Team S.J.G.R. Belated Thursday Huddle #17: Three quickies.

What's up, Team? I'm super-exhausted on the wards so forgive the late huddle. This one will be short and sweet. Three quick things you should know if you want to prevent heart disease that you may or may not have known.

Like to hear them? Here they go.

#1:  Bad teeth can mean bad news for your heart.

Yup. Did you know that the inflammation related to periodontal disease and gingivitis is linked to heart disease? Like, for real, it is. So people on our team need to be seeing not only their dentists but their dental hygienist on a regular.

Yep.

And let me just go right ahead and say I had a schedule conflict and cancelled my last dental cleaning. So I am like three months overdue. And seeing as I have historically had more cavities than every person reading this blog combined, that's a fail. So really, I'm writing this for me more than just about anyone else.

Why haven't I gone yet? Well. My hygienist recently left. And I have sensitivity issues with my gums and teeth so finding her was like finding the BHE. I am secretly afraid to see a new hygienist because I am certain that she (or he) will dig one of those instruments in the exact wrong place and cause me to yelp out loud (which HAS happened to me before.)

Sigh.

But since I am aware of the link between yuck mouth and coronary disease, I need to quit tripping. I'll be calling my dentist's office TO-morrow.

Take home: People who want to prevent heart disease see their dentists regularly for good oral health maintenance.


#2:  Tilapia isn't as great as people think.

Awwww damn! I can hear y'all already. But don't kill the messenger, people. Don't!

So check it. The word on seafood is that it is good for the ol' ticker. And in a lot of instances that's true. So here's what you need to know:

The best fish you can eat? WILD fish caught in cold waters like Pacific salmon, for example. WILD caught fish means that it wasn't in a farm and that it was just living in, well, the wild. What that translates to is fish that gets fattened up on things other than corn or chicken poop.

Uhhh, yeah.

Okay, so there's two issues here as it relates specifically to tilapia. First, the tilapia we enjoy here in the states is almost always imported. Buy it frozen? Likely from China. And non-frozen? Probably from Latin America. And all of those start with ginormous fish farms. Think chicken factories but fish. So they feed them as cheaply as possible and what's in some of the feeds is so disgusting that I won't even say. It's kind of hard to find wild caught tilapia. Okay, so that's the first thing.

The second and more significant one as it relates to heart disease is the fact that tilapia doesn't have much of the heart disease fighting omega 3 fatty acids but what it does have is its not so heart-smart cousin omega 6 fatty acids. It should be called omega 666 fatty acids because it's kind of the devil.

Wait. Did I say that out loud?

So should you never eat tilapia? Hmm, I wouldn't say that. But since I've known this, I don't eat it often. Plus word on the street is that tilapia will eat ANYTHING. And folks that are trying to make money might feed them whatever is the easiest thing they can. Such as chicken poop.

Eeeww.

Take home:  Like fish? Take a walk on the WILD side. Learn to like WILD caught Pacific or Alaskan Salmon. Or some other fatty cold water WILD non-farm raised fish.

#3:  Broken hearts can lead to broken hearts. Especially when left untreated.

Feeling blue? Can't sleep? Don't want to do the things you used to enjoy doing? You might want to get that checked out. For real.

There is excellent data that directly links depression to heart disease. Yes.

Take home: Stop tripping if you are feeling like Eeyore. Get to your doctor. Get screened. And if you are depressed? Let go of the idea that accepting that as a diagnosis means you're weak or broken. Depression is treatable.

So there it is. Three quickies.

Here's the recap for the busy people or the ones with ADD:

1. Shut yo' mouth! Yo' teeth are related to yo' heart. So better yet, OPEN yo' mouth.
2. Tilapia should probably not be your every day go-to fish. Sorry. Just remember omega 666. And them being fed chicken poop and living with 55,000 other fish in a cage who are also pooping. (Just sayin'.)
3. If it's more than the blues it could be hazardous to your heart health. If you are depressed, quit tripping and get treated. For real.

So there you go.  Yes, people. The shit just got real all over again.

Aaaaand I'm out.

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Happy Thursday-really-Friday-now.