Take care of your heart

Your heart beats 100,000 times a day — that's roughly 35 million beats per year and 2.5 billion beats over the course of life.

With each beat, the heart pumps blood through a vast network of veins and arteries, delivering oxygen and essential nutrients to every cell while simultaneously removing carbon dioxide and waste.

In fact, your heart pumps so much blood that it travels about 12,000 miles (19,000 km) through your body in a single day, which is twice the diameter of Earth.

And this remarkable organ functions tirelessly, acting as the engine that keeps your body running year after year on end. The sheer number of heartbeats over a lifetime is a testament to the incredible durability and resilience of this small yet powerful organ.

What's more, from infancy through old age, the heart continuously adapts to our changing needs, whether we're exercising, resting, or experiencing stress. So remember: Taking care of your heart ensures that it can keep taking care of you. (from instagram, Hashem Al-Ghaili

Dual-chamber leadless pacemaker system

I won't exactly be making medical history, but I might be moving quickly ahead of my dad and siblings, all of whom had/have a conventional pacemaker. I'll be meeting with Dr. Amin about a "revolutionary" dual-chamber leadless pacemaker system, which will coordinate i2i (implant to implant) devices (smaller than a AAA battery) between the heart's atrial and ventricular chambers without traditional leads. I've seen it likened to a "moonshot" or a least a Thomas Edison moment in heart regulation. It was approved by FDA in 2023. I'm a pace setter at age 85!

Of course, I've learned all this in a week, so I'm a little fuzzy on the details--I been reading blogs and product literature and listening to podcasts. It's like trying to learn Mandarin and then having a conversation. It's brand new even to the experts, IMO.

 
In September I was told I was not a candidate for a pacemaker (originally developed in the late 50s) and here I be, now ready for the moon! If you have one of these in your heart, let me know--I've yet to meet anyone who does. And if you're a direct descendant of Grandma Bessie, we might want to talk.

A change of diet

I thought I'd mix up our diet a bit and serve more fish. I’m trying to lose my Covid weight, and Bob will probably be told to eat less red meat when he starts heart rehab this week. I usually shop at Marc's and it doesn't sell fresh fish, so I looked at the frozen choices. I always start with Product of the USA or Made in the USA. "Distributed by" is just a way to sell you fish from China or Thailand. I glanced at the label of the "lobster cakes with real lobster" (after checking out the price) and put it in the cart. Today when I took it out of the freezer to thaw in the refrigerator, I took a closer look. Less than 2% lobster meat. There are some other kinds of fish, but also soy, wheat, milk, eggs, etc. Looks like I'll need to drive a bit further for fresh fish.

You can't call it false advertising, but you could call it a Democrat politician.

New shoes--Walk n Tone

They feel and look like they have little golf balls on the soles. Can't find the ones I liked so much and have used the past 2 years, so I had to try something different. These are only for WALKING--an entire pamphlet was in the box explaing why I must not run or twist in these shoes. L.A. Gear Walk n Tone. On sale at Meijer's

Whole Foods has a word or two for you

Janeen alerted me to this--Whole Foods website has pod cast/ MP3 audio on a healthy body for you. The February, part 1, was on the role of inflammation, antioxidants, free radicals, etc., "Straight to your Heart."

Take-aways:

Nourish your heart with healthy eating
Control inflammation--good fats, antioxidants
Reduce stress, allergies, excess weight