Dr. John Day, Cardiologist

We all recently saw the headlines, too much sitting increases our risk of cancer by up to 66%! Sitting really is the new smoking. If you figure that sitting to watch TV for one hour shortens your life by 22 minutes and smoking one cigarette takes 11 minutes off your life then sitting down to watch that one hour TV show tonight is the equivalence of smoking 2 cigarettes. We all know we need to get moving more. Not only…

Did you know that losing even one hour of sleep can cause a heart attack? Did you know that occasionally taking a sleeping pill, something even as mild as an antihistamine, increases your risk of dying five-fold? Even more frightening is that both lack of sleep and taking sleeping pills increases your risk of dementia! My Insomnia Struggles I am a recovering insomniac. Since my college days I have struggled with falling asleep. It was especially bad before a major…

Do you have a plan for your life?  Why are you committed to reclaiming or maintaining your health? Finding your purpose or your "why" power is what gets us out of bed each morning.  If we don't have a reason for living, the entire day becomes a chore and we lose site of our goal.  Over time, we can fall into a trap of a negative downward spiral. We stop investing in ourselves.  We stop investing in the relationships with…

Eliminate Stress in Seven Steps I recently performed an ablation for a patient who was suffering from atrial fibrillation following the recent death of her husband of 50 years.  She and her husband did everything together.  It was the kind of marriage that everyone dreams about. Unfortunately, last summer her husband died suddenly.  She was left heart broken.  She was so devastated she could not leave her home for months until she became too short of breath to even walk…

Do you or someone you love suffer from atrial fibrillation (A-fib)?  If so, you are not alone.  One in four Americans will have at least one episode of A-fib in their lives.  In this article, I share how to get rid of atrial fibrillation. Many of my patients feel horrible when A-fib strikes.  Their hearts race chaotically and they often feel short of breath, fatigued, dizzy, lightheaded, or may even have chest pain. The effects of A-fib can be devastating.  A-fib…

Did you know that half of all American adults have a blood pressure above what the American Heart Association recommends?  Of the 70% of Americans on prescription medications, a large percentage of these take medications for high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a leading cause of atrial fibrillation, stroke, and coronary heart disease.  If we are going to reverse or prevent those conditions, we need to get our blood pressure under control. For many of my patients, these medications…

I am an emotional eater.  When I have something I need to do but don’t feel like doing, I suddenly feel hungry and will reach for food.  Over the years, I have given myself permission to procrastinate if I “need to eat” first. I also use food to “reward” myself.  If I have just finished a killer work out or spent hours grueling with a difficult surgery, as soon as I finish I want to “reward” myself with something my…

Did you know that taking regular vacations can help you to prevent a heart attack? While it seems strange, most Americans do not take their full vacation time. I was the same way once. It really makes no sense at all. Is stress crushing you? According to the 2013 Work Stress Survey, 83% of Americans reported being stress out at work. Where are you right now in your life? Are you buried at work? Is stress crushing you? Do you…

I once had high cholesterol. My total cholesterol was 211 mg/dL. I had even put myself on a low-dose statin (Lipitor or atorvastatin) to treat this. Like most of my cardiology colleagues, I thought statins were the answer to heart disease. Too often I heard at major cardiac meetings that we should just "put statins in the drinking water." So I started taking my statin. Several weeks later while playing competitive basketball I tore my calf muscle. I screamed in…

I often work late at the hospital. Baseball practice is on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Soccer practice is Wednesday night. On Friday nights we have another activity. It can be hard to get the family together for a regular family dinner. How can we possibly get the family together for family dinner in our over programmed lives? Welcome to modern life! Unfortunately, for us getting the family together for dinner is just half of the battle. We still struggle with…

I am a recovering Diet Coke addict.  We had soda pop in our home growing up but it was rationed.  As kids we were allowed 2 cans of Sprite each week (76 grams of sugar or 19 teaspoons of sugar).  I would save mine until Saturday and then have 2 cans after my basketball game. It became a comfort drink for me that was associated with happy memories. At the age of 16 I got my driver license and could now have…

I thought I would never live another day without pain. Every step hurt. Like 100 million other Americans I lived with chronic pain. Something always hurt. My left knee was always in pain, my neck hurt to turn, and my lower back hurt. I could only take a few doses of ibuprofen or naproxen before my stomach would start to hurt. Celebrex (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug or NSAID) was my answer at the time for the pain. I took Celebrex…

The number one complaint I hear from my patients in my cardiology practice is that they feel so tired. Why is this the case? With power drinks and other energy drinks all around us, why have we become so tired? Do we have to live fatigued? I get it. I used to feel this way as well. I would easily go through more than 32 oz of Diet Coke each day just to get through my day. I was so…

The Scientifically Proven 4 Ways to Reverse Aging No one wants to grow old.  Is there a way that we can stay forever young?  Read on to find out the proven 4-step process to reverse aging by a Nobel prize-winning scientist. Birthdays I recently turned 50.  Birthdays used to be very depressing for me. Each new candle seemed to represent one step closer to having my body breakdown. Perhaps this was because for years my patients had told me not…

Can Too Much Exercise be Bad for You? The modern day marathon was inspired after Pheidippides, a long distance running courier in ancient Greece. During two days he ran a total of 175 miles. On the last leg of his run, a 25 mile distance from the battlefield near Marathon to Athens, he died suddenly. Can the same thing happen to us if we run too much? Recent Headlines: Too Much Running is Dangerous Did you see the recent news reports that…

Does it really matter what time of the day we eat? At the end of the day it is all about the total number of calories taken in, right? My philosophy in the past was a calorie is a calorie. I remember as a teenager or even in college sometimes eating a whole pizza right before bed. I was hungry so I ate right before bed. A calorie is a calorie, right? Wrong! The timing of when we eat really…

Recently, I saw the news headlines from around the world—if you work longer you can help to prevent Alzheimer’s Disease.  Is this really the case? Do we really want to work forever? For years I killed myself at work. I worked long hours. Like most Americans, I did not take my full vacation time. I burned out. My goal was to work as hard as I could, save our money, and retire early so that I could then kick back…

Does Sleep Apnea Cause Atrial Fibrillation? Kathy never seemed to get a good night of sleep.  Her husband, John, told me "she snores like a train and then stops breathing.  After a pause, she gasps for air, and then goes back to sleep." Does this sound like someone you know?  If so, they likely have a condition called sleep apnea.  Not only does sleep apnea make people feel tired all of the time but it also puts them at high…

Can I Live with A-Fib? "Can I live with A-Fib?" asked Jeff, a 63 year-old man recently diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (A-Fib).  Jeff felt fine.  In fact, he had absolutely no symptoms at all from his A-Fib.  He exercised regularly without any difficulties. When his primary care physician picked up his A-Fib on a recent physical he was in a state of shock.  "Wouldn't I feel it if my heart was out of rhythm?" he asked his physician. Surprisingly, most…

Can Weight Loss Cure A-Fib, Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, and Heart Disease? Did you see the recent media reports about this study?  Not only did weight loss alone cure atrial fibrillation (A-Fib) but it also cure diabetes, high blood, pressure, high cholesterol, and reversed previous heart damage! In my opinion, this was the biggest study to emerge from the largest cardiac medical conference in the world, the annual scientific sessions of the American College of Cardiology.  All of my colleagues…

A New Blood Thinner Alternative is FDA Approved! The Watchman Device I recently saw a new patient, Lisa, who was stuck in a very difficult situation.  Last year while at dinner with her daughter she suddenly lost her ability to speak.  She told me that she knew what she wanted to say but the words just came out all garbled. Fortunately, her daughter immediately recognized the signs of a stroke and dialed 911 from the restaurant.  Even though Lisa protested, the call…

When Should I Consider an Ablation for A-Fib? John had been struggling with atrial fibrillation (A-Fib) for years.  He had tried the medications but they all made him feel tired.  He just did not like the way he felt when his heart was out of rhythm.  Should he consider a catheter ablation procedure to manage his A-Fib? In this article we will discuss when an ablation procedure should be considered for the treatment of A-Fib. What is a catheter ablation…

10 Ways to Cure A-Fib without Drugs or Procedures Atrial fibrillation (A-Fib) is up to 10 times more common in North America than in Asia according to a recent medical study published by my good friend, Dr. Sumeet S. Chugh, at Ceaders-Sinai based on a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Interestingly, according to research by Dr. Gregory M. Marcus from the University of California at San Francisco, when Asians immigrate to the U.S., they lose their protected status…

Do I Have to Take a Blood Thinner for A-Fib? If there is one thing I have learned as a cardiologist specializing in atrial fibrillation (A-Fib) it is that patients do not want to take a blood thinner.  While strokes are a feared complication of A-Fib, many of my patients would rather take their chances than gulp down a blood thinner each day for the rest of their lives.  Are there any other options? The A-Fib Guidelines Have Changed Until…

The Most Important Factor to Cure A-Fib Do you or a loved one suffer from A-Fib?  A-Fib, which is also known as atrial fibrillation or "AF," is the most common heart arrhythmia and affects 1 in 4 adults.  In A-Fib the heart typically beats very fast and irregularly leading to strokes, heart failure, dementia, and even premature death. Just what exactly is the most important factor to cure A-Fib?  In this article we will explore the most important factor to cure…