How Do You Know You're Having A Heart Attack?

How heart attacks develop

Heart attacks are a leading killer of men and women in the United States. They occur when the flow of oxygen-rich blood to a section of heart muscle suddenly becomes blocked. Typically,  coronary artery disease involves a buildup of plaque inside the arteries over time, and when an area of plaque breaks open, a blood clot forms that can block blood flow in the artery. If the blockage isn't treated quickly, the portion of heart muscle fed by the artery begins to die. Treatment works best at the earliest sign of symptoms to limit damage to the heart.

Symptoms include:

• Chest pain or discomfort in the center or left side of the chest that often lasts for more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back. It can feel like pressure, squeezing, or fullness and can be mild or severe. It can feel like nausea or heartburn.
• Upper body discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or upper part of the stomach.
• Shortness of breath, with o before chest discomfort.
• Nausea, vomiting, light-headedness or sudden dizziness, or breaking out in a cold sweat.
• Sleep problems, fatigue, or lack of energy.

Signs and symptoms can develop suddenly or sometimes slowly (over hours, days or weeks) and quick treatment is the key to the best recovery.


Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Cholesterol? What You Need To Know

Lipoproteins

Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in the body and in foods and is carried in the bloodstream by proteins called lipoproteins.  Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), "bad cholesterol," carries cholesterol from the liver to the cells in the body, and too much leads to a buildup in the artery walls.  High-density lipoprotein (HDL), "good cholesterol," carries cholesterol away from the cells and back to the liver to be broken down or passed from the body as waste.

Balance LDL And HDL Levels

Too much bad cholesterol and low levels of good cholesterol can cause increased risk of coronary heart disease and artery diseases, as well as strokes. The trick, then, is to lower the quantity of saturated fat intake to reduce LDL as well as use more monounsaturated fats and soluble fiber to increase HDL cholesterol.


Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309

The Physiology of Exercise

Dr. Robert Robergs, professor of exercise physiology explains: every time you work out, exercise sets in motion a cascade of events in your body that collaborate to help you lose weight and get healthier.  When you exercise--whether it's walking, biking or lifting weights--your muscles contract.  To contract, muscles need oxygen.  "The benefit of exercise is it stimulates the body to deliver more oxygen to the muscles that are contracting."  The need for oxygen makes you breathe faster.  Every time you inhale, a rush of oxygen-rich air flows into your lungs, making its way to red blood cells.  From there, hemoglobin transports it to muscles and everywhere else in the body it needs to go.  Your heart pumps harder to send the blood out and the more it works, the more efficient it gets.  "Over several weeks, the heart becomes a better pump."  Meanwhile, new blood vessels are produced and the net effect is to reduce your blood pressure.  That's not all exercise does for you.  "Because exercise burns calories, it can help reduce body fat.  It can raise good cholesterol--the HDL cholesterol." HDL (high density lipoprotein) is the "healthy" form that helps sweep the low-density (bad) cholesterol to the liver for removal, before it can build up in the arteries and lead to coronary artery disease. 

Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309