A medical expert who is providing information about heart attacks has shared the four things he ‘absolutely avoids’ as a cardiac surgeon.

Heart and circulatory diseases cause a quarter of all deaths in the UK, according to the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

That worrying statistic means there’s ‘more than 170,000 deaths each year’ because of it.

(Getty Stock Images)

“Coronary heart disease (CHD; also known as ischaemic heart disease) is the most common type of heart disease,” the BHF explain.

“It is the most common cause of heart attack and was the single biggest killer of both and men and women worldwide in 2019.”

While assessing what preventative measures are out there, cardiac surgeon Dr. Jeremy E. London (@drjeremylondon) has opened up on the four things he avoids on a regular basis.

Smoking

Smoking increases your heart rate and blood pressure. (Getty Stock Images)

The doctor says smoking is the ‘single worst thing you can do for your entire body’.

“[It] destroys your lungs, causes lung cancer, high cardiovascular risks, heart attacks and strokes. Don’t smoke,” he said in a recent TikTok video.

Smoking happens to be the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the UK.

Drinking Alcohol

Drinking too much alcohol can increase your blood pressure. (Getty Stock Images)

Dr London says he’s cut out the booze completely and he doesn’t regret it.

“Alcohol. Hate to break it to you, toxic,” he says. “Toxic to every cell in your body.

“Your body, your rules, you decide for yourself.

“For me, personally, removing alcohol from my life has probably been one of the most transformative decisions I’ve made as an adult.

“All the cool kids are doing it. Give it a shot.”

ONS stats show that, in 2022, the number of deaths related to alcohol in England and Wales reached an all-time high at 7,423.

Consuming soft drinks

Soft drinks should be consumed in moderation. (Getty Stock Images)

Harvard health reports that people who drink more than five sugar-sweetened soft drinks a week may be more likely to have signs of early heart disease compared with people who drink just one.

Without giving much of an explanation on this one, Dr London said: “Soft drinks, liquid death. Just don’t drink them. Period. Done.”

Avoiding bread and pasta

Dr London said: “Number four, avoid breads and pastas. Avoid the refined flours and wheats. 80 percent of weight control is diet. 20 percent is exercise.

“I guarantee you, you can out eat any exercise that you do. So be conscious about what you’re putting in your mouth.”

A common cause of heart attacks is having high blood pressure, which is sadly more prominent for obese individuals.

According to the WHO, a body mass index (BMI) over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is obese.

A doctor has warned us of the dangers of using a ‘nose coffee’ alternative that has apparently been on the market for ages.

Now, if you’re not Michael Owen, the chances are that you probably rely on caffeine quite a bit to get you through the day.

Without a nice hot brew in the morning, many of us would be starting the day off on the wrong foot.

But there is no hiding away from the side effects of too much caffiene, which include insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, nausea, and an increased heart rate.

That’s why a dude called Max, a 32-year-old who lives in Greenwich, Connecticut, reckons he’s discovered a new caffeine hack with supposedly a lot less side effects.

It turns out that there’s a snortable caffeine brand available on Amazon, which sells caffeine nasal spray, vials of powder and fake rolled money to ‘help’ with consumption, according to a report by the New York Post.

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“We don’t just sell products; we strive to improve everyday life,” the company’s website – named Want A Bump? – advertises, whilst describing its product as ‘an innovative energy supplement that consists of a balanced blend of caffeine and inositol [a sugar produced by the body] designed to provide an immediate, smooth energy boost’.

Max gave the nose product a try and said: “It’s like a less intense cocaine, minus all the bad side effects. I remember feeling it immediately and being very blown away by that.”

“The biggest thing for me is that it doesn’t affect my sleep as much as drinking caffeine,” he added. “The novelty of snorting is really groovy. Thirteen-year-old me would be going nuts.

“There’s really no way to do it that doesn’t look sketchy.”

But as with most things you see on the internet, make sure you get proper medical advice before you look like Al ‘Cappuccino’ from Scarface.

Getty Stock Image

As you might have expected, doctors aren’t so keep on the idea.

“Caffeine in food or drink is slower to absorb than through the nose,” Dr. Shaline Rao, Director of Heart Failure Services at NYU Langone Hospital, Long Island, told the outlet.

“The key is keeping the amount safe’ and ‘to note the upper limit of uses, to avoid overdose, and [allow] appropriate time between doses,” she said, whilst issuing a warning about the possible side effects.

“I would worry that repeat inhalation of caffeine through the nose could result in damage to the nares,” Rao added.

On social media, one content creator suggested that it’s a good alternative if you’re trying to ‘quit cocaine’.

There may be many of you who are not happy about your relationship with alcohol, and are hoping to cut down or even ditch it altogether.

TikToking doctor Alex George, a former Love Island star who has been alcohol free for over a year, explained that there were three big lies he was eager to tackle.

Elsewhere, he’s said that the biggest revelation he’s had since he stopped supping on the poisonous sauce was how many events alcohol was tied into as an expectation.

He also gave three examples of the type of person who probably shouldn’t drink, and mental health played a big role in all of his verdicts.

“None for me, thanks.” (Getty Stock Photo)

Stress relief? Nope

As for the myths he wanted to bust, Dr Alex first took aim at the notion that quaffing alcohol would make you less stressed.

“It’s scientifically shown that drinking alcohol raises your baseline level of cortisol,” he explained.

“That means that quite the opposite of what we’re told, alcohol makes you more stressed.”

He noted that in the moment there was a ‘psychological decompression’ which might make you feel a little more relaxed for a short while, but by the time the next day rolls around, it’s normally got worse again and you’re reaping what you sowed.

“Would we be having less fun if we ditched the alcohol or the fun times?” “The fun times, obviously.” (Getty Stock Photo)

Alcohol is fun? Nope

Lots of people conflate drinking alcohol with having a good time, but Dr Alex wanted to confront that idea and pop it like a balloon.

He asked people to consider whether it was the act of drinking alcohol, they enjoyed or all the other things involved with it such as going to the pub with your mates and spending time with them.

Is it really the alcohol you like, or are you having fun because you’re in a fun place with the people you like best?

Take one element out of this equation to make it a less fun time and you’d pick the alcohol to ditch.

Dr Alex wanted you to ponder whether drinking alcohol actually made you feel good or not and to really identify what the source of your joy was.

He also challenged you to consider how you felt the day after your night of fun, and whether the after-effects of alcohol were worth it or not.

Not drinking alcohol is boring? Nope

This might be one of the bigger changes you can notice right away, just as your body reacts to giving up alcohol so too does your social circle.

Dr Alex said the key to having a good time with other people was ‘being able to share experiences’ and ‘connecting with people’ rather than how many pints you can chuck down your gullet.

This is something others who’ve ditched the booze have found, as when they’ve shared their experiences many have noted that they were called out by their friends as ‘boring’ for not drinking.

They said they’d even lost a relationship after being branded ‘too boring’ after giving up alcohol, and admitted they’d also called things off in the past with a partner who didn’t drink much for the same reasons.

Others have said that while ditching alcohol doesn’t make you boring it does free up a lot of your time and you should find something to replace it with, it’s the perfect time to take up a new hobby.

Popping to the salon is generally an appointment you make so that you can wind down, do some self-care and feel at ease.

But what if the person taking care of your locks didn’t feel the same way? That would be pretty dire indeed.

Well, one hairdresser isn’t worried about the flack she might get for talking about her hair ‘icks’ and is very public about it.

If anything, she’s actually saving a lot of people from embarrassing habits when they venture to their local hair salon.

Emily Pytel, hairdresser and TikToker, has amassed hundreds of thousands of views for her video which provides women with a lot of tips regarding the dos and don’ts of hairdressing etiquette.

Of course, coming in with your hair quite dirty is an obvious one, but if you’re there for a deep scrub, why not?

“When a client comes to me with super dirty hair, just no,” Emily said in her video, which was first posted earlier this year.

“We don’t want to touch your dirty hair but it’s also not good for your colour, it doesn’t take as well.”

Another gripe she had was when customers give her extended eye contact.

TikTok/@emilyyyroses

Apparently, having customers ‘look her in the eyes’ when they put their heads over the bowl during the shampooing process isn’t great. I can see how that would be icky.

She warned: “Don’t do that. It is awkward for everybody. Just close your eyes.”

Noted!

It was the third ick which really took the cake as it ‘really gets her’.

She said: “When you show up late but you have a coffee in your hand and don’t have one for us. We love coffee too and we need the caffeine to do your hair.”

To be honest, it’s not really that respectful to nip to Starbucks and flaunt it as you walk in late.

And another one: “When you are in our chair and we turn our chair and the head looks back at the mirror, please don’t do that because there is a reason we are turning your chair.”

I mean… I feel attacked now.

Of course, those who watched the video were shocked about what hairdressers actually think, especially regarding the dirty hair fiasco.

Emily even appeared on Daily Blast Live and took heat from another guest about her ‘dirty hair’ comment, so it’s unsurprising that her viewers were also shook.

Pixabay

One person typed: “Waitttttt I was always told to get your hair coloured with dirty hair??”

Another hairdresser in the comment said: “People take it to the extreme though, if your hair stinks and your scalp is itching from being dirty, please don’t come to the salon that way.”

One woman admitted to her bad habits: “I am definitely guilty of the dirty hair.”

To which Emily replied and it’s presumed she is a regular: “Nooooo your hair is never bad at all!!!! I’m talking about SUPER dirty hair!!”

However, one commenter shared: “This is why I colour my own hair. I don’t want to get judged for doing something wrong lol.”

But the hairdresser was wanted to ensure that everyone know the video was only to ‘educate’ viewers while asking in the comments: “Is anyone guilty of these?”

There’s a new health trend on the block which sees people walking and farting to release their pent-up gases.

When Canadian actress, Mairlyn Smith, revealed her method on TikTok that she and her husband go on 10 to 20-minute strolls which she calls ‘fart walks’, people were quick to wonder if it actually helps with your health.

‘Fart walking’ might be the newest health trend. Getty stock images

Smith believes that these walks help you to ‘age wonderfully’, but is it true?

When you eat a full meal and start to feel that bloat, it’s your stomach at capacity.

That’s when your digestive system takes over, churning your food around and is controlled by the autonomic nervous system.

This system controls your heart rate and blood pressure, but also your digest responses.

So, it controls how you digest and absorb nutrients and also release excess waste and gases.

This is when the parasympathetic nervous system mobilises your gut, causing it to release digestive juices, which use enzymes to break down your food, so it’s easier to absorb.

When you need to fart, it’s because your digestive system has been breaking down high-fibre foods and indigestible carbohydrates which remain in the gut where it basically ferments.

This gas is then released and can cause some stomach pain if you have a built-up.

Let’s get back to the walking thing.

One study found that exercise could be hindered by GI issues.

The paper read: “GI symptoms during long-distance walking can impair exercise performance, although these symptoms occur less frequently and are less severe in comparison with prolonged intense exercise.”

Another found that people reported more flatulence when resting than when exercising.

There’s also been instances of runners sh*tting themselves while doing marathons.

So, maybe it’s not a great idea to go on a full sprint as soon as you’ve eaten a hearty meal.

But where are the results for a light walk?

Studies suggest it could be beneficial. Getty stock images

Medical News Today thinks that ‘walking, stretching, and moving around may help the gas pass through the digestive system’, while another found that it reduced gases in the digestive system.

Researchers in 2006 performed a study which included asking eight patients who suffered from bloating, some who had irritable bowel syndrome to avoid foods which made them ‘gassy’.

For two days, they had to avoid these foods before the test, which saw them sat in an armchair to ensure they were in the best position not to disturb the gas.

Then, gas was pumped into their small bowel using a plastic tube, and any that came out via the rectum was collected in a bag that was attached to a tube and inserted.

Then, patients were made to use a type of bike, which would keep them sat in the armchair and found that less gas was retained in the patients’ gut when they exercised.

The results concluded that exercise helped the patients to expel the gas and not to retain it in their gut.

So, essentially, exercise could be good for you if you have a bloated tummy and need to relieve yourself.