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Ask the Doctor :: What lab tests are best to determine my heart health?
Image Courtesy of Flickr Ask the Doctor: Question: I’m thinking I should talk to my doctor about my heart. Do you recommend any labs I might ask to be done? Below are a few lab tests that I suggest to my patients; however, but I always remind my patients that blood tests are not the determining factors for your risk of heart disease – your lifestyle habits are equally as important at if not more important, so be sure to talk to your doctor about optimizing your everyday health. On a side note: I usually encourage my patients to do yearly lab work that covers the basics- complete blood count, …
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Fun Ways to Help Your Kids Develop Heart-Healthy Habits
Healthy habits need to be developed early on in a child’s life—the sooner, the better. As parents, we know this, but that doesn’t always make it easier to get our kids to eat vegetables at dinnertime or to turn off the Xbox and go outside. Here are a few strategies you can use to help your kids develop heart-healthy habits that will hopefully stick with them as they grow. Make meals important Eating dinners as a family will help show your child how important it is to eat healthy, and will give you time to come together intentionally and regularly. Breakfasts can sometimes fall by the wayside amid busy…
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Hawthorne for the Heart
The Hawthorne ( Crategeous oxyacantha or mongyna) is a sweet scented flower with snow-white blossoms; however, in the fall, red berries emerge. Hawthorne is well known as a heart herb for anyone needing to increase circulation, bring on more joy and love into their lives. History The Hawthorne plant has long been known as a sacred and protecting. In fact, for centuries, parents would place sprigs of Hawthorne around a baby’s cradle to protect against evil spirits and illnesses. Hawthorne tinctures, teas or syrups are also used to lift spirits and relieve sadness. In Greece, wedding guests would bring sprigs of Hawthorne to gesture happiness, prosperity (and fertility) to the…
