“Go Red for Women”: Raising Public Awareness About Women and Heart Disease

 Cardiovascular diseases are among the leading causes of mortality in men and women in the United States, yet prior research has shown a lack of awareness of risk among women. According to the CDC, despite an increase in awareness over the past decades, only about half (56%) of women recognize that heart disease is one of the primary causes of death, which only alludes to the gaps that persist in disseminating knowledge around heart diseases in women.

It was in 2004 that the American Heart Association (AHA) launched an international campaign — Go Red for Women to educate women about the signs and symptoms of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. In the light of American Heart Health Awareness Month, here’s what you should know about women’s heart health. 

Heart Diseases Can Present Differently in Women

While chest pain is considered to be the primary symptom associated with heart attack, it might not be the case for women. Women often describe heart attack pain as pressure or tightness. In women, a heart attack can present itself as shortness of breath, pain in the arms, nausea, or fatigue. Since symptoms of a heart attack in women are less noticeable and vague than in men, there is a wedge in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases in men and women. 

Potential Risk Factors for Women

There are several traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease — such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and obesity, that affect both women and men. However, factors that affect women’s heart health include mental stress and depression, smoking, inactivity, menopause, broken heart syndrome, and pregnancy complications.

Mitigating Risks Associated with Heart Diseases in Women

 Some risk factors of heart disease are out of any individual’s control, such as your age, gender, race or ethnicity, and family history. But by making a few lifestyle changes and adopting healthy habits, you can alleviate the risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases. 

Leading cardiologists recommend keeping your weight in check, controlling blood pressure, keeping cholesterol low, regular exercise, quit smoking. Additionally, incorporating regular checkups in your routine can help ensure you don’t have any major health issues and identify any potential problems in their earliest stages. 

When it comes to monitoring heart health, healthcare professionals use a portable ECG monitor that performs and manages tests while saving money and working with your existing equipment.

If you run a healthcare facility and are looking to upgrade to a Portable ECG system, reach out to Nasiff.

To Keep Your Heart in Top Condition, You Need to Follow a Heart-Healthy Diet

 We all know that we must take care of our heart health if we want to avoid cardiovascular diseases. But there are also other reasons for keeping our heart in a good condition. For example, you must maintain a healthy heart to reduce the feelings of depression, to reduce the risk of dementia, and to keep blood pressure and cholesterol in check. When heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the US, it is essential we make heart health a chief priority in the coming year. You can take care of your heart by staying active, avoiding smoking, visiting your doctor at fixed intervals, and following a heart-healthy diet. In this blog, we will tell you what are the things you need to do in order to a follow heart-healthy diet. Let’s get started.

Keep The Portion Size in Mind

When it comes to following a diet that is healthy for your heart, you need to understand that eating healthy food is not enough. You also need to control how much you eat. You shouldn’t feel stuffed after your meals. To control your portions, you can use a small plate or bowl. In addition to that, keep track of the number of servings you eat.

Incorporate Fruits and Vegetables into Your Diet

Since fruits and vegetables do not contain a lot of calories and are full of dietary fibers, vitamins and minerals, they are considered excellent for preventing cardiovascular issues. And it is easy to add fruits and vegetables into your diet. You can wash the vegetables, cut them, and keep them in the refrigerator for quick snacks. You can wash the fruits and keep them in a bowl in your kitchen so that you do not forget to eat them.

Go for Whole Grains

Whole grains are also rich in fiber and nutrients that help control your blood pressure and heart health. It would be great if you start consuming whole grains instead of refined grain products. You can also consider trying whole grain farro, quinoa, or barley. Try to avoid refined flour, white bread, biscuits, quick breads, cornbread, cakes, etc. Eat more of whole wheat flour, whole grain bread, high fiber cereal, oatmeal, whole grain pasta, etc.

Apart from doing the above-mentioned things, you should stop eating unhealthy fats such as unsaturated fats and trans fats as they increase your risk of coronary artery disease and high blood cholesterol. Also, stop using too much sodium in your food and go for low-fat protein sources such as eggs, fish, skinless poultry, lean ground meats, etc. Before the commencement of year 2022, promise to yourself you will follow a heart healthy diet and visit a medical professional to monitor your heart health. With the help of portable EKG machines, a medical professional will be able to check the electrical signals in your heart and detect if there’s any heart problem or not.

Popular Diagnosis Methods to Detect the Causes of Sudden Cardiac Arrest

 Sudden cardiac arrest is among the leading causes of death worldwide. As per an NCBI report, more than 400,000 Americans succumb to sudden cardiac death every year. You see, the count is staggering! The only way to prevent such unfortunate death is timely diagnosis and treatment. Tests like EKG and Holter monitoring can help detect the condition and pave the way for treatment.

What is sudden cardiac arrest?

According to the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, “SCA is the sudden cessation of cardiac activity so that the victim becomes unresponsive, with no normal breathing and no signs of circulation. If corrective measures are not taken rapidly, this condition progresses to sudden death.”

Diagnosis methods

People who survive SCA are diagnosed to prevent future episodes using various diagnosis methods, including:

Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) 

It is the most popular sudden cardiac arrest diagnosis method in which electrodes are attached to the person’s chest (sometimes limbs as well) to detect their heart’s electrical activity. The test can detect unusual electrical patterns and reveal disturbances in the patient’s heart rhythm.

Holter monitoring

Sometimes, doctors suggest Holter monitoring after EKG if they need to track the patient’s heart health over a couple of days. A Holter monitor is a compact, portable device used to continuously record a person’s heart rhythm and help doctors determine whether their heart condition is stable.

Imaging tests 

Imaging tests such as chest x-ray, echocardiogram, coronary catheterization, and nuclear scan can help identify blood flow problems, heart failure, inadequate pumping capacity, and other problems that may lead to SCA.

Blood tests

Your heart health depends on the levels of magnesium, potassium, hormones, and several other chemicals present in your blood. Blood tests can help detect a recent heart injury.

The bottom line

SCA is a life-threatening condition that affects people around the world. Timely diagnosis and treatment are the only ways to reduce the death rate and promote recovery. You’re born in a technological era where leading a healthy life is possible. Thanks to tests like EKG and Holter monitoring that help doctors better respond to the situation.

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The Correlation between Childhood Obesity, Cardiac Health, and Body Mass Index

 Childhood obesity may have several adverse effects on an individual’s well-being later in the years. As it is national childhood obesity awareness month, it is essential to discuss the impact of childhood obesity on a person’s cardiac output and heart health.

The correlation between BMI and cardiac output

Healthcare practitioners depend on cardiology diagnostic tests, such as Cardiac Telemetry, echocardiogram,  Pulmonary artery catheterization, and others, to evaluate their patients’ heart health. According to an NCBI study, hemodynamic monitoring in obese patients shows the impact of body mass index (BMI) on cardiac output and stroke volume. The study was focused on evaluating the reliability of cardiac hemodynamics in normal and obese patients.

The researchers found that BMI was positively correlated with cardiac output and stroke volume. “Each 1 kg/m increase in BMI was associated with a 0.08 L/min (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.06-0.10; p < .001) increase in CO and 1.35 mL (95% CI, 0.96-1.74; p < .001) increase in SV.”

The study further emphasizes the importance of maintaining a healthy body mass index among patients. While medical practitioners usually rely on cardiology diagnostic tests, such as cardiac telemetry, to get accurate cardiac output results, it is equally important to promote an active lifestyle among patients. Childhood obesity may invite serious heart problems that can be prevented by:

Healthy eating habits

The first rule of eating right is not skipping meals. Children should be taught to eat on time instead of overeating later. In addition, they should be given balanced meals and kept away from unhealthy junk food.

Changing cooking habits

Children love to eat different foods instead of repeating a few meals. Alternative cooking techniques like baking, broiling, roasting, stewing, and steaming will help keep them interested and healthy.

Physical activity

The biggest reason behind childhood obesity is the lack of physical activity. So, it is always better to send children to a park than to keep them indulged in video games.

The bottom line

Healthcare professionals can use cardiology diagnostic tests, such as ECGs, Stress Tests, Holter Monitoring, Cardiac Telemetry monitoring, and others, to determine cardiac health among children with obesity by checking, measuring, and monitoring their blood pressure, stress levels, and vital signs, such as pulse rate and respiration rate.

It is also important to educate children on ways to reduce the risk of developing obesity and heart disease. Preventing childhood obesity can be a significant step towards ensuring better heart health among them in adulthood.

 

 

People with Heart Disease Should not Miss the Annual flu Vaccine

 

Even though vaccinations are known for preventing serious and deadly diseases, there are still groups of people who do not fully know the importance of vaccinations and therefore, avoid or forget getting vaccinated at the right time. Since August is National Immunization Awareness Month, it is essential that all of us educate ourselves about vaccinations as much as we can so that outbreaks do not occur and people of all ages remain safe.

In this blog, our focus will be on flu shots and why flu shots are necessary for people with heart disease. Risk of serious flu complications goes up for people with cardiovascular problems if they do not get a flu shot. How? Let’s find out.

 

Dangers for people with heart problems

As we all know, the flu, also known as influenza, is a viral infection of the nose, throat, and lungs that spreads easily from one person to another. The reason why a lot of stress is placed on getting people with heart disease vaccinated for the flu is, its complications especially prove dangerous for them. What are those complications? If you have heart disease and you do not get vaccinated, you may become susceptible to serious medical problems such as pneumonia, lung failure, bronchitis, heart attack, and even death. That is why healthcare professionals recommend everyone, especially older adults and other risk groups, to get an annual flu vaccine.

When to get vaccinated

As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anyone above the age of 6 months can get vaccinated for the flu every year. People who are 65 and older, they can go for a high dose flu vaccine. According to healthcare professionals, September and October are the best months for getting vaccinated. However, if you do not get vaccinated in those months for some reason, you can still get the shot until January or sometimes later.

 

Heart patients should take special care of their health as they are more prone to other health complications. It is advised you regularly meet a healthcare professional so that he/she can examine your heart health. Many heart problems are noticeable when you engage in certain activities such as sleeping, exercising, eating, etc. To monitor the electrical activity of your heart during these activities, the medical professional may use Ambulatory ECG.

Control Your Emotions to Keep Your Cardiovascular Health in Top Condition

 

Every year, mental health awareness month is recognized in order to motivate people to talk about their mental health and seek help if they need it. It has been found that as many as 20 percent of the people in the US are dealing with some sort of mental illness. The goal of mental health awareness month is to let people know that there are resources and treatments available. If you continue to ignore your deteriorating mental health, your emotional, behavioral, and physical health can suffer.

It has been found that how you feel and think has a strong bearing on the health of your heart. For instance, patients who discover that they have a heart disease and become depressed as a result of the news, increase their chances of experiencing a serious heart-related event within that year. Emotions such as anger, sadness, fear, etc., all can lead to irregular heart rhythms which is not good for your heart. That is why we have listed some ways of controlling negative emotions. Let’s take a look at them.

 

l  Engage In Exercise - We will advise you to engage in physical activities or exercises at least three times a week for about an hour. Aerobic exercises are famous for their heart and brain benefits. So, make sure do light jogging, walking, and cycling to keep your mind free of stressful thoughts.

l  Meditate - Countless number of people all around the world have benefited from practicing mindfulness. As we mentioned above, the goal is to free your body of stress. Doing meditation and some yoga can prove very effective for calming your mind.

l  Socialize - The more you remain secluded, the more depressed you will become. Staying in isolation can make your already depressed state of mind even more depressed. What should you do? Get out of your house, talk to your neighbors, stay active, and make new connections. Listening to others and sharing your experiences with them will make you feel lighter and happier.

 

Apart from these, try maintaining a journal, find reasons to laugh, and seek help from a professional therapist. If you do all of these, you will surely notice a difference in your mental state. Once you’ve made the aforesaid practices a daily part of your life, visit a doctor for ambulatory ECG monitoring. With the help of this monitoring, a doctor will be able to see how your heart is performing throughout the day while you engage in your daily activities.

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.