting tobacco, ask a health care provider about stop-smoking products and other ways of quitting.

2. Eat a healthy diet

Although eating healthy foods can’t ensure cancer prevention, it might reduce the risk. Consider the following:

• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Base your diet on fruits, vegetables and other foods from plant sources — such as whole grains and beans. Eat lighter and leaner by choosing fewer high-calorie foods. Limit refined sugars and fat from animal sources.
• Drink alcohol only in moderation, if at all. Alcohol increases the risk of various types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, colon, lung, kidney and liver. Drinking more increases the risk.
• Limit processed meats. Eating processed meat often can slightly increase the risk of certain types of cancer. This news comes from a report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the cancer agency of the World Health Organization.

People who eat a Mediterranean diet that includes extra-virgin olive oil and mixed nuts might have a reduced risk of breast cancer. The Mediterranean diet focuses mostly on plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts. People who follow the Mediterranean diet choose healthy fats, such as olive oil, over butter. They eat fish instead of red meat.

3. Maintain a healthy weight and be physically active

Being at a healthy weight might lower the risk of some types of cancer. These include cancer of the breast, prostate, lung, colon and kidney.

Physical activity counts too. Besides helping control weight, physical activity on its own might lower the risk of breast cancer and colon cancer.

Doing any amount of physical activity benefits health. But for the most benefit, strive for at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes a week of hard aerobic activity.

You can combine moderate and hard activity. As a general goal, include at least 30 minutes of physical activity in your daily routine. More is better.

4. Protect yourself from the sun

Skin cancer is one of the most common kinds of cancer and one of the most preventable. Try these tips:

• Avoid midday sun. Stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun’s rays are strongest.
• Stay in the shade. When outdoors, stay in the shade as much as possible. Sunglasses and a broad-brimmed hat help too.
• Cover your skin. Wear clothing that covers as much skin as possible. Wear a head cover and sunglasses. Wear bright or dark colors. They reflect more of the sun’s harmful rays than do pastels or bleached cotton.
• Don’t skimp on sunscreen. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, even on cloudy days. Apply a lot of sunscreen. Apply again every two hours, or more often after swimming or sweating.
• Don’t use tanning beds or sunlamps. These can do as much harm as sunlight.

5. Get vaccinated

Protecting against certain viral infections can help protect against cancer. Talk to a health care provider about getting vaccinated against:

• Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B can increase the risk of developing liver cancer. Adults at high risk of getting hepatitis B are people who have sex with more than one partner, people who have one sexual partner who has sex with others, and people with sexually transmitted infections.Others at high risk are people who inject illegal drugs, men who have sex with men, and health care or public safety workers who might have contact with infected blood or body fluids.
• Human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that can lead to cervical cancer and other genital cancers as well as squamous cell cancers of the head and neck. The HPV vaccine is recommended for girls and boys ages 11 and 12. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the use of the vaccine Gardasil 9 for males and females ages 9 to 45.

6. Avoid risky behaviors

Another effective cancer prevention tactic is to avoid risky behaviors that can lead to infections that, in turn, might increase the risk of cancer. For example:

• Practice safe sex. Limit the number of sexual partners and use a condom. The greater the number of sexual partners in a lifetime, the greater the chances of getting a sexually transmitted infection, such as HIV or HPV.People who have HIV or AIDS have a higher risk of cancer of the anus, liver and lung. HPV is most often associated with cervical cancer, but it might also increase the risk of cancer of the anus, penis, throat, vulva and vagina.
• Don’t share needles. Injecting drugs with shared needles can lead to HIV, as well as hepatitis B and hepatitis C — which can increase the risk of liver cancer. If you’re concerned about drug misuse or addiction, seek professional help.

7. Get regular medical care

Doing regular self-exams and having screenings for cancers — such as cancer of the skin, colon, cervix and breast — can raise the chances of finding cancer early. That’s when treatment is most likely to succeed. Ask a health care provider about the best cancer screening schedule for you.

“As we age, we are more likely to develop systemic health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes. It’s important to remember that these diseases can seriously damage your eyes as well. One warning sign of both high blood pressure and diabetes: frequent changes in vision (such as blurriness).

Always tell your ophthalmologist about your health conditions and what medications and nutritional supplements you take. They will also want to know about your eating, sleeping, exercise and other lifestyle choices. Remember: you and your ophthalmologist are partners in caring for your vision.”

American Academy of Ophthalmology (Tips for Eye Health in Adults Over 65 – American Academy of Ophthalmology)

Women-Higher Risk for Some Eye Diseases