vital signs NEWS & TIPS
May is National Stroke Awareness Month, and the
National Stroke Association is offering a free booklet,
Women in Your Life, to teach men and women
about stroke prevention and the importance of recognizing
stroke symptoms in each other. Call 1-800-STROKES to get
your free copy, or go to www.stroke.org/site/DocServer/
women05 .pdf?docID=881
to print your own.

This easy-to-use diagnostic tool allows you to monitor cardiovascular health indicators at home.

Salts of the Earth

Most Americans get too much sodium

in their diets, primarily from salty processed

foods. The USDA recommends

getting less than 2,300 mg of

sodium per day (about 1 tsp of

salt), so start readin g

labels and avoid

high-sodium foods.

Rinse high-

sodium foods

And when choosing such as olives

salt for your home,

consider salts that

and pickles

before eating.

provide additional nutrients (table

salt is refined down to just sodium

chloride). According to Salt Works

( www.saltworks.us), there’s a wide variety

What It Is: CardioChek by

Polymer Technology Systems

is a diagnostic analyzer for

people with elevated or high

cholesterol to keep close tabs

on their heart health between

doctor visits.

Special Benefits: CardioChek

provides personal, at-home

testing of cholesterol and other

cardiac risk factors and is the

only analyzer to receive clear-

ance from the FDA for at-home

testing of total cholesterol,

HDL cholesterol, triglycerides,

glucose and ketone levels.

of salts available. Below are just a few.

Kosher salt: Less refined granules

(used on pretzels), fewer additives,

more salty taste

Himalayan salt: From deep within

Himalayan mountains, high mineral

content

Black salt: Unrefined mineral salt

with strong sulfuric flavor

Sea salt: Harvested from the sea and refined, contains sodium chloride plus some trace minerals Organic sea salt: From pure waters and clean sea beds in France, New Zealand or Wales Hawaiian sea salt: Unrefined sea salt rich in natural minerals

Why We Like It: Results are available in less than two minutes; it requires just a small amount of blood for testing; the large digital readout is easy to see.

What You Should Know: Test strips are sold separately for each test factor.

References:

http://www.saltworks.us

http://www.stroke.org/site/DocServer/women05.pdf?docID=881

http://www.stroke.org/site/DocServer/women05.pdf?docID=881

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