Recharge Your Health This Summer!

Greetings!

I know it’s been a couple of months since the last newsletter, but that’s because I’ve been working behind the scenes to improve this newsletter and bring you the best possible experience!

To that end, I am so pleased to be able to offer, finally, a premium subscription option for this newsletter.

Premium subscribers will receive:

• Comprehensive educational content in every monthly newsletter to help you live your healthiest life.

• In-depth articles and analyses by yours truly, a board-certified cardiologist, as well as content from other medical experts.

• Lifestyle tips and strategies: practical tips and actionable advice for promoting heart health and cardiovascular well-being through lifestyle changes.

• Latest research summaries and highlights: access to curated summaries of recent scientific studies and advancements in cardiology, broken down into easily understandable language with key takeaways and relevant implications for your daily life.

• Access to Q&A with Dr. Ali (not medical advice—general information and education on heart health; see example below)

• Access to the “Cooking with a Cardiologist” section, including heart-healthy recipes, meal plans, cookbook recommendations, videos, and more!

• FREE heart-health tip sheets and health guides—beginning with “Your Guide to Healthy Summer Travel”—and receive all future premium guides for free!

• Exclusive interviews and expert opinions

• Special subscriber discounts on future products (e-books, workbooks, courses, webinars, live events, calendars, merchandise, etc.)!

I hope you’ll be as excited as I am about this full range of bonus content!

So you can see an example of what a premium newsletter will look like, I’ve included the first sample below. I’ve labeled the sections that will still be available to all subscribers without a paywall (labeled as “included in Basic”), and those that will be available only to Premium subscribers (labeled as “Premium Only”). Premium subscribers will have access to ALL content.

Keep in mind that this is just the first example, with more bonus features to come! And, if you upgrade to Premium now, you will automatically receive your first FREE health guide, “Your Guide to Healthy Summer Travel,” delivered to your inbox!

You’ll receive the monthly Premium newsletter on the last Wednesday of the month (or the day after if that Wed. is a holiday). You’ll also receive any extras, like tip sheets, research summaries, or special discounts, as soon as they become available.

From the Speak for the Heart Blog (included in Basic)

Heart-Health News You Can Use (included in Basic)

Additional Heart-Health News and Analyses (Premium Only)

Cardiologists and emergency medicine physicians have long known this, and now there’s a study to confirm it:

Very good explanation of resting heart rate and what it can tell you about your heart health:

Restaurant Spotlight: Healthier Options When Dining Out

Fix My Recipe—Keep the Delicious; Add the Nutritious.

For this section, any premium subscriber can submit their favorite recipe(s), and Dr. Ali will offer advice on making it healthier while keeping it delicious!

Heart-Healthy Recipes from Dr. Ali

Heart-healthy recipes that draw primarily from the Mediterranean way of eating (often referred to as the “Mediterranean Diet”).

For example … Quinoa-and-halloumi salad with chickpeas (recipe coming soon!):

Cookbook Corner

This section will feature a new review of one of Dr. Ali’s favorite cookbooks.

For instance…

America’s Test Kitchen is legendary for testing recipes until they find just the right variation(s), and they provide advice on how to choose the best ingredients and which cooking techniques bring out the best flavor without undue hassle. As they themselves say, “We make the mistakes so you don’t have to.”

In this book, you’ll find not only some of the best Mediterranean recipes anywhere, but also an explanation of the Mediterranean Diet, including the Mediterranean Diet pyramid and how to put it into practice.

Q&A (Premium Only)

Premium subscribers will be able to submit their own questions and get answers in this section.

Q: Is a wrist cuff just as good as an arm cuff for taking my blood pressure at home?

A: The short answer is no. Wrist cuffs have not been found to be as accurate for blood pressure measurements as arm cuffs (also known as brachial cuffs, because the brachial artery runs down the upper arm to the bend in the elbow, and thus it is the artery where blood pressure is measured by an arm cuff).

According to the American Medical Association, “Blood pressure measurement devices with upper arm cuffs provide the most accurate measurements. Wrist cuffs are not recommended for clinical use unless patients cannot use upper arm cuffs due to arm size or other medical reasons.”

There is a physiologic basis for this: the most accurate blood pressure is that which is taken closest to the heart. In the cardiac catheterization lab, the blood pressure in the aorta, the major artery that takes blood from the heart to the rest of the body, can be measured invasively, and that is considered the gold standard for blood pressure measurement.

But, of course, you can’t access your aorta with a catheter at home!! So the brachial artery, which is readily available in the upper arm, has traditionally been used for easy blood pressure measurement. It is closer to the heart than the arteries in the wrist, and it is a larger artery than either the radial or ulnar arteries at the wrist, so its pressure is less diffused than those at the wrist.

This is the home blood pressure monitor I use:

Expert Conversations (Premium Only)

This section will feature interviews with experts in different fields of medicine, with a primary focus on cardiovascular health.

For example, I recently had this conversation about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine with Dan Byrne, Director of Artificial Intelligence Research at the Advanced Vanderbilt Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (AVAIL):

Quote of the Month (included in Basic)

Follow on Facebook & Pinterest

You can receive updates multiple times per week on heart-health news and product offerings via the Speak for the Heart page on Facebook.

And if you’re on Pinterest, you can find me here:

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