DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 68-year-old female who has been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. My family doctor has sent me to three cardiologists, one of whom was an electrophysiology cardiologist. I have received three prognoses. The first told me that I am getting old, so I just have to live with it and it wouldn’t cause any damage to my heart. The second did a heart catheterization and told me that my heart was great. He confirmed the a-fib, told me that it wasn’t dangerous, and gave me 25 milligrams of atenolol to take every day. I do not have high blood pressure or chest pain, for which the medication is normally given, and it makes me listless and drops my pressure to 90/44. I was then told that he needed to find out why I was having the fibrillation, but that was some time ago. The third physician, the electrophysiology cardiologist, also confirmed that I had atrial fibrillation and told me to continue taking the atenolol. [Read more...]
Eggs and bacon and salmon, oh my!
January 21, 2010 By
DEAR DR. GOTT: I am an 89-year-old male enjoying good health. I have A-fib, but it doesn’t bother me and I get a reasonable amount of exercise.
I have had myelodysplasia for 12 years. As a result, my white-cell count is low. My cholesterol is 142, and my HDL and LDL are normal or below. I take iron pills every day. At my age and with my history, does it make any difference whether I have one or six eggs per week or bacon every other day?
My second question regards salmon. I eat it frequently and enjoy it. I understand that the omega-3 is largely contained in the fish’s fat. And I note that most of the fat clings to the skin. Should we not also eat the skin for maximum benefits? [Read more...]