You know you're a nurse when ...

Oh, happy day! Now here is a study that I think pretty much everyone can get behind. Researchers found that dark chocolate (at least 60% cocoa) may be an inexpensive and effective way to help prevent cardiovascular events and reduce your risk for heart disease.

Several recent studies suggest that eating dark chocolate has blood-pressure and lipid-lowering effects. At a cost of only $42 per year, treatment with dark chocolate falls into an acceptable category of cost-effectiveness — at an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $50,000 per years of life saved.

So let’s do the math. A cost of $42 per person per year for the dark chocolate saves costs of about $50,000 per years of life saved.

Decisions, decisions: Megabucks a month for the latest pharmacologic wonder with a hefty side effect profile or $42 a year for now a proven treatment option that is good for you and tastes like heaven!

I would love to see the advertisements in the journals and the direct-to-consumer ads on TV. Something like, “Do you suffer from a risk of heart disease? Blood pressure and cholesterol too high? Would you like to spend only $42 a year on treatment instead of $300 a month? If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about dark chocolate. Warning, consumption of dark chocolate may leave a good taste in your mouth, may cause you to smile, and at certain times of the month, can prevent near death situations.”

Interestingly, the research showed that when compliance was reduced (meaning that the person complied with treatment some of the time), the number of preventable non-fatal and fatal events fell. That means that the less they complied with the treatment, the worse the outcome — even if they complied 90% of the time!

That means you have to eat the chocolate daily for the risk reduction to work.

Here’s a wild question, WHY in the world would you NOT comply with eating the chocolate daily? I mean, you would not have to entice me to comply with a treatment that is, well, that sweet!

Just keeping it real,

Nurse Jackie

The Real Nurse Jackie is written by Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC — a real life long-term care nurse who is also the director of clinical affairs for the American Medical Directors Association. A nationally respected nurse educator and past national LTC Nurse Administrator of the Year, she also is an accomplished stand-up comedienne. She has not starred in her own national television series — yet.