I start my days with a good, fifteen minute stretch that includes both breathing and yoga exercises. Some days, I watch The Today Show with Matt Laurer, Meredith Vieira, Ann Curry and Al Roker as I stretch.

This morning… There was a very interesting segment led by The Today Show’s chief medical editor, Dr. Nancy Snyderman, about heart disease. Doctor Synderman reviewed her six critical tests for men to monitor heart-health throughout their lives.

As heart disease is the #1 killer among men, I listened intently to Dr. Snyderman’s compelling discussion. In fact, I even stopped my stretch, grabbed a pen-and-paper and started taking notes. (I guess I’m a little sensitive to anything heart-related after my double heart valve surgery.)

Here are the six tests Dr. Snyderman believes are critical for monitoring heart health in men:

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The older I get… The more I realize there are no short-cuts in the game of life. Whether it deals with money or weight loss, the “sure thing” is seldom a sure thing.

An unfortunate example… A new study published by BMC Medical just revealed some disastrous findings about the use of Fen-Phen for weight loss and its long-term side effect… Heart valve damage known as mitral regurgitation and aortic regurgitation.

To learn more, read this interesting article by WebMD Health News by clicking “Fen-Phen Damages Heart Valves… Several Years Later”.

Keep on tickin!

It’s never easy talking to parents about their children with heart murmurs.

The discussion is even more challenging when I have a life-long relationship with the parents. (As I previously shared, my nephew (Buddy) was diagnosed with a small heart murmur earlier this summer.)

Recently, my best best friend, Rob, discovered that his six-month old son, Sammy, had a murmur as well. As you would imagine, this was a very challenging time for Rob and Stephanie (his wife).

Well… Today, there is great news to share about Lil’ Sammy. Last week, Sammy had an echocardiogram. After the echocardiogram, the cardiologist realized that Sammy’s murmur was functional in nature. That means there were no structural issues with his heart valves and there was no evidence of a congenital condition (e.g. bicuspid aortic valve).

Like many newborns with heart murmurs, the cardiologist told Rob and Steph that Sammy’s murmur would most likely “go-away” as Sammy (and his heart) continues to grow and develop.

Keep on tickin’ Sammy!

One of the most popular forms of heart valve disease is mitral valve regurgitation. In fact, reports suggest that the mitral valve is the most commonly operated on heart valve.

As a result, I receive a lot of questions about mitral valve replacement and mitral valve repair. Earlier today, I received a question from Kim that reads, “Is there any way to naturally reduce mitral valve regurgitation?”

If you’ve been to this blog before, you know that I am an optimist. I believe that anything is possible. So it would be unlike me to answer that question with a definitive “no”. Interestingly enough, I have heard of some miracle stories from patients in which valve disease issues have mysteriously vanished over time.

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I was just reading the Top 10 Amazing Facts About Your Heart at LiveScience.com.

The #2 Amazing Fact was about the impact of relationship “break-ups” on the heart. I found this interesting:

“Alas, a broken heart can cause one to swoon. A breakup with a loved one or news of a family death literally can lead to broken hearts in the form of heightened risk for heart attack, studies have shown. Such trauma can also trigger the release of stress hormones into the bloodstream that temporarily “stun” the heart. The resulting symptoms mimic those of a heart attack – chest pain and shortness of breath – but this type of achy heart can bounce back in days with some tender loving care and rest.”

To read the other amazing facts, click here.

Keep on tickin!