Regular readers of my column know that I am very bullish. coronary artery calcium scan, also called the calcium score test or coronary artery calcium score, as a test for heart disease risk. I was led by a cardiologist, Dr. Henry Sadlo.
CCS has helped save many lives, and another reader recently shared his experience with testing.
“I was watching TV with my wife at home when I felt a sharp pain in my chest. After a while, my left arm also started to hurt and my wife said I needed to go to the hospital,” one reader wrote. “We did multiple tests during the night and found nothing wrong. Their conclusion was that it must have been heartburn or gas.”
“Information plugs into my medical chart online and [doctor] After seeing it for years, he called me and insisted on seeing me right away. , said they had already arranged for me to take the CCS test. Thankfully I did. His CCS score on mine is over 800, which is shockingly high, and worse, the so-called “widow maker‘artery. A psychiatric appointment was made the next day. Two days later, I had heart surgery with two stents. ”
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The reader continued: [doctor] Anyone who cared so much about my health and knew the benefits of CCS would likely not have written this because I had a massive heart attack soon after. Thank you and Dr. Sadro for inspiring this non-invasive surgery that saved my life. ”
how much coronary artery calcium scan What are the costs and insurance coverage?
Let me clear up some confusion and concerns about why CCS is not covered by most health plans.
It usually takes a long time before new tests are adopted for insurance claims. There are many reasons for this, new tests often mean additional costs, and until the evidence overwhelms that a particular test should be covered as part of ‘basic’ medical care, Resisting new costs is a natural business decision.
CCS out-of-pocket costs vary, but are around $100. The above letter and many testimonies from Sadlo’s patients clearly show that the money was well spent in my opinion.
Another obstacle is that CCS measures calcified plaque in heart arteries. Plaque first deposits in the arteries as a “mushy mass” of cholesterol and other debris. Over the years, the term “hardening of the arteries” is coined as calcium infiltrates these mushy plaques and hardens them in place. It is possible that there is significant blockage in the artery that is in the advanced stage and not detected by CCS.
Conversely, this can give a false perception of heart health when the CCS score is 0.
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But even with this limitation, CCS testing is still a very valuable tool. Additionally, virtually all tests have some limitations. For example, arm blood pressure can be very different from ankle blood pressure. If so, it could indicate a serious vascular problem. So is it pointless to measure blood pressure in the arm because it doesn’t tell us anything about what’s going on in the ankle? Is it? The answer is clear.
Can resistance and strength training help reduce heart disease?
Throughout my 50+ year career, aerobic exercise has been emphasized when it comes to promoting cardiovascular health and extending lifespan. It means doing aerobic exercise regularly according to the guidelines. This includes at least 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise (walking) or 75-150 minutes of vigorous activity (jogging, biking, swimming, elliptical, etc.) per week. Then do a few resistance workouts to prevent muscle loss.
This is changing as resistance training gains new and improved status.British Journal of Sports MedicineSince 2006, nearly 100,000 men and women between the ages of 55 and 74 have been frequently studied, recording all causes (such as cancer) and heart disease (the leading cause of death).
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The exercise habits of the subjects were typical of the American adult population, with 23.6% meeting aerobic exercise guidelines and 16% regularly engaging in resistance training. Not surprisingly, those who exercised regularly had the lowest risk of death.However, it was surprising that those who restricted their exercise to resistance training only had a significantly reduced risk of 9%.
Which is better, cardio or strength training, to reduce heart disease?
Now, don’t get me wrong. Cardio is still king, as the person who reported regular aerobic exercise saw his risk drop by 32%. However, here is the punch line. People who did both cardio and strength training regularly had a 41% lower risk of death than sedentary people, she said.
Although the benefits of aerobic exercise are well known, it is less clear why resistance training reduces the risk of death from all causes, especially heart disease. The lead author of the study, Dr. Jessica Gorzelitz, said that resistance training improves overall health and heart health through health-promoting muscle mass gains and health-promoting body fat loss. I’m guessing. Gorzelitz also speculates that with resistance training, unique demands on blood flow may promote beneficial cardiovascular adaptations throughout the body.
Especially when it comes to the impact of exercise on reducing the risk of dying from heart disease, you should include both aerobic and resistance training to get the maximum benefit.
Bryant Stamford, Professor of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology at Hanover College, can be reached at [email protected]..
