Celebrity Heart Attack Survivors

For American Heart Month, we look at some famous figures who have overcome a heart attack, as well as tips for heart disease prevention.

Heart disease is a preventable and controllable disease, yet it is the leading cause of death in the United States, according to statistics from the American Heart Association. It can cause serious complications such as heart failure, arrhythmias, and heart attack – and worst of all, it does not discriminate. This means that people of different ages, sexes and socio-economic backgrounds are susceptible to the disease.

Many famous celebrities and political figures have suffered from heart-related health issues. Some of them have even used their personal experiences with heart attack as motivation to make drastic lifestyle changes and to create awareness.

Television and radio host Larry King suffered a heart attack in the late 80s, at the age of 53, and admitted that a subsequent bypass surgery served as a wake-up call. Shortly after his experience, the TV veteran established the Larry King Cardiac Foundation, which helps fund heart bypass operations for people who are unable to cover the medical expenses themselves.

Comedian Rosie O’Donnell experienced a minor heart episode last August. When she learned that her coronary artery was 99 percent blocked and that she needed to get a stent put in, O’Donnell decided it was time to start making lifestyle changes, beginning with a healthier diet. She is now also dedicated to helping other women learn about heart attack symptoms and dangers.

Former president Bill Clinton is perhaps one of the most important figures to talk about heart disease and heart attack prevention. Clinton underwent quadruple bypass surgery in 2004 and had two stents placed a few years later. In 2011, he switched to a mostly vegan diet and has been healthy every since. Clinton regularly speaks about his experience keeping his heart disease under control; and he helps raise awareness of cardiovascular health through the Clinton Foundation.

What can I do to prevent a heart attack from occurring?

Heart disease can significantly increase the risk of heart attack, but it can be prevented in many cases by maintaining a healthy weight, following a healthy diet, and getting regular exercise. Below are a few other recommendations suggested by major heart health organizations nationwide:

Limit alcohol intake. It can increase blood pressure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends no more than two drinks per day for men and no more than one drink a day for women.
Don’t smoke. It can damage the blood vessels, putting more pressure on the heart to work harder and increasing heart rate and blood pressure along the way.
Monitor blood pressure and cholesterol. The CDC recommends getting cholesterol levels tested at least once every five years by a physician. Meanwhile, blood pressure can be checked by a doctor, at home, or at a pharmacy.
Reduce and manage stress. It can raise blood-sugar and blood pressure levels and can potentially lead to a heart attack over time.

In some cases, seemingly-healthy people can suffer heart attack, often due to genetic factors. If you think you are experiencing a heart attack, seek immediate medical attention. Symptoms of heart attack can include pain or discomfort in the chest, jaw, neck, arms, or shoulder; shortness of breath; dizziness or light-headedness; and nausea or indigestion.

What’s Your Heart Health Score?

check your heart health

February is American Heart Month, and the American Heart Association has created a new online program for people to learn their heart health score.

Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States. The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 600,000 people die of heart disease in the US every year–that’s 1 in every 4 deaths.

An new interactive feature on the American Heart Association’s website allows people to stay on track with their heart health. People are encouraged to use the program, which is called My Life Check.

You can log on and take a simple five minute assessment. After you take the assessment, the computer will generate your heart health score. It will tell you your risks and what you need to modify to help avoid heart disease. It will also suggest ways to incorporate healthy living.

You can take the My Life Check assessment by using the following link: http://www.heart.org/mylifecheck.

Using the assessment can tell people the state of their heart in addition to what they can do to live a better life.

To help prevent heart disease, the following 7 tips (called the Life’s Simple 7) are presented:

Eat better. Choose healthful meals and snack options, including plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Adults should have eat least five servings a day.
Lose weight. Being obese or overweight can increase your risk for heart disease.
Get active. Physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight and lower cholesterol and blood pressure. The surgeon general recommends that adults should engage in moderate-intensity exercise for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.
Manage blood pressure. High blood pressure often has no symptoms, so be certain to have it checked regularly. Alcohol can increase your blood pressure. Men should drink no more than two drinks per day, women no more than one.
Stop smoking. Smoking greatly increases risk for heart disease.
Control cholesterol. Health care providers can test cholesterol. You should have your level tested every five years.
Reduce blood sugar. If you have diabetes, monitor your blood sugar level closely and talk about treatment options. And take your medication. If you take medicine to treat risks such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes, follow your doctor’s instruction carefully.

Women’s Heart Health: Tips to Keep Your Heart Happy

Last Friday you may have seen a few more women walking around in red. Was it Valentine’s Day come early? No. It was the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Day. A day that annually, raises awareness for women’s heart health.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women. Go Red for Women Day communicates to women, that BIG complicated lifestyle changes are not needed to improve heart health. It is the simple everyday things, the small changes in routine, which will improve heart health in the long run.

Benefits of lifestyle modifications programs, to improve heart health, have been proven again and again. Actually, it has even been proven that lifestyle modification programs improve heart health, in a way that hospital care alone cannot do.

Here are some ways you can change your heart health for the better, by simply making some small lifestyle changes. They all add up in the end, making for a healthier heart!

Remember exercise is not just for vanity: We all know them, the magazine and internet articles we read giving us exercise “tips” on how to lose weight. Mainly concentrating on external appearance, these articles miss the point. Yes, exercise can help with weight loss, yet it should not be the main aim of exercise. Exercise should be used to keep your heart healthy and fit. Think about it, your heart is made of muscle. To improve muscle function, it needs to be pushed and exercised regularly. Concentrate on exercises that are known to strengthen your heart (take care of your heart and your waistline will look after itself!)

Choose an activity YOU like: Some people LOVE the gym, others cannot hack it. That is ok, you do not need to go to a gym to exercise. The important thing to focus on an activity you like. An activity that you are likely to do, and may even look forward to doing! Dancing, doing house work energetically and playing with your kids all count! Just make sure you are getting a little out of breadth and raising your heart rate

Move it: Take the little opportunities during the day to move it! Take the stairs, walk to work-all these inject a little extra exercise into your routine

Walk: Walking has been proven to drastically decrease the risk of stroke in women. It is recommended that you get 3.5 hours a week, which is only 30 minutes a day. Try to find situations in which instead of driving, you could walk

Eat Healthy: Give your body good fuel that it can turn into energy. Make sure to eat lots of fruit and veg. Drink at least two liters of water per day. Don’t undo all your hard work by eating foods that are detrimental for heart health.

To learn more about women’s heart health, visit the Go Red For Women website

The Benefits of Exercise for Chronic Heart Disease

To prevent heart disease, exercise is one of the most crucial interventions. Cardiologists-such as Amir R. Haghighat – lead by example, carrying out an active lifestyle, to set a good example for their patients. Even cardiologists need to look after their heart health!

Exercise does play a pivotal role in preventing the development of heart disease. But did you know that exercise is just as beneficial once diagnosed with chronic heart disease? People with chronic heart disease should incorporate exercise into their lives as it:

Lowers cholesterol.
Lowers blood pressure
Builds a healthier heart
Improves muscle strength
Can decrease the need for medication
Decreases stress
Helps control weight

There are three main types of exercise that are beneficial to those with chronic heart disease:

Stretching: increases flexibility and prevents injuries
Strength training: tones muscles
Aerobic exercise: activity that raises heart rate

The most beneficial of these three exercise groups, for those with chronic heart disease is aerobic exercise. Walking (briskly), hiking, jogging, cycling, rowing, swimming and stair climbing are all activities included in this group.

Prior to commencing an exercise regime it is of pivotal importance-when suffering from chronic heart disease- to see your doctor/cardiologist beforehand. They may need to carry out some tests to determine what keep of exercise, and which intensity is best suited to your disease. The most common tests they may run are a physical/exercise stress test. They may also teach you how to monitor your heart rate when exercising, so you can know when it is at the right level. A general rule of thumb is: if you cannot exercise and talking it is probably too intense, however if you can sing while exercising, you may need to increase intensity.

When carrying out your exercise regime it is also important to put safety first. Monitor how your body feels and how it is responding to the exercise. A tip is to keep an activity journal so you can assess progress over time, as well as pinpoint what kind of activities/intensities are not suitable for you body. Some general rules for exercising with chronic heart disease are:

Start off slowly, improvement will come with time
Listen to your body, are there signs that you are doing too much?
If you cannot talk while exercising, are short of breath, feel nauseated/chest pain/ dizziness STOP exercising
If symptoms persist see your cardiologist/physician-you may need to alter your exercise routine
If you feel completely wiped out the day after exercise, adjust your exercise routine-you may be doing too much
Do not exercise in bad weather
Do not do any heavy lifting that is not recommended by your doctor
Do not hold breadth while doing exercises such as push-ups etc. Your heart needs oxygen to work!
Extremely hot/cold showers after working out should not be taken
And most importantly, do not exercise if your disease is not under control!

New innovative EKG technology that can measure heart electricity through a thumb sensor.

New EKG technology could help increase the numbers of patient whose cardiac function is monitored, which could improve the morbidity of patients with cardiovascular disease in hospital.

EKG is one of the most commonly performed tests in hospitals. Used to observe cardiovascular events, this simple and straight forward test can yield detailed information to help medical professionals understand how the heart of a patient is functioning.

The painless noninvasive test, measures the rate and regularity of the heart, as well as the size and position of the heart chambers. Sometimes EKG monitoring may be the only way to detect abnormal heart rhythms, such as atrial fibrillation, which, through clot formation could lead to ischemic stroke. Any damage that the heart has undergone can also detected by the EKG. Patients who have pacemakers often have EKGs done to measure pacemaker performance.

The EKG test is extremely straight forward. The patient is asked to lie down. Six electrodes are placed on their chest. These electrodes just feel like stickers. If there is hair on the chest it must be removed before attaching the electrodes. Then, 6 other electrodes are placed on the outer limbs. The patient is asked to sit still and old their breadth for short times when requested. The test takes about 15 minutes. The electrodes are connected to a machine that makes a time/voltage graph of the electrical activity in the heart. The physician can read the results immediately.

The process of taking an EKG is relatively fast. But with new health technologies available is it about to get a little faster.

11.8% of the American population has cardiovascular disease. In the hospital setting it is important to monitor the heart activity of patients with cardiovascular disease as to decrease morbidity secondary to abnormal heart activity, if possible. However sometimes patients that should be monitored for cardiac activity are not. This is due to time constraints, as well as how many patients a nurse can physically observe at one time.

New technology developed by a London based tech. company is set to increase the amount of patients that can be monitored with EKG. Demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show (C.E.S.) in Las Vegas, this hand held electronic monitor uses patients two thumbs instead of electrodes to measure the electrical activity of the heart. There is no need for the conductive electrodes or skin preparation. And the best news is it suggests that health care professionals can monitor the EKG of 5 times the amount of patient that they currently do in a hospital setting.

Health care professionals are embracing technology. Smartphones and tablets are often used in the clinical setting. When a doctor prescribes a medicine, he also may suggest a certain app. to help a patient manage their health. This new method of EKG measurement is just another example of how technology can improve healthcare.

Over the Holiday Period Watch Your Heart Health.

There are three days during the year in which the incidence of death secondary to heart attacks increase. One of these days is Christmas Day, another one is New Year’s Day. Why does this happen, and what can you do to keep your heart safe over the holiday period?

There are many theories and explanations given for the increase of heart attacks deaths during the holiday period. It appears to be a combination of lifestyle, weather and illness that increase the number of deaths. Reasons given are:

The food. Around Christmas we all tend to be a bit more gluttonous. And it is not just the quantity of food eaten that contributes, but also the type of food. Around Christmas people consume more alcohol and salty foods which increases blood pressure. Also the fatty rich food ingested along with all the sugar intake increases cholesterol.
The weather: In the northern hemisphere the cold icy December weather can contribute to the incidence of death secondary to heart attack. The cold causes the blood vessels to constrict which puts the heart under more work. This is even true for the warmer regions of the county. Cardiologist in Florida reported that the morning in Florida can be as low as 30 degrees during winter and that even this change in temperature can also cause vasoconstriction. Older people also have the strenuous activity of shoveling snow in the cold which can also contribute.
Illness: Over the winter period, with higher incidences of flu and pneumonia, people can be, in general, more unwell than other months. In older people especially, these illnesses can cause the heart to weaken.
Other factors: One other important factor, is according to vascular specialists Panama City FL, that people don’ want to break up the festivities and cause a fuss by going to the hospital.

Be aware of the signs and symptoms of a heart attack this holiday period. Listen to what your heart is telling you, not your head, because the heart knows when it is in trouble.

Common signs and symptoms of a heart attack (American Heart Association):

Chest discomfort. Discomfort in the center of the chest. It can last more than a few minutes, and can even go and return. The discomfort has often been described as a sensation of pressure, squeezing and pain. However you may not have all these sensations.
Discomfort/Pain in other parts of the body, such as one or both arms, the jaw, neck back and stomach.
Shortness of Breath: Unable to catch breadth properly. This could be the only symptom presenting.
Other symptoms: Light headedness, nausea, cold sweat, weakness, tiredness and loss of consciousness.

Heart attacks present slightly different in men and women. As death secondary to heart attacks is the number one killer of women, women should be aware that sometimes they may experience the other symptoms beside chest pain such as: shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back and neck pain.

Over the holiday period if you are concerned that a friend or family member is suffering a heart attack, bring them to the emergency room, and see a professional.

Cardiovascular Disease and Women’s Health

If you were asked what is the leading killer of women today, what would you answer?

Most people would probably reply with breast cancer, however this is incorrect. Cardiovascular disease is the largest killer of women today.

One out of every two women will be affected by cardiovascular disease in their lifetime. However cardiovascular disease is still very much seen as a “mans” disease. With diagnosis and treatments centered towards the male model, female cardiovascular disease is underdiagnosed and subsequently, undertreated.

The breast cancer campaign that has taken place over the last 40 years has helped to bring mortality of breast cancer down to 4%. Women diagnosed with breast cancer have a very high chance of surviving it. However women with cardiovascular problems do not have the same fate.

There is not awareness amongst women around cardiac disease, as there is for breast cancer. The solution, according to researchers, is to approach this woman’s health problem with a similar awareness campaign to breast cancer, and, to also develop diagnostic tests that cater towards the female model of cardiac disease. This is due to the fact that females rarely present for this disease in in the way that men present with this disease.

According to cardiologists, such as Hashem A. Mubarak M.D. cardiologist Florida, cardiac disease affects women of all ages. Death from cardiac disease can be immediate.

Due to the quick acting nature of cardiac disease, having an adequate and accurate diagnostic system is essential. Experts have found that women do not present with cardiovascular disease in the same way that men do. Atherosclerotic plaque is deposited differently to men. Women’s atherosclerotic plaque tends to be spread out more evenly in their blood vessels, whereas men’s tends to gather in clumps.

This difference in presentation means that women go under diagnosed for their cardiac conditions, as common diagnostic tests such as stress tests do not pick up on their disease.

Researchers in the United States have come up with a non-invasive procedure to help diagnose cardiovascular disease in women. A cardiac MRI has been developed and is currently been tested on diagnosing cardiovascular disease in women. So far the results have been positive. The MRI has many benefits:

There is no radiation. Medical testing should always try to use alternatives to radiation imaging when possible, as radiation has been linked to fetal abnormalities and some cancers, such as breast cancer.
This type of medical imaging (Magnetic resonance imaging) can identify, with great accuracy, microvascular coronary dysfunction/obstruction in women.

Hopefully this new diagnostic tool will help improve the figures of the female mortality of cardiovascular disease. More involvement is also needed from the media and public health campaigns, to emphasize to women how susceptible they are to this condition .

If you are worried about cardiovascular disease, you should make an appointment to see your general physician or cardiologist.