Dr Oz: Headaches, Insomnia & Psoriasis Surprising Heart Attack Risks

Dr Oz: Heart Attack Quiz

Dr. Oz shared important tests that you can do right at home to tell if you are at risk for having a heart attack. Something as simple as being able to touch your toes can determine your heart attack risk, as well as knowing your resting heart rate, so take a few minutes and perform these tests that could truly save your life!

Dr Oz: Migraines Increase Heart Attack Risk

Which of these common conditions was just found to increase your risk of a heart attack?

1. Headache
2. Stomachache
3. Backache

Do you think you know the answer? It might surprise you to hear that the correct response is actually headache, specifically migraine headaches that include an aura. This new research stunned Dr. Oz, but it is now the second-largest risk factor after high blood pressure for having a heart attack.

Dr Oz: Risk Factor For Heart Attack Insomnia

Dr. Oz said that another surprising thing that puts you at risk for a heart attack is insomnia, which is defined as not getting at least six hours of sleep for more than three nights a week. That lack of sleep actually doubles your risk for a heart attack because it weakens your immune system and hinders your ability to deal with inflammation in the body, which causes blockage of your arteries.

Dr Oz: Psoriasis Surprising Risk For Heart Disease

The next surprising reason you could be at risk for a heart attack is Psoriasis. Dr. Oz explained that Psoriasis is an auto-immune condition, which means the immune system is attacking the skin cells, causing them to get inflamed and red. Dr. Oz said to imagine what could be happening to your heart, if this is happening to your skin. Your body is basically constantly always fighting off inflammation, which can lead to heart disease and a heart attack. Dr. Oz recommends Omega-3 fatty acids to help reduce the inflammation.

Dr Oz: Healthy Heart Heavyweights

Stacia Woodcock, a Walgreens Pharmacist, explained that your pharmacist is a wonderful resource in helping you detect and prevent heart disease. She said they can also answer any questions that you have about heart disease as well as recommend over-the-counter supplements that could reduce your risk. There are some specific supplements that a woman can take to drastically lower her risk for heart disease. What is most important to understand for all of these supplements is the dosing.

CoQ10 – Take 100 MG 2 times per day

Omega 3 Fish Oil – 600 MG DHA

Fiber – Ideally get 25 grams of fiber from your diet every day, but if you need to you can supplement that with a powder or capsule.

Low-Dose Aspirin – Two 81 MG tablets per day

Dr Oz: Free Blood Pressure Tests At Walgreens

February is Heart Health Month, so Walgreens is offering FREE blood pressure tests at all 8,000 of their locations for the entire month of February. Stacia Woodcock said this is the easiest test to determine your risk for heart disease and you have no reason to skip it since it is free this month. She added that for every blood pressure check they do in the month of February, Walgreens is donating $1 to the American Heart Association for a total donation up to $100,000.

Dr Oz: Customized Heart Health Assessment

The next important thing that you can do to turn around your heart’s health is to get a customized heart health assessment. Stacia Woodcock explained that this is a test you can do right at the Walgreens website and it evaluates your heart health by using what they call Life’s Simple Seven, which includes your blood pressure, your smoking status and your diet, etc. Once you answer the questions, you get a score from 1-10 based upon the responses that you gave. It takes it one step further and offers things you can do to improve your score if it is below a 10.

Dr Oz: Surprising Advertisements Real Or Fake?

Dr. Oz shared some surprising ads, some from the 1950’s and 1960’s and another as recent as 2002. They included an ad for doctors smoking cigarettes and another that suggested giving cola to a baby is a good idea. Most of the ads were actually real, which surprised many in Dr. Oz’s audience, but it is also a relief to know that times have changed for the better.