How To Celebrate The Family Health And Fitness Day In 2021?

 

Most families are struggling mentally, emotionally, and physically while adjusting to the new change due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This unprecedented shit has made it even more crucial for families to develop healthy eating habits, establish a fitness routine, and make healthy lifestyle changes.

As the second Saturday in June is celebrated as Family Health And Fitness Awareness Day each year, we have mentioned a few ways that promote health and physical activity between family members living in the same household. Here, they are:

Walk to a nearby park

An activity, like a walk in the park, is an incredible way to engage each member of the family in a fitness drive. After days of self-quarantine, children will like stepping out of their homes, witnessing the local wildlife, and feeling a bit closer to mother nature. Ensure everyone wears their masks while walking in the park and maintains a safe distance from passersby.

Play a sport together

Create a list of all sports your family plays together and choose the one with maximum votes to go out and play. You can also invite other families or friends for a friendly match in your backyard. You can pick any sport - from soccer to baseball to basketball - for the fun family activity as long as all members participate and move. If playing sports is not possible, go for a ride on your bikes to the nearest bike path for a low-impact yet effective exercise.

Enroll in a virtual fitness class

With restrictions imposed across the nation, most people have inclined themselves towards the digital world. Take advantage of this virtual world and enroll in online fitness classes. While some are available at no cost, others are paid as they have dedicated instructors to teach you at-home exercises in real-time. You can choose from aerobics to yoga - whatever your family enjoys the most.

If your family is partaking in a fitness drive for the first time together, we suggest making it a part of your daily routine. Participating in fun family activities not only brings all family members together but also maintains overall health and well-being. It’s also an excellent decision to invest in Holter EKG that helps you keep track of your cardiovascular health, especially if any family member is suffering from cardiovascular disease.

Shedding Light on Stress and Heart Health

 

April - National Stress Awareness Month - focuses on both the causes and cures of the modern stress epidemic. It has been running since 1992 to increase public awareness for the same; however, we still have a long way to go. Stress can be enervating, causing, or putting out health problems, but it's also a common part of our lives. Quite often, stress is linked with heart health. "Chronic stress is connected with aggravated cardiovascular events," Schiffrin stated, pointing to a 2017 study in The Lancet. While your heart is a vital organ, it's essential to understand the ugly effects of stress on it. Below we throw some light on how stress harms your heart.

Harms of Stress on our Heart

When you're stressed, a hormone named cortisol produces in response to stress. High cortisol levels may increase blood pressure and blood cholesterol triglycerides - traditional heart disease risk factors. Taking the cases of minor stresses may trigger heart problems, and Chronic stress may affect the way your blood clots. Chronic stress may also pose physiological changes directly that direct to atherosclerosis - the gradual buildup of plaque deposits in the arteries. Your heart's functioning and condition can be detected with the help of a Holter monitor system. It is a portable electrocardiogram [ECG], records the heart's electrical activity - excellent to use while you're away from your doctor.

Stressing about Stress? Don't!

National Stress Awareness Month recognizes the importance of coping up with stress. Fortunately, you can deal with and decrease the effects of stress on your mind and body. The first step that goes along is identifying triggering situations that lead to stress and learn to control your body and mind's reaction to these situations. Adopting essential lifestyle habits is one such way that might help you feel less vulnerable to stress and its effects on your heart.

Tips for Stress Relief

• Exercise: Regular workouts may counteract the effects of stress. You should perform moderately intense physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day. It has been seen that people who exercise tend to respond better to potentially stressful situations. Their heart rates and blood pressure are maintained and do not go as high as people under stress who do not exercise.
• Get Support: A solid social support network has positive effects on how you feel - physically and emotionally. Moreover, having someone to talk to and trust helps you feel better and take care of yourself.
• Seek Professional Treatment: Anxiety and depression may increase the risk of heart problems. Hence, it is best to consult a professional or physician about proper stress-reduction techniques and stress management strategies.

 

Stress relief is heart relief. Closely monitor your heart's health with a high-quality Holter monitor system from a reputed provider. Nasiff's Holter Monitoring ECG System provides reliable and accurate data. It has a feature-rich monitoring system that is compact and comprehensive.

 

 

 

Ways To Keep Your Heart Healthy In The Upcoming Year

 

We’re about to bid adieu to this stressful year, which has been impacted severely by the COVID-19 pandemic. Time for making new resolutions has almost come. Why not make a resolve to stay healthy in the upcoming year? Instead of entirely focusing on material goals, why not focus on keeping ourselves and our heart healthy? Every year, doctors have to make use of Holter monitor system more and more to check patients’ heart rate and rhythm. This is down to increasing cardiovascular problems, most of which can be avoided by living a healthier lifestyle. In this blog, we’ll share with you some ways you can keep your heart healthy in the upcoming year.

§  Most people resolve to lose excessive weight, which is a great goal. Being overweight increases your risk of hypertension, blood clots, high cholesterol, diabetes, and of course, heart disease. So, by all means strive to lose weight in the upcoming year

§  Commit to having an annual physical done. An annual checkup of the body lets you know about any underlying major health problem. Many people have not been to a doctor for years, which is not good. Annual physicals help you keep your heart in a good condition

§  You will be surprised to know this but anxious and stressed-out individuals tend to have more strokes and heart attacks. So, strive to bring down stress in your life next year. Make time for things that you love to do such as playing a sport, reading books, listening to music, talking with friends, etc.

§  Not getting enough sleep often leads to problems such as overeating, hypertension, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. Add sleeping 6 to 8 hours every night to your resolution list for next year

Do these next year and you will stay away from heart problems. People who do the opposite of the things mentioned above face heart complications and diseases. So, strive not to be among those people next year. You can also consider buying a Holter monitor system online to check your heart rate and rhythm.

National Diabetes Awareness Month: Self-Care Practices for Diabetic Patients

 

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month- a month to raise awareness about diabetes. Though 10.5% of the U.S. population is diabetic, many individuals are unaware of its potential risks and have lots of misinformation about this chronic condition.

This year, individuals and healthcare professionals are teaming up to get the focus of youth who have diabetes to self-care practices. Here are some tips for youth with diabetes to avoid serious health complications and hospital visits.

Manage Blood Glucose Levels

Children and teens should take the right dose of prescribed medicines at the right time - even when they are feeling good and have achieved their blood glucose and cholesterol goals.

Adopt Healthy Habits

A healthy eating plan, getting enough sleep, and regular physical activities are imperative for individuals who have diabetes, and especially if they are taking insulin. Youth who have type-1 diabetes should always take note of their blood glucose before and after physical activities.

Be Prepared for Emergencies

A basic go-kit with medical supplies and equipment, a medication list (along with doses and dosing schedules), and a health care professional and emergency contact list, helps youth to stay prepared for emergencies.

Monitor Diabetes Complications

Early diagnosis can help reduce the risk of potential health problems, such as heart disease, nerve damage, and vision loss.

Seek Mental Health Support

Encourage youth to connect with other individuals who have diabetes to talk about their concerns and feelings about their chronic condition.

Attend Annual Eye Exams

An annual visit to an ophthalmologist can help catch early signs of retinopathy. It is a condition that causes damage to the blood vessels in the eye and eventually partial blindness or blurred vision.

Celebrate National Diabetes Awareness Month by informing individuals who have diabetes about self-care practices. Also, guide them on how to eat healthily, become more active, and monitor their heart health with an Ambulatory ECG.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month: How to Recognize SCA and Respond?

October is observed as Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month across the nation. According to the Heart Rhythm Society, Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is the cause of more than 350,000 deaths every year. To bring the number down, it is important to understand what SCA is and how to respond to an SCA event.

Sudden cardiac arrest is a treatable condition that doesn’t necessarily lead to sudden death; however, most people often misunderstood it as a massive heart attack. When an individual suffers SCA, they might be fine one minute but collapse the next without any warning signs. Without immediate and proper intervention, the victim may die.

What is Sudden Cardiac Arrest?

Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a medical emergency that occurs when there is a sudden electrical malfunction. SCA causes an abrupt and unexpected loss of heart function. When the heart stops to beat entirely, the individual also experiences a sudden loss of consciousness, breathing, blood circulation to the brain, while other vital organs cease instantly. This medical situation is completely different from a heart attack, where the heart continues to beat, and only the blood supply is compromised. It is crucial to respond immediately; otherwise, the victim may suffer structural brain damage, or even death, within minutes.

What to do if you witness someone in an SCA emergency?

Given the severity of SCA, response time is crucial. You can make the difference between life and death by understanding what to do in such an emergency.

● Recognize Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) - A person suddenly loses consciousness in SCA. Also, normal breathing stops, and you see no signs of life. Instead of waiting for professional rescuers to arrive at the scene, immediately intervene as there might not be enough time. With each passing minute, the chances of survival decrease by 10%.

● Call 911 - It goes without saying - calling 911 should be your first response or better yet, ask someone else to get professional help on the way while you begin treatment.

●   Find and use the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) - If AED is immediately available, apply the electrode pads to the victim’s chest and follow the instructions as shown on diagrams on the AED. The electrical therapy will automatically shock the heart to restore the normal heart rhythm.

●Start chest compressions or CPR - If AED is not immediately available, begin chest compressions and Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

When a bystander initiates these lifesaving tasks, the victim’s survival rate increases from 10 to 50 percent.

Invest in portable EKG machines to take care of your heart during this Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month.

 

National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

Did you know September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month? According to CDC, 19% children in the USA suffer from obesity which is worrisome. Childhood obesity has negative repercussions on the overall well-being and development of children. The condition is particularly troubling as those extra pounds often lead to the onset of serious health issues like Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and depression. Make lifestyle changes in your family to encourage your child to do the same. Eating right and exercising regularly go a long way in reducing childhood obesity. Ensure that your child gets stress EKG or the exercise stress test done, from time-to-time, to keep track of his or her heart health.

When to worry?

Not every child who is plumper than most kids of his or her age is obese. Some children may have body frames that are larger than average. It is also important to know that at different stages of development, children carry different percentages of body fat. So, just by looking at your child, you can’t reallydecipher if you need to be concerned in the first place.

Calculate his or her BMI or body mass index to get a clearer picture. BMI is the measurement of weight in comparison to height and is used to determine if a person is overweight.Your child’s doctor will probably use growth charts and other tests like the stress EKG to figure out if his/her weight falls under an unhealthy range.

Major causes for childhood obesity

With a sedentary lifestyle most families are used to, children get little physical activities. Their calorie intake often succeeds the desired level. They prefer a McDonalds burger over a bowl of veggies, video games over an hour of playing in the backyard. All this sums up in an obese child.Sometimes, hormonal or genetic factors may also be responsible for excessive weight gain among children.

Final words

Since risk factors are immense, it is of utmost importance that parents pay diligent attention to the weight of their children. Treating childhood obesity will ensure your child remains healthy now as well as the future.

Choosing your child’s doctor is also a crucial task. Always prefer a clinic that has efficient stress EKG machine,like the Nasiff CardioStress, among other things.

 

 

Cardiac Arrhythmias And Ambulatory ECG Monitoring

Cardiac arrhythmias, commonly known as heart arrhythmias or irregular heartbeat, are a group of heart conditions that deal with an irregular heartbeat. People with arrhythmias may experience faster heartbeat (tachycardia), slow heartbeat (bradycardia), or irregular heartbeat (referred to as flutter or fibrillation) or early heartbeat (premature contraction). The condition occurs when the electrical signals responsible for heart contraction or heartbeat stops working properly.

Is Cardiac Arrhythmias Dangerous?

Most cardiac arrhythmias are harmless. However, if they are a result of a weak or damaged heart, they can be serious and may even prove to be fatal. Often, arrhythmias do not have symptoms, which is why monitoring you and your patients' heartbeat using ambulatory ECG regularly is crucial. 

Why use ambulatory ECG?

Ambulatory ECG monitoring is the most preferred technology employed by the majority of medical professionals for the evaluation of patients with symptoms indicative of heart arrhythmia or conduction abnormality. Contrary to the standard electrocardiogram (ECG), which only gives a brief sample of cardiac electrical phenomena over 10-15 seconds, ambulatory ECG displays ECG data over a long period, hence enabling professionals for the assessment of dynamic and transient cardiac electrical activity.

Bottom Line

Despite the harmless nature of cardiac arrhythmias, it’s important not to overlook the condition, especially if your patients have diabetes, hypertension or have a history of stress, drug abuse or smoking. 

If you are looking for a PC based ambulatory ECG system, CardioHolter™ is a compact, comprehensive and feature-rich monitoring system you should consider. It’s fully interpretive with pacemaker detection and has a 3 channel display screen with an event button for reliable and accurate reporting. 

Cut Costs And Increase Accessibility With PC-based Holter Monitoring Systems

May is the ‘National High Blood Pressure and Stroke Awareness’ month and it’s the perfect time to look into the current situation and work towards a healthier future. Cardiovascular diseases have been one of the leading causes of mortality all over the world- for both men and women. in the United States, in particular, the situation is very critical. In the year 2016, around 840,768 people lost their lives to heart problems and the number is expected to rise by nearly 20% in 2019. According to the American College of Cardiology (ACC), about 1,055,000 coronary events are expected to occur in 2019, taking into consideration 720,000 new and 335,000 recurrent events. Clearly, the condition is worrisome and makes it extremely necessary for heart specialists to upgrade their facilities and use high-performance tools to diagnose/treat cardiovascular conditions. PC-based Holter monitoring ECG systems are one of those important tools.

Cardiologists and electrophysiologists need to observe patients’ heart functioning over an extended period of time in order to diagnose conditions related to irregular cardiac rhythms- atrial fibrillation, tachycardia, atrial flutter, etc. Holter monitoring EKG systems help them in executing this task easily and efficiently. The systems measure the tiny electrical signals emitted by the heart through electrodes and put them into the computer for display and analysis. You can improve accuracy and enable immediate access to patient diagnostic information by using compact, comprehensive and feature-loaded Holter monitoring systems.

Although several systems have been developed for monitoring CVDs, most are only available in medical institutions due to their high costs. PC-based ECG monitoring systems have revolutionized the healthcare sector as they allow professionals to greatly reduce their device cost and increase accessibility.