By Andrew Golin, The terms “good cholesterol” and “bad cholesterol” are used repeatedly to describe high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) respectively. But what are HDL or LDL? What actually is cholesterol and why do we need it? In order to understand what HDL and LDL are and why they are regarded as [...]
By Kenzie MacDonald Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in women, currently accounting for approximately one-third of deaths in women globally1. Since 1984, the annual CVD mortality rate in women has exceeded that of men, highlighting the particularly lethal nature of CVD in women2. Despite unanimous support of these facts, in many [...]
By Andrew Golin, The largest artery in the body, the aorta, carries oxygenated blood to all parts of the body via the circulatory system. The coronary arteries branch off from the aorta and supply oxygenated blood to heart tissue. It is thus critically important that the coronary arteries remain healthy in order for the heart [...]
By Andrew Golin, Prescription medications accounted for almost 14% ($29 billions) of Canada’s annual health care costs in 2013; the second costliest component in health care1. The Canadian Health Measures Survey was launched in 2007 and has collected valuable data on prescription drugs. From 2007 to 2011, 40.5% of the population aged 6 to [...]
By Paul Clerc, Atrial fibrillation occurs when the electrical activity of the heart enters into an abnormal rhythm. In normal circumstances, the atrium (small chamber) of the heart beats once followed by a beat of the ventricle (large chamber) in a 1:1 fashion. During atrial fibrillation, the atrial pumping is uncoordinated and more rapid. This [...]
By Benny Freedman, Rest between bouts of strenuous exercise is key to allow the body adequate time for recovery. Most athletes understand conceptually that rest and recovery are essential for optimizing performance, but often treat recovery as a passive necessity rather than an opportunity to actively help achieve their training goals. Ultimately, the body focuses [...]
By Paul Clerc, Knowing your correct blood pressure (BP) is important as increased resting BP is correlated with increased stroke risk, cardiac disease and kidney disease 1,2. High BP, typically considered to be >140/90, is often referred to as ‘silent’ since despite the severe outcomes that are associated with it, there are often few signs [...]
By Richard Roberts, It seems as though with every passing year, we expect to fit more and more into our daily schedule. Work responsibilities, family matters and financial stress are at the forefront of our lives, and this may result in us neglecting our own physical health. Daily exercise is beneficial in many ways, [...]
Alcohol and Cardiac Health By Emma McIver Alcohol: detrimental or preventive? You have likely heard both sides of the argument and wonder which to believe. A study conducted in 2006 monitoring almost 2500 test patients aged 70 to 79 with no prior history of cardiac disease suggests that in moderation, alcohol may have a positive effect on cardiac health. The study monitored the [...]
By Susannah Reid, It is common knowledge that we need to sleep well to stay healthy and have the ability to focus and perform well each day. Napping is both a daily routine and a strategy to make up a few hours of sleep. Over the last 30 years’ chronic sleep deprivation has gradually increased [...]