Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia

Several observational studies have ascertained the fact that low serum DHA is a significant risk factor for the development of cognitive impairment as well as Alzheimer’s disease. The development of Alzheimer’s disease has been attributed to the development of and pathologic accumulation of β-amyloid in the brain.  This detrimental accumulation of β-amyloid leads to oxidative stress and neuronal destruction.  In animal models, DHA has been shown to have a protective effect against the development of impaired learning ability in β-amyloid infused rats by decreasing the levels of lipid peroxide and reactive oxygen species in the cortico-hippocampal tissues as well as eliminating the amyloid burden from brain tissue.

         A prospective study of 899 patients showed that patients who had higher plasma DHA levels had a statistically significant 47% reduction in the risk of developing all-cause dementia and 39% decreased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease when compared to those patients with lower DHA levels. Additional studies also indicate that high intake of PUFAs from consumption of fish was associated with better overall cognitive function and reduced speed of cognitive decline in patients between the ages of 45-70 years. Another prospective study showed that patients between the ages of 65 to 94 years who consumed fish once per week or more had 60% less risk of Alzheimer’s disease compared with those who rarely or never ate fish. The Rotterdam study, conducted in the early 1990s on 7,046 patients, which assessed the incidence and risk of dementia suggested that consumption of high saturated fat and cholesterol increases the risk of dementia, while consumption of fish may decrease this risk.
          Make sure you are consuming adequate amounts of Omega 3s that contain DHA and/or eating fatty fish that contains DHA to optimize your brain health. I recommend my patients use Cardio Tabs Omega 3 supplements as they are high in DHA and come from leading experts of Omega 3 marine oils. These Omega 3 supplements exceed traditional quality standards. Check out www.cardiotabs.com if you are looking for quality omega 3 supplements.  Use code MPR5111 for a one time discount of your online order.

Bring Family and Friends for Appetizers, Drinks and Entertainment on US!

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Call 816-932-5100 to RSVP

See You Soon!

Cardio Wellness Center Updates

Thanks everyone for your patience with me on the blog site.  I will try to do better at keeping the blog updated with both life and wellness tips. As many of you know, I decided to head back to school to get my doctorate in nursing. I was accepted into Duke’s doctorate of nursing (DNP) program (it’s long distance so I am still living and working in K.C) and have been working and diligently getting through the doctorate program…if all goes well will graduate next year.  With that said, I have learned a lot about our health care in America, our health system,  health economics, affordable care act, health leadership and clinical outcomes.  I will try to start sharing some of this enlightening information in small, fun bits over the next several months. 

What a monumental year this has been for the Cardio Wellness Center!  Not only did we move into   our new space that was renovated for our center; but, we have doubled our staff and our services! Pictures of our new space are posted below.  We are located at 4320 Washington Street, Medical Plaza III, Suite 2400 in Kansas City, Missouri. For those of you coming to see us...when you walk into Medical Plaza III continue to walk straight back and you will run right into us on the main floor.

We recently added Body Composition Assessments to our services. These assessments are completed via a body scanner, which uses a very low dose of x-ray technology, to precisely measure the percent of total body fat AND the amount of visceral fat (lethal fat that is tucked in and around our organs).  Who might benefit from this assessment?  This would benefit those who are working on weight loss, patients completing bariatric surgery, professional athletes, college athletes, thin people who do not eat healthy may have increased amounts of visceral fat, individuals with polycystic ovary disease, individuals with risk for heart disease and many more!  This assessment gives one the knowledge as to how much fat and where the fat is located in the body to determine how dangerous their fat really is.  What’s even more awesome about this assessment….is that is only $50.00 per one assessment or $130 for a package of 3!  This is a great motivator to assist you with your health goals and/or weight loss goals too.  If you are interested in completing a body composition assessment call Tammy at 816-751-8327.

Lastly, our next Healthy Happy Hour will be in October. Looking forward to seeing you all again! We are confirming the date and location with the presenters....this will be another great event...so stay tuned. Will post the information here once we have all the specifics.

Wellness Center Pics

Did You Know Wheat Bread Breaks Down Quicker to Sugar than a Snickers Bar?...

He's been on Oprah and he's coming to our Healthy Happy Hour in Kansas City on June 4th, 2013...Dr. William Davis, cardiologist and author of Wheat Belly; Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight.  

If you are looking to Lose Weight AND be Healthy...this Healthy Happy Hour is for YOU!  Bring your friends, family and enjoy a night out on us! 

RSVP by calling 816-932-5100 or online at: www.saintlukeshealthsystem.org/wheatbelly
(If you know of someone who may be interested...forward this link onto them too!)

“Healthy” Foods that May NOT Be So Healthy...

...and could be sabotaging your weight loss efforts.

From Guest Author: Shirley Verbenec, NP

• Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, figs, etc)  just 1/3 of a cup has more than 33grams of sugar
• Juice (orange, pomegranate, grape, apple etc) 1 cup has anywhere from 25-37 grams of sugar
• Yogurt , if you’re getting anything but plain non-fat greek you could be getting anywhere from 18-30 grams of sugar in as little as ½ cup
• Honey or agave, these are still simple sugars and can have a negative effect on your blood sugar and fat metabolism
• Whole grains, these are still a processed food and break down to sugar,  eat them as part of a balanced meal of protein, vegetables and healthy fat. Limit your intake to 1 serving at meal time in order to optimize your health
• Bananas- remember that these are one of the highest sugar fruits and should be eaten in moderation. One half banana is a serving.  They are so delicious that sometimes people eat several a day which could stall weight loss
• Granola- just 1/3 cup has as much as 35-40 grams. Think of 1 tablespoon as more of an appropriate serving and in moderation
• Protein bars-most are loaded with carbs, sugar and fat.  They are not healthy for you. Eat fruit and nuts for energy

*If you want to enjoy the above foods or similar just remember limit to one serving or less a day and part of balanced meals. Juices should be avoided, eating the fruit is much more nutritious and satisfying

Weight Not Budging? Here's Some Tips For YOU.

Good Morning!  Today we have a Guest Author:  Shirley Verbenec, RN, MSN, ANP-BC
Shirley is a Nurse Practitioner in the Cardio Wellness Center and is an expert on wellness and healthy eating. Thanks Shirley!

Have you ever wondered why you can’t lose weight when you feel you are eating healthy?  

I think we have all been there, whether its 20lbs or 5lbs, we eat right, exercise and the weight just doesn’t budge.  This can be frustrating as well as discouraging!  Here are some tips to uncover some possible reasons:

Get honest with yourself by writing down every single bite that goes in your mouth.  They all count and definitely add up! 

Quit taking those extra little bites throughout the day. Stick to eating only at meal times.  Don’t mindlessly nibble, this can and will negate all your positive weight loss efforts.  This is a really bad habit if you are doing it consistently.  We will all have those days but make them rare.

Look at the amount of food you are consuming that comes out of a box or package (those are not the best calories to consume).  These foods break down to sugar and stimulate your appetite for more food.  They also cause insulin to be secreted which stores all of those calories as belly fat!

Eat whole, unprocessed or minimally processed food the majority of the time. This can be confusing because most people think whole grains and similar products are whole foods but if they are coming out of a package then they are not so good for you.  Avoid them-especially when you are trying to lose weight. These are foods that should be eaten in moderation and they can certainly prevent you from losing those unwanted pounds.

Eat at least 4-6 cups of vegetables a day.  These should fill half of your plate at least twice a day.  Eat them first, enjoy the natural flavors (sweet and salty).  Let their natural fiber fill you up and decrease your appetite.

 

Next fill 1/3 of your plate with a lean meat. Chicken breast, lean ground meat, fish, lean pork loin, turkey breast

The other 1/3 of your plate could be more veggies, or fruit or even legumes, or quinoa, wild rice, sweet potato, but no more than ½ cup cooked.

Don’t overdo the fruit, 2-4 servings a day is enough.

Don’t overdo the fat, even healthy fat should be limited to 3 servings a day.   

Eat slower, chew your food better, put your fork down in between bites, focus on how nutritious your food is and how you are feeding your body real food that it metabolizes better, gives you longer lasting energy and doesn’t leave you feeling stuffed and bloated.

Eat off of a salad plate. Don’t go for seconds…unless its more veggies.

Go for a walk after dinner, give your body time to realize its full, content and satisfied with the meal you just ate.

Don’t feel guilty for eating something you know is less than healthy but make your next meal better. Every meal counts so don’t dwell on the bad and just do better next time.

Find enjoyment in life other than eating.

Listen to your body for signs of hunger.  Don’t eat out of habit or because the break schedule says it’s time to eat.  If your mind is hungry feed it with a walk or glass of tea or water with lemon, or chopped veggies, fruit.  Let your stomach growl, that’s a good sign!  Don’t get to a point that you are famished but it’s okay to be a little hungry. 

Most people feel weak or irritable after eating too many processed foods or sugar, then feel famished.  This is because of the quick fluctuations in blood glucose levels.  It’s caused by poor nutrition and unbalanced meals.  I can almost guarantee that if you eat balanced nutrition, real food, you will not experience this! 

Remember that in order to see change, change must occur. You have to do something different if you want results.  Don’t get stuck with the same bad habits. Each day replace one unhealthy habit with a better for you habit.

You CAN do it…..

You Are INVITED....

Opening of Our New Center is TODAY

Wow!  A lot has happened in four months.  Thanks to the generosity of Charles Duboc our center has been able to expand and save more lives.  Last October we were able to add a Registered Dietician, Mrs. Glenna Moe, to the team.  Glenna is here to help YOU achieve better nutrition, goal weight and healthy fuel for your on the go body!  Thanks to Saint Luke’s Auxiliary we have a demonstration kitchen where we will be offering Cooking Classes each month.  These will begin in April 2013!  So stay tuned…

Also, in October we began construction on our NEW Cardio Wellness Center.  We have been in construction and design mode for a few months.  The center is now fully constructed and we have moved in!  This space gives us room to grow and help other patients optimize their health and prevent heart disease or stop it’s progression.  The years of completing 2500 patient visits in the one little office have benefited and we are now in a spacious new center.  Thanks to all of you who have taken this journey with us.  It’s because of YOU that we are growing.  The new center is called the Charles and Barbara Duboc Cardio Health and Wellness Center.  Thanks to Charles Duboc for his generosity….he will forever be saving lives with this gift he has given us and it will always be our mission to do so! 

The new center has its own waiting room with soft music playing, a large fish tank, and healthy videos.  It is peaceful and relaxing.  We also have put in plenty of curves throughout the center.  We built it with YOU in mind.   The lab rooms are bigger (and since so many are asking…the posters will be back up!), consultation rooms are designed for consultation, and we have an area for group counseling.  There are 2 full exam rooms with new, state of the art examination tables.  We also have a body fat scanner!  This scan will assess for the fat that is tucked in deep around your organs (visceral fat)….it's the most lethal type of fat.  It is highly active and works against you to achieve ultimate health.  Our body scanner will be up and running beginning in May.  We continue to have a 24 hour Blood Pressure monitor that we utilize on our patients free of charge as needed and with the new monies will be able to purchase a second monitor.   The monitor has helped us achieve blood pressure at goal rate of 91% in our patients. 

One of the best qualities of our clinic is that if you meet certain criteria we will recommend tests that screen for disease (heart disease, disease in your legs, sleep apnea, etc).  Most places will treat your risk factors; but, miss the disease completely.  Once we screen for disease we will treat your risk factors based upon the severity of your disease. 

If you are interested in our new space and would like to come in for a tour, refreshments and free giveaways….stop by today from 2p-6pm for an Open House made for YOU.   Valet Parking is available.

Our address is 4321 Washington Street (Medical Plaza III), Suite 2400,  KCMO  64111

Or call for an appointment at 816-751-8327 and speak with Tammy.