Author Archives: dzadmin

06.07.18
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Do You Really Need an Amputation?

amputation limb salvage center tampa, fl

Check with Tampa Cardiovascular Associates Limb Salvage Center first!

amputation limb salvage center tampa, fl
If you are a diabetic being told that you may face losing a limb in the near future it is a terrifying statement to hear. Breathe and step back for a moment before agreeing.

A second opinion is always advisable. Tampa Cardiovascular Associates Limb Salvage Center would love to have the chance to consult with you before you make a life-and-body-altering decision that cannot be reversed.

We are a full-service cardiovascular association and one of our areas of specialty is taking care of nonhealing or hard to heal wounds. Diabetic injuries are often some of the toughest to treat. Open wounds can lead to infection and sometimes amputation. Last year alone there were over 80,000 amputations in the United States. We want that number reduced greatly.

Our goal is to salvage and save your limbs, even reattaching when possible. Our team of vascular surgeons are among the best in the world. Highly skilled and trained with years of experience. We view amputation as a very last resort in order to save the patient. We have found that over the years we are Abel to help most patients to successfully avoid amputative surgeries.

Before you agree to a possibly unnecessary and expensive surgery that will forever change your life please give us a call at Tampa Cardio Associates and allow us, and yourself, the opportunity to assess the situation and see what can be done.

The physicians and employees at Tampa Cardiovascular Associates are committed to providing our patients with the best available programs for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of artery and vein diseases. Our physicians maintain Board Certifications and are Affiliate Associate Professors in the USF College of Medicine, Department of Cardiology Our office labs are certified by ICAEL, ICANL, and ICAVL.

Guided by established rules laid out by the Wound Healing Society and the Society for Vascular Surgery we treat and manage wounds until they are healed. We resort to recommending amputation only if no other option is viable.

Give us a call at (813) 975-2800 or visit us online at www.tampacardio.com. You will be glad you did.

06.07.18
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Drinking & Varicose Veins

drinking

drinkingA glass or two of wine or beer when out with friends or attending a party doesn’t really make you a “drinker”. Just a social drinker, like most of America.  That likely doesn’t have too much of an effect on your veins. But what if it becomes more than occasional or you are a moderate to heavy drinker?

While there are a wide array of causes for varicose veins including genetics and family history, diet, weight, activity level, and yes even alcohol consumption needs to be taken into consideration especially if you are starting to present with symptoms of vein disease. Very heavy drinkers veins are even effected on their faces showing redness and veins visible in the nose at times.

When drinking, alcohol goes into the bloodstream. It gets pumped around throughout the body. When someone consumes alcohol, their heart rate increases as well as blood flow. Varicose veins are a sign of a diseased circulatory system.

This increased blood volume forces the possibly already damaged veins to work harder, especially those in the leg that already have gravity to contend with. Alcohol intake has a direct effect on the liver which is in place to filter the blood as it is circulated. Alcohol is able to attack a vein health from multiple directions.

If the liver is weakened and unable to properly filter the blood of waste and toxins, it becomes thicker and more viscous, making it even harder for those already weakened leg veins to function properly.

To answer the question, drinking alcohol does not cause varicose veins if no other risk factors are present. It can, however, cause the development of varicose veins and venous insufficiency much more likely in those already predisposed or already experiencing issues.

Dr. Zuzga of West Florida Vein Center may tell you that it would be wise to refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages if varicose veins are already present or if your gender, age, or family history makes you a likely candidate for future venous disease.

If you are in the West Florida area and would like to consult with a Vein Specialist to see how we can help improve and maintain your health we would love to see you in our office. www.westfloridaveincenter.com (727) 712-3233.

06.04.18
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Are You Getting Enough Nutrients?

nutrients

nutrientsFruits and Vegetable additions to your daily meals are one of the quickest ways to add needed nutrients to your diet plan.

We live in a prepackaged pre-made food kind of society. Most of which consists of carbohydrates, sugars, and preservatives. 

Rather than reaching for cookies, crackers, or even bars that have been processed and compressed, as you cruise down the grocery isles grab canned, frozen, and fresh fruits and vegetables.

Start your day with a piece of fruit added to breakfast. An ideal mix of protein, carbohydrates, and a piece of fruit will get your body moving.

School Lunches allow you to get creative. Ants on a log are a favorite and often traded treat. Cut up celery, add peanut butter, and sprinkle raisins. Voila! Ants on a log. Sweet, salty, crunchy and very healthy. Packed with protein and iron they can keep your kiddos going.

When packing snacks: carrot sticks, broccoli, cauliflower, even bell peppers, all are great grab, pack in a bag and go treats. Think of party trays – you can even add a little yogurt or sour cream dip if plain vegetables don’t appeal to your pallet.  Fruits come in their own wrappers. Apples, plums, bananas, oranges, tangerines, and many more are all grown to grab and go, very easy to reach for on the run no matter how busy your day is and even if you don’t happen to have refrigeration.

Hosting friends?– you may be tempted to take the easy way out and fill bowls with the traditional chips and dips. Sure every one like them, but health is on the forefront of many peoples minds these days and having healthy alternatives available makes you a great host.

Ideas

  1. Let Your Cravings Lead The Way – unless it’s for absolute junk food, your body may be trying to tell you that you are missing something. ie. if you have a weird craving for liver you may be iron or copper deficient. If you are craving Brazil nuts you may be missing selenium. Food is intended to be our fuel.
  2. Fondu – Who doesn’t love cheese? Rather than dipping bread and chocolates, offer apples, carrots, cauliflower, pineapple, banana, mangos, and more.
  3. Fire up the grill! – Fat drips away from the meats while cooking naturally and you can even grill vegetables like Portabella mushrooms in place of burgers as well as skewers of veggies and fruits! Amazingly most have never tried grilling fruit and things like peaches, pineapples and kiwis are simply delicious and decadent.
  4. Dried fruits are always a hit and packed with vitamins.

One of the most important takeaways from this article is to eat a wide variety of foods. Don’t get locked into the same old same old. Stepping out of your box can not only increase your interest in healthy eating, it can add vitamins, minerals, and nutrients you may be missing, therefore increasing your health!

05.20.18
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Help Cope With Depression The Natural Way

antidepressants

They aren’t widely known or publicised but there are Alternatives to Taking Antidepressants

Everyone has their off days, but what if your off days turn into off weeks or off months? You no longer feel like yourself and are just down in the dumps on a consistent basis? Sometimes not even for any apparent reason. It’s frustrating and in some cases, debilitating.

If you listen to the television your only answer lies in expensive designer pharmaceuticals. Medications such as Xanax, Effexor, Serzone, Wellbutrin, Prozac, Zoloft or Celexa all have a host of possible side effects a mile long which include but are not limited to dizziness, headache, nausea, loss of sex drive, and possible insomnia, coma or suicidal thoughts.

If the base purpose is to make you feel better, how exactly does the possibility of ruining your sex life and causing you to contemplate suicide play into that equation?

Here at the office of Dr. Jason Kaster, D.C. we firmly believe that nature gave us all we need to heal ourselves. That is why we suggest trying the natural approach first, and working with your body rather than against it. There are several supplements, vitamins, and herbs that work organically to help improve mood and promote an overall feeling of wellness without all of the harsh side effects and latent toxicity.

St. John’s Wort – This pretty plant cascading with yellow flowers has been used since the times of ancient Greece and is known for its mood-brightening effects and ability to restore emotional balance. Scientists agree that this is an excellent choice for short-term treatment of mild to moderate depression well as anxiety and mood disorders. This herb, unlike many others, does come with cautions, which it is important to pay attention to – it can cause sensitivity to sunlight, headache, or gastrointestinal symptoms in rare cases. It also should not be used in combination with – birth control pills, antidepressants, if you have had an organ transplant, are on heart medication, use HIV medications, cancer drugs, seizure control drugs, Warfarin or any other anticoagulants.

5-HTP – Has recently also been gaining in popularity as it becomes more widely known. It is a natural plant extract, from the Griffonia simplicifolia plant, that boosts the serotonin levels in the brain. It assists with appetite control, relieves insomnia, calms anxiety, improves mood and can even help to reduce symptoms of fibromyalgia. 5-Hydroxytryptophan should not be used in conjunction with any classification of medical antidepressants.

Sam-E – is among the best of the mood-boosting supplements available. Not an herb or a hormone, it is a molecule that all living cells produce constantly. It affects everything from fetal development to daily brain function. It assists in the transfer of dopamine and serotonin in the brain from receptor to receptor. Though no one has found Sam-E to be significantly more effective than a prescription antidepressant, it is clearly less toxic and wonderful benefit can be derived from taking it on a consistent basis. Since the 1970’s, researchers have published 40 clinical studies involving roughly 1,400 patients. And though the studies are small by FDA standards, the findings are remarkably consistent. In 1994 Dr. Giorgio Bressa, a psychiatrist at the University Cattolica Sacro Cuore in Rome, pooled results from a dozen controlled trials and found that “the efficacy of SAM-E in treating depressive syndrome comparable to that of standard antidepressants.” It is interesting to note that SAM-E has been available as a dietary supplement in the US since 1999, but it has been used as a prescription drug in Italy since 1979, in Spain since 1985, and in Germany since 1989.

Another one that gets high rankings is DHEA – which is touted to enhance your immune system, as well as increase libido, increased sense of well-being, reduced stress levels, and give you energy making you feel happier, more focused and stronger. Many of the problems associated with aging, including weight gain, painful joints, and forgetfulness have been linked to a deficiency in DHEA, which is an essential hormone. No matter how healthy you are, your production of DHEA decreases dramatically as you age. By age 50, your levels may be only half of what they were at age 25 when you had peak levels of DHEA. In a recent study, men and women found they felt more youthful and had better ability to handle stress and improve quality of sleep by taking just 50mg of DHEA. It is a hormone that is naturally made by the human body. It can be made in the laboratory from chemicals found in wild yam and soy. However, the human body cannot make DHEA from these chemicals, so simply eating wild yam or soy will not increase DHEA levels. Don’t be misled by wild yam and soy products labeled as “natural DHEA.”

Vervain – is also good for calming of the nerves and relaxation. It can be taken in capsule or tincture form.

Another lesser known is Lavender. Used for centuries in aromatherapy for its ability to promote stress relief and relaxation, lavender may also help to alleviate stress, depression, fatigue, restlessness, anxiety and even insomnia. It has a very soothing sedative effect when inhaled; you can also drink it as a tea using two tablespoons of the dried herb in boiling water and allowing it to steep for 10 minutes. Make sure to strain before drinking.

All of these supplements are more gentle on your body and cost significantly less than their chemical counterparts. We hope next time you are feeling blue this article will come to mind and offer some great alternatives.

Article references:

http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=109669

http://5htp.com/

http://www.5-htp.org.uk/5-htp.php

http://nccam.nih.gov/health/stjohnswort/ataglance.htm

http://www.biopsychiatry.com/sameart.html

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-786-SAMe.aspx?activeIngredientId=786&activeIngredientName=SAMe

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dhea/NS_patient-dhea

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/331.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/138076-mood-lifting-supplements/

Chiropractor & Nutritionist in Fort Myers, FL.

Fort Myers Chiropractor, Dr. Jason B. KasterChiropractic care is a safe, alternative treatment when applied appropriately. Chiropractic treatments help in dealing with the symptoms of many conditions. Are you going to wait for your symptoms to be felt, or are you going to prevent them before they start?

Dr. Jason B. Kaster, a chiropractor, and nutritionist in Fort Myers can help you and your family achieve their optimal health.

      SCHEDULE NOW!   239-332-2555    
05.15.18
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Can’t Sleep Due to Twitching Legs?

RLS

RLSYou are just about asleep and – zap. You feel an electrical impulse shoot through your leg causing it to jerk you awake.

If you are living with Restless Leg Syndrome you know first hand that trying to get to sleep at night is difficult.

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder in which the person has a consistent uncontrollable urge in which their limbs twitch.

RLS most strongly affects people during times of inactivity and can make it extremely difficult for a person to sleep, rest or relax. While RLS can appear in a person at any age, it is considered both a progressive disease and a spectrum disease. RLS symptoms can either become worse over time or better, depending on the patient, and the severity of symptoms also varies strongly from patient to patient. RLS can also be classified as either a primary condition – one that appears independent of other conditions – or a secondary condition – one that appears as a result of another condition or disorder that is already present.

Iron deficiency or vein issue?

Unfortunately, RLS itself cannot be prevented except by attempting to prevent its underlying causes. In terms of varicose veins and venous insufficiency, the best things that a person can do to prevent such disorders is to remain active, exercise frequently, maintain a healthy diet and weight, not smoke cigarettes, and to elevate the legs when sitting or laying down. While these actions cannot prevent all the underlying causes of RLS, they can at least help to prevent those instances where RLS is caused by venous insufficiency.

While the most common cause of RLS remains an iron deficiency many cases occur as a result of varicose veins or venous reflux. Varicose veins are not only physically unattractive, but they can also cause severe discomfort and pain in the afflicted area, a discomfort that, like in RLS, can only be alleviated by activity and movement. Fortunately, as more is becoming known about the correlation between RLS and vein disorders, many patients are finding relief for their RLS symptoms through treatments of their veins.

One such treatment for varicose veins is endovenous ablation therapy, a procedure that uses heat in either lasers or radio frequencies to seal off and close affected veins. Many patients report immediate relief in their symptoms, and, because the procedure is minimally invasive and relatively painless, most patients are able to resume their normal activities almost immediately and experience no interruption in their work or home life as a result.

While there is no cure for RLS, no one should have to suffer through daily and nightly discomfort, and treatments are available through most insurance policies. Dr. Magnant of Vein Specialists is always available for a consultation and diagnosis and is here to help whether your RLS is simply a minor annoyance or a major disruption in your quality of life. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome, seeing a physician that specializes in vein disorders could be the most important step you take towards alleviating your symptoms.

If you are living with RLS visit www.eveinscreening.com and start today with a FREE online screening and talk with a professional Vein Specialist.

05.06.18
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Could The Answer to Your Illness Lie In Your Feelings?

emotions

emotionsYour Emotions May Be Making You Sick

Do you deal with your feelings and let them out to be known or do you stifle them, and try and sweep them under the rug, just to move on with things?

If you don’t allow yourself to feel whatever you feel, process it, and then let it go you are doing yourself a great disservice. Pushing “bad” feelings down doesn’t make them go away. It’s like tossing unwanted objects into a closet. Yes, it may get them out of the way, out of sight and work for a while, but eventually, that closet gets full – too full. It may not close and when you open it an avalanche of crap may tumble out, burying you.

Emotional health has a direct effect on your physical health, over time. Emotions tend to work like an echo. Your sickness of today may just be your build up of non dealt with feelings of yesterday. And by yesterday, I do not mean that literally, it can be building up for years and in turn, begins to eat away at the self.

We are such a busy society. We focus on work, kids, school, jobs, life in general, keeping our family happy, and keeping it all together. We juggle, we schedule, we have trouble sleeping and feel rushed quite a bit of the time. We forget the most important person in our life many times. Ourselves.

Being selfish has gotten such a bad connotation. It has taken on the meaning of not caring about anyone but yourself and is therefore marked into the checkbox of being a bad person. The truth is, you need to not be selfless all the time. YOU are important. If you don’t take care of yourself no one else is going to do it. Eventually, lack of self-care or “selfishness” often leads to breakdown – either emotionally or physically due to stress.

Take care of yourself. Take the time to check in with yourself and your body and how you are feeling. When someone who actually does care about you asks “how are you?” Don’t just get stuck on auto-respond of “fine”. If you aren’t fine. Say so. Let it out, talk about it. So many of us are like teakettles ready to explode. Venting lets out that steam and you may be surprised to find out that people really do actually care and are able to empathize.

Along with the emotional side of health is the physical – it is a balance. Remaining in proper alignment by way of regularly scheduled chiropractic and massage appointments can go a long way in not only restoring but in maintaining your health.

 

Chiropractor & Nutritionist in Fort Myers, FL.

Fort Myers Chiropractor, Dr. Jason B. KasterChiropractic care is a safe, alternative treatment when applied appropriately. Chiropractic treatments help in dealing with the symptoms of many conditions. Are you going to wait for your symptoms to be felt, or are you going to prevent them before they start?

Dr. Jason B. Kaster, a chiropractor, and nutritionist in Fort Myers can help you and your family achieve their optimal health.

      SCHEDULE NOW!   239-332-2555    

05.01.18
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Natural Help for High Blood Pressure

high-blood-pressure

high-blood-pressureBlood pressure defined

Blood pressure is the measure of pressure created by your heart beating, forcing the blood into your arteries and throughout your body. There are two numbers in the reading. The top number is known as systolic – it defines the maximum pressure inside your arteries as your heart beats. The bottom number known as diastolic is the amount of pressure inside the arteries between beats.

If you take your blood pressure and its over the recommended 120/80 it is important to pay attention and start tracking it. Heart disease doesn’t set in overnight. It takes time and can creep up on you till suddenly you are ill and dont even know what happened.

What’s “high” vs. Whats considered normal blood pressure

120/80 mm Hg. is ideal.

140/98 mm Hg signals possible Hypertension (high blood pressure)when the measurement is sustained for at least 2 consecutive readings.   Elevated blood pressure can present a problem because puts adds additional pressure to your entire cardiovascular system including your heart which must then work even harder to move the blood around your body. A continued reading at or above that level means you have hypertension.

What causes high blood pressure?

So far no exact cause has been pinpointed in high pressure for the majority of patients. This is known as primary high blood pressure. Secondary hypertension can come from the use of birth control pills, excessive alcohol intake, or even renal or thyroid disease. 

Other Factors That Can Come Into Play

  • Age
  • Level of physical activity (too sedentary of a lifestyle)
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes
  • Smoking
  • Heredity
  • High Salt Intake
  • Drinking alcohol excessively
  • Get your thyroid blood levels checked

I have high blood pressure – what do I do?

There are several natural things that can help for you to try before resorting to pharmaceutical blood pressure medications which, while they may bring your numbers down to normal levels and be beneficial for your cardiovascular health have the high-risk potential for a wide range of very dangerous side effects which can affect your health physically and emotionally.

Natural Alternatives to Help Lower Blood Pressure

If you know you have high blood pressure and would like to consider some alternatives outside of medication we would love the opportunity to work with you to get your health to where it should be so you can live the best life possible.

Chiropractor & Nutritionist in Fort Myers, FL.

Fort Myers Chiropractor, Dr. Jason B. KasterChiropractic care is a safe, alternative treatment when applied appropriately. Chiropractic treatments help in dealing with the symptoms of many conditions. Are you going to wait for your symptoms to be felt, or are you going to prevent them before they start?

Dr. Jason B. Kaster, a chiropractor, and nutritionist in Fort Myers can help you and your family achieve their optimal health.

      SCHEDULE NOW!   239-332-2555    
05.01.18
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Could it be May Thurner Syndrome?

may thurner syndrome

may thurner syndromeAre you experiencing symptoms?

Lower left leg edema and pain are the two classic symptoms. It is primarily seen in younger women twenty to forty following pregnancy or immobilization. May Thurner Syndrome is chronic. Because of this patients also tend to present pigmentation changes, varicose veins, chronic leg pain, phlebitis and skin ulcers.

It can be described in three stages:

1 – Asymptomatic iliac vein compression

2 – Development of a venous spur

3 – Development of the left iliac vein DVT

What is May Thurner?

Compression Syndrome (also called May Thurner Syndrome or Crockett Syndrome) is an affliction that is fairly rare. It consists of an anatomical variant where the left iliac artery is compressed by the right iliac artery.

May Thurner Syndrome is known by several names – iliocaval compression syndrome, Cockett syndrome or iliac vein compression syndrome. This affliction is an anatomical variant where the right lilac artery compressed the left iliac vein against the fifth lumbar vertebra.  Because of this deformity, it causes left side vein compression leading to deep vein thrombosis in the left iliofemoral.

How is it diagnosed?

Diagnosis is not always straightforward. Radiological evidence of compression combined with symptoms presented is key. Doppler ultrasound can detect a deep vein thrombosis in the iliac vessels. CT and magnetic imaging may also be used. Seeing a vein specialist is vital if you suspect you may have a vein issue including May Thurner Syndrome.

Is it treatable?

Yes. Treatment clears the thrombus to print post-thrombotic syndrome and to correct the initial compression of the left iliac vein. Several different surgical procedures may be used.

If left untreated a significant number of patients will develop post-thrombotic syndrome which can be debilitating.

Management of May-Thurner syndrome has evolved over the years.  Endovascular therapy has become the primary treatment. With early recognition and aggressive treatment, May-Thurner syndrome is a manageable disease.

If you live in the Tampa bay area and feel you may have vein issues please call us at 813-975-2800 or schedule an evaluation through our online form.

www.tampacardio.com

04.09.18
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AFIB – Not just for older people

AFIB

AFIBWhen we are younger we feel immortal, like nothing can touch us and we will live forever. Our health is generally good.  The thing is, health conditions like Afib (atrial fibrillation) can strike at just about any age.

What is Afib?

Atrial Fibrillation, is a condition many of us remain blissfully unaware of. It is sometimes referred to for short as Afib. It is an irregular heartbeat. Afib is the most common type of arrhythmia. Even if you are young and in good health, you can still present with Afib due to stress.

Other risk factors may include certain medications, heavy alcohol consumption, or training as an endurance athlete, or structural heart defects.

When no risk factors exist,  a sleep study may be conducted as sleep apnea can be a causing culprit. The fact is that with Afib, the cause isn’t always discovered. Even with an unknown cause, unlike most things in life, there is still a possible solution. Having an ablation procedure done which knocks out the part of the heart which keeps having the episodes.

The term Lone Afib has been used for more than half a century and is used to describe an atrial fibrillation of unknown origin.

Long-term and untreated Afib wears out your heart and entire cardiovascular system. This puts you at a higher risk of stroke. In many people, it will also cause chest pain, heart attack or even heart failure. If you have signs of Atrial Fibrillation it’s important to see your doctor right away

Symptoms can include:

Rapid Heartbeat

Shortness of breath

Heart palpitations

Exhaustion without exertion

Exhaustion during workouts

Irregular heartbeat

Confusion

Dizziness

Doctors diagnose atrial fibrillation using family and individual medical history as well as a physical exam, and an electrocardiogram. Treatments can include select medicines and procedures designed to restore normal rhythm.

Heart issues are among the most disturbing to deal with after all your heart is the core of your being. If you feel the above symptoms and they do not subside with rest, relaxation, or attempts to de-stress it is important to seek medical advice.

If you live in the Tampa Bay area and are looking for a great cardiology team, please call us at 813-975-2800. Patient comfort and care are a priority here at Tampa Cardiovascular Associates. We look forward to talking with you. www.tampacardio.com.

04.06.18
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Could Sugar Harm Your Heart?

sugar

sugarThe answer is YES sugar can harm your heart when eaten in excess.

Our bodies do not need sugar to function and run properly. They contribute nothing nutritionally.

When you first begin to eliminate sugar from your diet you may actually go through a withdrawal stage. Both physically and psychologically. You may miss the taste, the feel, the smell, everything about it. Sugar gives your body a high. But it isn’t a clean high and there is always a crash. The side effects being ill health and extra body fat. When repeated over and over again, damage can be done to the body and to the heart.

The American Medical Association of Internal Medicine back in January of 2014 found that the odds of dying from a heart-related condition rose incrementally right along with the patient’s diet – regardless of other factors that would seem to come into play such as age, sex, activity level, and even BMI.

Most adults in the USA consume 22 teaspoons of added sugar a day without even realizing it. That’s more than 3x what is recommended. Ideally no more than 100 calories a day (6 teaspoons) should come from sugar.

The  American diet is chock full of hidden sugars, especially prepackaged and processed foods. The amount of sugar you consume during a given day may surprise you. Our bodies are not designed to need excess sugar, especially non-natural sugars. They can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease as well as raise your cholesterol levels, boost your risk for high blood pressure and add on extra unwanted pounds.

Ways to Eliminate Added Sugars

Remove from your diet: Soft drinks, candies, cakes, cookies, pies, fruit drinks, milk products, grains,  canned fruit in syrups, fruit yogurts, cereals with added sugars, and so on. Get your sugar from natural sources such as fruit and whole milk in small servings.

To learn more about how to care for your heart, check back regularly. If you are in the Tampa, Florida area and looking for a great cardiovascular team check out www.tampacardio.com Tampa Cardiovascular Associates or call us at (813) 975-2800.