More HarmThanGood THE DANGERS OF IVC FILTERS If you have an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter, chances are your options were limited. While these filters can work to prevent dangerous deep vein blood clots known as embolisms from reaching your heart and lungs, they are far from a doctor’s first choice. In most cases, IVC filters are only used if blood thinners are not an option, and even then, most are only placed temporarily. That’s because these medical devices have an uncomfortably high chance of complications. Over a five-year period, the FDA received almost 1,000 complaints relating to newer models of IVC filters. These “removable” models were meant to be safer short-term alternatives to older permanent filters. However, the flexible design necessary for IVC filters to be removable makes them far more prone to becoming fractured, broken, or even dislodged. Thus, these devices have ended up causing, rather than preventing, serious health conditions. In some cases, sudden death has even occurred. IceyLegal Ground A HISTORY OF COMPLICATIONS
Survivingthe SeasonofSweets HOWTO INDULGE YOUR SWEET TOOTHWITH LESS SUGAR Cookies, cakes, and pies, oh my! The holiday season is brimming with sweet treats of all kinds. Sometimes it can feel like candy and sugary desserts are around every corner, and yet you still want to indulge. However, when you consider that over 50 percent of Americans are insulin-resistant, prediabetic, or diabetic, that piece of pumpkin pie with whipped cream starts to look more dangerous than appetizing. During the holidays, how can you satisfy your sweet tooth without worrying about consuming excessive sugar and calories? Skip the candy and go for the fruits and nuts. Keeping a bowl of fruit and nuts nearby can help keep sugar cravings at bay. Dried fruits, such as cranberries, pineapple, or apricots, are both sweet and nutritious. Just be sure to check the packaging for added sugars. You can even make your own dried fruit with a food dehydrator. This way, you are completely in control of the ingredients. No matter what you do, just be mindful not to overindulge. Dried fruit is high in sugar and calories, but the fiber and vitamins make fruit much healthier than just about any other sugary treat. Another way to cut down on your sugar intake is to use dark chocolate in all your chocolate-based treats. Dark chocolate has about half as much sugar as milk chocolate, twice as much healthy fat, less cholesterol, 4–5 times more iron, twice as much potassium, fewer carbs, and more flavonoids and theobromine. The antioxidant properties of the theobromine and flavonoids make dark chocolate as good for your heart as it is for your soul. If you have a recipe that calls for chocolate, reach for the dark stuff, whether it’s dark chocolate chips, cocoa powder, or baking chocolate. While it may seem as though everyone and their grandma is overindulging in sugar this season, know that you have the choice to opt for healthier sweets. And come New Year’s, you won’t have to spend the first few months of 2019 working off that extra cookie weight.
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