10 things you need to know about your heart problems
Filed under: Drugs, Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health, Aging Heart Health, Surgery
You've been diagnosed with a heart problem. You have a lot of questions but you can't seem to get your head around this, this thing that's just been dropped on you like bomb. You probably feel very alone but believe it or not, situations like this are pretty common so WebMD has come up with this handy list of things you should ask your doctor about your heart condition. You need to know the facts, what can be done and where you'll end up on this roller coaster of life--and you might not know which questions to ask. Either that or you're too overwhelmed to think it through. You can even print the list out and take it to your doctor.
If you've gone through this before, what information did you find the most useful?
Lifestyle strategies for your healthiest heart
Filed under: Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health, Aging Heart Health
We often post tips and facts about having a healthy heart, but over at That's Fit, I think this post sums up what you need to do to have a healthy heart. Here's what they recommend:- Get a good night's sleep
- Get active -- this especially includes resistance training
- Drink wine in moderation
- Eat fish, or some other source of Omega 3's
- Floss regularly
- Quit smoking
- Take a daily walk
- An aspirin a day can take the heart problems away -- but talk to your doctor first.
Wearble device text messages hospital during heart attack
Filed under: Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health, Aging Heart Health
Technology, especially medical technology, is constantly amazing me. Take, for instance, this device, which uses Bluetooth technology. It takes periodic ECG readings of the heart, and if it detects imminent heart failure, it will transmit that information to a user's cell phone. The cell phone then text messages the nearest medical center. The device is meant to be used by patients who have already suffered a cardiovascular event, and was created to help those patients get medical help more quickly in the event of a second attack.The Wearable Cardiac Telemedicine System will hopefully ease the minds of patients and help them to lead a more mobile life. It appears to still be in the development stages, but heart patients may soon have it available to them for use.
Smoking harms the aorta
Filed under: Prevention, Smoking, Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health, Aging Heart Health
One of the perks of writing for That's Fit and The Cardio Blog is that every single day I am reminded of the health consequences of my bad habits. Just hearing -- again, and again, and again -- exactly how carrying extra weight or eating those horribly addictive Oreos that used to sit in my snack cupboard, or skipping my daily walk to watch reruns of The Sopranos effects my health has truly helped me finally quit several bad habits and create healthier new ones. I'm telling you this because I am going to write yet another post about smoking and how bad it is for you. If you're a smoker, you know smoking is bad for you and hearing that it's bad for you may annoy you or make you skip this post altogether. But I'm telling you from experience that sheer repetition of this fact will eventually break through your denial and get you to finally quit that pack-a-day habit. So even if you think you've heard it all before, please keep reading.
So here it is: smoking hurts your aorta. It causes inflammation, which can lead to hardening of the arteries, which can lead to aneurysms, which can lead to heart attack and death. You need your aorta -- it's the main artery that carries blood to your body, and when you smoke you damage it. Unfortunately, there are also other diseases that can cause this kind of damage, but smoking is something you can control. Talk to your doctor today to get help "butting out" for good.
What's the deal with aspirin and strokes?
Filed under: Drugs, Daily news, Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health, Aging Heart Health
It's a pretty well-known belief that taking an aspirin a day will reduce your risk of stroke. Actually, it's pretty much regarded as a proven fact, although this thinking might have to be changed as it's also being said that Aspirin may in fact increase your chance of a stroke. According to experts, the risks associated with Aspirin outweigh the benefits, though the risks of taking Aspirin are not specified. Nonetheless, I think it's bad practice to take any sort of drug every day unless ordered by your doctor.This just goes to show that you can't believe everything you read or hear, even if it is regarded as fact.
Moles may be related to aging
Filed under: Research, Daily news
How many moles do you have? I counted 14 before I got bored and gave up, but I have quite a bit, although I always thought they were just dark freckles (As an aside, I noticed I have a collection of moles on my arm that form an M--my first initial--so hooray for this post. Though you're probably not interested so nevermind ... )Anyway, here's my point: A study shows that people with 100 or more moles age better and have a biological age that's 6 or 7 years younger than counterparts of the same calendar age. And if you're wondering what one's biological age is based on, it's the length of their telomeres, which are the ends to our DNA strands. As we age, telomeres inevitably get shorted, which it's thought is one of the main factors behind the whole aging process.
As such, people with a younger biological age are less prone to age-related diseases and conditions like heart disease. So count your moles and if you have over 100, count your lucky stars too!
Getting healthy in middle age is ok too
Filed under: Prevention, Aging Heart Health
What's your excuse for not making those much-needed healthy changes to your life? No time? No energy? Think you're too old and it won't make a difference? If you're nodding your head to that last one, stop slacking off. New research shows that people who start their healthy habits in middle age really benefit from making the changes, lowering their chance of heart disease by a whopping 40%.But if you're in your 20s, this doesn't mean you have the go-ahead to become a full-time couch potato. The mistakes you make today can pay off later in life, but at least those in their 40s and 50s know they still have a chance to improve their health.
How to prepare for a cardio stress test
Filed under: Aging Heart Health
Cardio stress tests are a fairly common way for doctors to test for possible heart problems, but if your doctor says you need one what should you do beforehand to prepare? Obviously your doctor will let you know the specifics for your particular situation, but here's what works for most people:- The night before get a good night's sleep.
- Eat lightly about 2-3 hours before the test (you don't want to feel hungry, but you don't want a full stomach either).
- Avoid caffeinated beverages like soda, coffee, or tea. Drink water or juice instead, and make sure you're well hydrated.
- Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes and good shoes for walking or running.
- Use the restroom immediately before starting the test.
The truth about women and heart disease
Filed under: Women Heart Health
Although breast cancer seems to be getting a lot more press lately, the biggest threat to women's health today is actually heart disease. And although men are more often thought of when picturing a heart attack victim, the truth is women are actually more likely to both have heart disease and they're more likely to die from a heart attack in the weeks immediately following than men are. The Mayo Clinic has a handy quiz for women regarding the truth on a variety of health topics, heart disease and breast cancer included, and it's interesting to read the explanations after you take it because some of the answers are surprising!
Heart health and family history
Filed under: Family history, Prevention
When we first applied for life insurance, my marathon running husband was shocked to find out that his premium would be twice as high as mine. The reason, according to our agent, was his strong family history of early heart disease. Though we knew that genetics play a role, we thought that a healthy lifestyle would balance things out. Not so, at least in the eyes of life insurance companies.A healthy lifestyle does have a significant impact on your heart health, but if you've been wondering just how much of a role family history plays in your personal risk of cardiovascular disease, check out this article from WebMD. It covers the basics of family history and may help initiate a conversation about prevention with your doctor.
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