Partners for Your Health Blog

Meditate your Heart to Health

If you’ve never meditated before, you might think it’s just a waste of time to sit still for a few minutes. It might seem like you’re just doing nothing. But actually, taking the time to just sit and breathe is really good for you, mentally and physically, and some say, spiritually too.

An article on MedicineNet.com told us about how good endorphins are for our health, and listed meditation as one of the ways to get the endorphins flowing.

Then I found this article on MSNBC about a study that found meditation was good for the heart, and I quote “Regular practice may help prevent cardiovascular disease”. Let me give you some other quotes that might make you willing to sit still for a while:

• More than 600 studies have been published over the past three decades on the potential health effects of TM, or Transcendental Meditation, the most studied form of meditation.
• Some researchers believe the effects that meditation has on the nervous system can alter a range of body functions, such as respiration, blood vessel dilation and stress-hormone regulation. And that, studies suggest, could translate into lower risks of disease, including cardiovascular disease.
• Most recently, researchers reported in the May issue of the American Journal of Cardiology that such benefits may make for a longer life.

Their article included a study on high school kids, and how stress is giving them high blood pressure which learning meditation alleviated, so it’s not just for adults. Another article I found had these little tidbits to share:

• Studies on the effects of transcendental meditation showed that heart rate, blood pressure, and some endocrine secretions are altered to healthful levels in the meditative state.
• Cardiovascular physician Dean Ornish offered documented proof that heart disease can be halted and even reversed by changing to a lifestyle that combined diet, exercise, and the regular practice of meditation.

So there!

Holiday Depression and Heart Health

“Depression is more likely to break your heart than smoking or eating fatty food,” begins an article from the Harvard University Gazette. "Recurrence of cardiovascular events, including heart attacks, strokes, cardiac arrest, severe chest pain and other problems is more closely linked to depression than to high cholesterol, smoking, high blood pressure, or diabetes," according to a Harvard Medical School publication.

Depressed people who also are anxious add to their problems. According to one recent study, whereas depression doubles the risk of heart problems recurring, anxiety triples that risk.

The Harvard publication notes that your mind and mood can push you into a chronic state of emergency readiness. Such people are ready to fight or run even when there's nothing to fight about or run from.

In real emergencies, stress hormones rise, blood vessels constrict, your heart speeds up, appetite slackens, and it's harder to fall asleep. Inflammatory chemicals increase in the blood, which becomes stickier in anticipation of wounds that will need healing. When the scare ends, this red alert shuts down - unless you are seriously depressed or anxious.

Then, stress hormones stay jacked up. Inflammation may damage the lining of your arteries. Blood vessels become less flexible. The heart responds more sluggishly to internal signals telling it to slow down as the body's demands change.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham offers some tips to keep your spirits up this holiday season.

• Avoid thinking that everything has to be perfect.
• Omit some of the holiday decorating or food preparation if it's too burdensome.
• Lower your expectations for family gatherings.
• Establish what your priorities are — to observe a religious holiday, gather around friends and family, or to simply spend some quiet time alone — and base your plans around those goals.

The Different Symptoms for Heart Diseases

In an earlier post we looked at the symptoms for Coronary Artery Disease and a Heart Attack. This time, we’ll look at the symptoms for two kinds of arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) and Heart Valve Disease so you’ll know when to call for help.

Symptoms of Arrhythmias may include:

Palpitations--a feeling of skipped heart beats, fluttering or "flip-flops," or feeling that your heart is "running away".

• Pounding in your chest.
• Dizziness or feeling light-headed.
• Fainting.
• Shortness of breath.
• Chest discomfort.
• Weakness or fatigue.

Some patients with Atrial Fibrillation (an abnormal rhythm of the upper chambers) have no symptoms, or the episodes are brief.

Symptoms of Heart Valve Disease can include:

• Shortness of breath and/or difficulty catching your breath.
• Weakness or dizziness.
• Discomfort in your chest--a pressure or weight with activity or when going out in cold air.
• Palpitations.
  

If valve disease causes heart failure, symptoms may include:

• Swelling of your ankles or feet. Swelling may also occur in your abdomen, which may cause you to feel bloated.
• Quick weight gain (a weight gain of two or three pounds in one day is possible).

Symptoms of heart valve disease do not always relate to the seriousness of your condition. You may have no symptoms at all and have severe valve disease, requiring prompt treatment. Or, as with mitral valve prolapse, you may have clinical symptoms, yet tests may show minor valve disease.

Palpitations, shortness of breath, weight gain with edema, passing out, and chest discomfort should be investigated to determine if further therapy is warranted.

Things to do Before Visiting Your Cardiologist

Doing some homework and preparation before meeting with your cardiologist can help make sure you get the best care. Here’s what you can do:

• Bring a list of your current medications--with name, dose, and frequency and any medication allergies.
• Carry a list of your health care providers-- name, address, telephone number, and condition to help your cardiologist communicate with your other care providers.
• Create a health history—surgical procedures, prior or ongoing illnesses or health issues, major tests, especially within the last year. Knowing this can give your physician clues to make the right diagnosis or prescribe the best course of treatment.
• Compile a family health history--close blood relatives are most important, back to your grandparents. Especially those relatives that have been diagnosed with heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, (http://www.nohc.com/) diabetes, or aneurysm.
• Bring in copies of any recent lab results--if you have them, and any other test results from the past year, especially from a different health care provider.
• Research your condition--having a better understanding of your condition ahead of time will allow you to have a more meaningful discussion with your physician.
• Write down your questions-- then pick the top 3 or 4 concerns. It can be easy to get side tracked during a medical appointment. Write down ahead of time what pieces of information you want to leave with.
• Create an organized folder--easy access during your visit will make things run more smoothly.
• Don’t take anything for granted--although information systems are getting better, and communication between systems is improving, you are still the most reliable repository of your health care record. Keep your copy accurate and up to date.

October is Sudden Cardiac Awareness Month, Cardiac Arrest facts

According to the American Heart Association October is Sudden Cardiac Awareness Month.  So here is some of the basic information that they offer about CPR, which is short for “cardiopulmonary resuscitation”. 

• Sudden cardiac arrest is most often caused by ventricular fibrillation (VF)--an abnormal heart rhythm.
• Cardiac arrest can also occur after the onset of a heart attack or as a result of electrocution or near-drowning.
• Recognizing the signs: When sudden cardiac arrest occurs, the victim collapses, becomes unresponsive to gentle shaking, stops normal breathing and after two rescue breaths, still isn’t breathing normally, coughing or moving.
• Death from sudden cardiac arrest is not inevitable. If more people knew CPR, more lives could be saved.
• About 80 percent of all cardiac arrests (outside of a hospital) occur at home, so being trained to perform CPR can mean saving the life of a loved one.
•  Effective CPR, provided immediately after cardiac arrest, can double a victim’s chance of survival.
• CPR helps maintain vital blood flow to the heart and brain and increases the amount of time that an electric shock from a defibrillator can be effective.
• Brain death starts to occur four to six minutes after someone experiences cardiac arrest if no CPR and defibrillation occurs during that time.
• If bystander CPR is not provided, a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s chances of survival fall 7 percent to 10 percent for every minute of delay until defibrillation.
• There are 294,851 emergency medical services-treated out-of-hospital cardiac arrests annually in the United States.

Learning CPR can give your loved one time to receive needed immediate care in a hospital Emergency Department and be seen by a NOHC Cardiologist.  NOHC provides state-of-the-art cardiology services. However, we believe that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Come to our heart center so we can help you prevent the need for emergency services.