Entries by Chet Zelasko

Immune Boost 1-2-3: Vitamin C

The third part of our immune system boost is vitamin C. Also known as ascorbic acid, it’s best known as an antioxidant. From the research of Linus Pauling until today, vitamin C has been researched extensively. Even though vitamin C hasn’t been proven to prevent a cold, it does seem to reduce the symptoms of […]

Immune Boost 1-2-3: Garlic

The second part of our immune boost supplements is garlic. Garlic has been noted to have beneficial properties for over 5,000 years. Garlic thins the blood, thereby benefiting blood pressure, and helps lower cholesterol. Garlic does many things, but what benefits our immunity is its ability to boost the immune system while reducing inflammation. There […]

Immune Boost 1-2-3: Echinacea

The cold and flu season is still around. The seasonal allergy season is right around the corner and may have started depending on where you live. When you feel that first tickle in the back of your throat, that first nasally sensation, that’s when you have to take action. That’s what we do in my […]

How to Fix a Broken Heart

What causes broken heart syndrome (BHS)? Most types of cardiomyopathy are idiopathic—no one really knows how it happens. In the case of BHS, there’s a severe stressor, good or bad, that precipitates the symptoms. But what is actually going on? I found two potential explanations. First, an excess amount of catecholamines are released in response […]

Broken Hearts and Octopus Traps

Broken heart syndrome (BHS) has several names, such as stress-induced cardiomyopathy. One you’ve probably never heard is takotsubo cardiomyopathy. BHS is similar to other forms of cardiomyopathy in that the heart gets significantly weaker. If you view the appearance of the heart during echocardiography, the bottom of the heart, specifically the left ventricle, is weaker […]

Broken Heart Syndrome

This week’s focus is on American Heart Month and specifically heart disease in women. While heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women, there’s one type of heart disease that affects more women than men: broken heart syndrome. Can you die from a broken heart? Absolutely. We’ll find out how […]

The Way Things Used to Be

On the radio, I heard a woman say, “I just want things to be the way they used to be!” That mirrors the frustration that I read from emails people send about being older. I don’t necessarily mean those over 60; I get the same type of frustration from 30-year-olds who find that their bodies […]

Who’s in Charge?

“Make sure you define the disease; it doesn’t define you.” That quote is from physician Dr. Louis Papa in a video I recently watched. What a powerful statement. While the discussion was about heart disease, he said it applies to any disease. We all have health challenges; you won’t escape. Even if you have the best […]

Training Pays Off

Tom Brady is the best quarterback in the history of the National Football League. Ouch—that’s tough for a guy from Buffalo to say, but after this past weekend, it’s true. I talked about how his dedication to training and attention to detail give him the energy and focus to perform. But after all the training, […]

Energy Thieves: Medications

Another class of energy thieves is medications. This may not apply to everyone but based on the latest CDC stats, close to 50% of all American adults take at least one prescription drug and almost one-quarter take three medications or more. There are three ways medications can steal your energy when you need it to […]