If you frequently experience irregular heartbeats, especially if you also feel light-headed, dizzy or weak at the same time, make an appointment to have your doctor check if you’re suffering from heart disease or possibly even heart failure.

Your doctor will first do an electrocardiogram (ECG) which monitors the electrical activity in your heart. If the ECG doesn’t explain your irregular heartbeat, your doctor may ask you to wear a Holter Monitor, a small portable device used to make a tape recording of your heartbeats over a longer period of time, typically 24 to 48 hours. You’ll also be asked to keep a diary of your symptoms throughout that time.

Your doctor will be very interested in determining whether or not there are any heart abnormalities present. The best test to determine whether or not the heart is normal is an echocardiogram or “sono.” If your heart function is normal, you may not need to do anything more. But if preliminary tests show weakened or abnormal heart function, more tests may be required:

* Tilt table test — Your ECG and blood pressure will be monitored while you’re in different positions.

* Implantable heart rhythm monitor — This is a very small device that will record your heart rhythms over a longer period of time measured in weeks to months.

If concerns remain, your doctor may want you to proceed with a more sophisticated test known as an electrophysiology (EP) study. In this study, catheters are inserted into blood vessels and threaded into the heart to record electrical activity under very controlled circumstances.

If your doctor diagnoses a heart rhythm problem, you may not necessarily need therapy. Lifestyle adjustment can be quite helpful, such as cutting back on the use of caffeine, avoiding decongestants, reducing alcohol intake, managing stress better and getting more rest. All these steps may serve to quiet irregular heartbeats. But if you do need therapy, it may include medicines such as blood thinners that help prevent clots and reduce the risk of stroke, an implantable device such as a pacemaker used to treat slow heartbeats, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator used to treat very fast heartbeats, or surgery.

Don’t try to self-diagnose, self-treat or otherwise minimize heart rhythm problems. Always consult your health care provider before taking any over-the-counter remedy, including nutrient supplements. Do reduce or eliminate caffeine consumption, drink less alcohol, quit smoking, get more sleep, begin an exercise regimen with your doctor’s guidance, and take all medicines as prescribed.

If your heart rhythm problems are accompanied by evidence of heart failure, additional treatment may be necessary.

To learn more about heart failure and rhythm problems, log on to the Heart Failure Society of America’s Web site: www.abouthf.org.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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You exercise, eat well and keep a close eye on your cholesterol. You may think you’re doing everything you should do to avoid the effects of this leading cause of death in the United States, but are you overlooking preparations for the full scope of the impact of heart disease?

Heart disease is not only the leading cause of death, claiming 700,000 American lives in 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s also a leading cause of disability. The vast majority of Americans with heart disease – a whopping 24 million people – need ongoing treatments, surgeries and medications that cost our economy $1.3 trillion per year, according to a recent report by the Milken Institute.

The indirect costs associated with heart disease are even more staggering for patients and their families. Surgeries and recovery times can cause patients to be out of work for extended periods of time, drastically lowering or even eliminating their paycheck at a time when their health care bills are skyrocketing. Medication costs also imperil patient’s financial health.

“Considering that two of every three families are living paycheck-to-paycheck it is important that families are prepared for the financial impact of heart disease or any other chronic condition,” says Robert Taylor, the president of the Council for Disability Awareness, a nonprofit group focused on helping the American workforce become aware of the growing likelihood of disability and its financial consequences.

Because of the financial impact of conditions such as heart disease, the Council for Disability Awareness (CDA), urges people to get an understanding of not only the likelihood of disability, but the financial hardship that soaring medical costs combined with being out of work could cause especially in today’s weak economy. By doing so, families will be better able to cope with these unexpected expenses.

“A little bit of planning can go a long way,” Taylor adds. The CDA encourages that people assess their current financial situation and determine where their income will come from should they become disabled. “Even if you don’t have the resources to start building a savings, it is just as important to have a plan in place – while your income may be on hold, your rent, utilities and other bills will continue to mount during a disability, ” Taylor explains.

Planning tips and other resources are available on the Council’s Web site, www.disabilitycanhappen.org. The Web site includes tools to help families financially prepare for disabilities such as heart disease and offers wellness tips on how to help prevent disability before it happens.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Healthy Hearts Need More Than a Great Romance

(ARA) – February traditionally means Valentine’s Day, and a time to celebrate that special someone. But love isn’t the only thing that can make a heart happy. Consider the physical state of your heart this February, which is also American Heart Month.

With heart disease being the leading cause of death among Americans (men and women), we could all use a little more TLC for our hearts. Heart-related illnesses are widespread, but the good news is, unlike certain diseases, your lifestyle choices can have a positive effect on your overall heart health.

“Ensuring heart health is about lifestyle change,” says Ellie Krieger, registered dietitian and Food Network Host. “By altering certain factors in your life, you can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease. For starters, consider your diet. Evaluate what you are eating and make some simple changes to protect yourself for years to come.”

True, there are factors that you don’t have control over when it comes to heart-health, including age, gender and family history. However, by monitoring controllable risk factors such as diet and exercise, you can take the necessary steps to limit your threat and improve your overall well-being.

Food for Thought
Some foods are more heart-healthy than others because they have crucial nutrients that improve blood pressure, cholesterol and overall heart function. With just a little bit of knowledge, you can easily incorporate these into your diet for optimal heart wellness.

* Foods with Omega-3 fatty acids are excellent for heart health. Omega-3s help lower blood fats called triglycerides, which are harmful to your heart. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in a variety of foods including salmon, tuna, walnuts, soybeans, brussel sprouts, and flax seeds. There are numerous ways to easily add these to your diet. For example, keep Del Monte StarKist Tuna Pouches in your desk drawer and add it to salads for a healthy lunch. Try sprinkling walnuts and/or flax seeds into low-fat yogurt; snack on edamame for a healthy movie snack instead of buttered popcorn.

* Increase vegetable, fruit and lean protein intake. Fruits and veggies are not only low in fat and calories, but they are also a great source of vitamins, minerals and fiber. A diet high in soluble fiber can decrease cholesterol and blood pressure. An easy way to eat more fruits and veggies is by participating in the Just One More for Healthy Living pledge.

The program encourages families to take simple steps each day to yield significant results towards a healthy lifestyle. Simply pledge online at www.EatJustOneMore.com to add just one more serving of fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes daily, one more serving weekly of lean protein, such as tuna, and 30 more minutes of daily activity.

* Choose whole grains over breads, rice, and pasta made with refined white flour. Whole grains are an excellent source of fiber and nutrients which help control blood pressure.

* Keep your pantry stocked with different varieties of canned tomatoes. Tomatoes contain lycopene – a leading ingredient in fighting cardiovascular disease. Studies show that canned tomato products may be even better than their fresh counterparts. Antioxidant properties of lycopene are quite resistant to heat and cooking and bioavailability of lycopene in processed tomato products is higher than in unprocessed fresh tomatoes.

Pump it Up
Exercise is a crucial element to your heart-health plan. Not only will it boost your energy level, but physical activity also improves heart function. According to most experts, 30 minutes a day is all you need to improve heart function, reduce cholesterol and reduce blood pressure.

You can add 30 minutes of physical activity daily – and, this doesn’t have to be all at once. “Research supports that any additional activity will help,” says Laura Molseed, Del Monte registered dietitian. “Ten minutes here and 10 minutes there may be just as effective as a 30-minute jog.”

Butt Out
Don’t smoke – it’s as simple as that. Smoking drastically increases your risk for heart disease. There are a tremendous amount of resources available to help you quit; some states are even offering free patches and lozenges. Talk to your doctor about finding a treatment option that works for you, and do whatever it takes to put that cigarette out for good.

Weighing Your Options
Maintaining a healthy weight is critical to the regulation of cholesterol and blood pressure, which are factors in heart-related disease. Extra weight on the body results in extra strain on the heart. Portion control is key in managing weight, so think about what you are putting on your plate. Try to halve portions when going out to restaurants and share dessert. Portion your snack out onto a plate rather than eating out of the package, and drink water before and during the meal to help feel satiated. The best way to watch your waistline is to watch what you eat!

For more information on how to love your heart and take the pledge, visit www.EatJustOneMore.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Give a Gift from the Heart . . . for the Heart!

(ARA) – Passion. Romance. Love. In this season when we celebrate the feelings of the heart, it’s also fitting that we should celebrate heart health. This is especially true for women. Sadly, heart disease is the number one killer of women over the age of 25 in the United States.

The American Heart Association is trying to change this situation with its “Go Red for Women” program, which encourages women to love their hearts by understanding the risks they face and how to reduce them.

“We can no longer ignore heart disease,” says Jennifer Mieres, MD, national spokesperson for “Go Red for Women” and director of nuclear cardiology for New York University School of Medicine. “While awareness is important, it’s time for women to take action now.”

So what can you do to keep yourself heart-healthy? Here’s some good advice from the American Heart Association.

1. Stay Active

Your heart is a muscle — treat it like one. The only way to build muscle strength is to exercise. Current guidelines recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate daily activity.

No time to exercise? That’s okay. Don’t think exercise, think action. Instead of the elevator, take the stairs whenever possible; take a walk after dinner instead of sitting down and watching TV; park a few blocks from the office or store and walk the rest of the way.

2. Eat Smart

Healthy food habits can help you reduce three risk factors for heart attack and stroke — high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and excess body weight. Set the stage for success by eating a balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, cereal and grain products, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, legumes, nuts, fish, poultry and lean meats. You should also eat foods low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol. Keep healthy snacks, such as pre-cut fruits and vegetables on hand, and drink plenty of water.

3. Take Time to Just Relax

We all feel stress from time to time, but too much stress over a long period of time, and unhealthy responses to it, may create health problems in some people. If you frequently feel exhausted at the end of the day both physically and emotionally, instead of turning to an unhealthy solution like drinking or smoking, find ways to relax.

There are a number of methods you can use: deep breathing, mental imagery, or simply turning on some soft music and lighting a fragrant candle when you come home for the day.

“The very act of lighting a candle has been proven to help reduce the stresses of every day living,” says Rick Ruffolo, senior vice president of brand, marketing, and innovation at the Yankee Candle Company. “The soft glow of candlelight coupled with your favorite scent can have a calming influence, which helps your body rest and recharge.”

Lighting a candle can help your heart and the hearts of the women you care about — mother, sister, daughter and friends — through Yankee Candle’s “Light a Candle for your Heart” program, now in its third year of supporting the “Go Red for Women” movement.
According to Ruffolo, “We all care about the women in our lives. Most of our customers are women, so at Yankee Candle — we’re even more passionate about supporting causes that help our customers live healthier lives.”

Yankee Candle has donated over $150,000 the last two years to help encourage all women to adopt a healthier lifestyle including regular exercise, eating right, maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking. The company hopes to top that number this year through donations generated by the sale of its candles. Learn how you can help at www.yankeecandle.com.

4. Quit Smoking

If you smoke cigarettes (or cigars), your risk of developing coronary heart disease is two to four times that of nonsmokers. You also have a higher risk of illness and death from heart attack, stroke and other diseases, including lung, mouth and throat cancers; chronic lung diseases and infections; congestive heart failure; and peripheral vascular disease (in the legs and arms).

The good news is that when you stop smoking — no matter how long or how much you’ve smoked — your risk of heart disease and stroke starts to drop. It is cut in half after one year without smoking, then continues to decline until it’s as low as a nonsmoker’s risk.

5. Maintain a Healthy Weight

If you have too much body fat, particularly around the waist area, you’re putting yourself at risk for a myriad of health problems, including high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, high triglycerides, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Try to reach a healthy weight — and stay there. To lose weight, most women should eat 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day, but not less than 1,200.

So – start a new tradition this year – one that will help your heart and the hearts of those you love for years to come. To learn more about heart-healthy habits go to www.goredforwomen.org. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Every year around this time, people start to give serious thought to the resolutions they will make to improve their lives in the New Year. Among the more popular ones are: to save more money, to eat healthier and to exercise more.

For the over 5 million Americans diagnosed with heart failure, a progressive condition in which the heart’s muscle becomes weakened after it is injured from something like a heart attack or high blood pressure, the latter two couldn’t be more important. If you are already 70 or older, you have a 10 percent or greater chance of developing heart failure and a lifetime risk for eventually having heart failure that may be as high as 1 in 5 individuals so this information is important for everyone to know.

One of the most important moves you can make in the coming year is to develop a treatment plan that is right for you, according to Clyde Yancy, MD, chair of the education committee for the Heart Failure Society of America, a non-profit organization of health care professionals and researchers who are dedicated to enhancing quality and duration of life for patients with heart failure and preventing the condition in those at risk. “In the past, people with heart failure were advised to rest and give up many of their usual activities, but recent research has shown that activity can help them feel better, may decrease symptoms and may improve the heart’s function,” Dr. Yancy says.

Whether you’ve been diagnosed with heart failure, or are just trying to prevent yourself from falling victim to this major cardiovascular disorder that is on the rise, here are some tips on how to take charge of your condition:

* Become More Active

Start by picking a simple aerobic activity that you like, such as gardening, walking, fishing, swimming or biking, and do it regularly. The goal for most people with heart disease or at-risk for heart disease is to accumulate at least 30 minutes of mild to moderate activity per day on most days of the week. Note that you do not have to be active for 30 minutes in a row to benefit. For example, you can be active for three 10-minute blocks.

Whatever activity you choose, do it slowly and gradually. Spend a few minutes warming up and cooling down before and after each activity session to avoid injuring yourself and stressing your heart. Warming up by walking or stretching helps your body and your heart adjust to the increased demands of activity, and stretches tendons and muscles to avoid cramping. Cooling down allows your heart rate, blood pressure and other body functions to return to their usual resting levels and brings down your adrenaline level gradually.

Although regular activity is good for you, you should not exercise or increase your activities when you feel exhausted, have a fever or infection, have chest pain or are experiencing more shortness of breath symptoms at rest than usual. Be certain that you select activities that are not too strenuous or risky. Remember, moderation is the key. Above all, do not start a new exercise program or engage in a new activity without reviewing this with your physician.

* Change Your Diet

In addition to staying active, it’s also important for patients with heart failure to change their diets. The most critical change they’ll be advised to make it to cut back on sodium (salt) intake and here’s why. Heart failure causes the body to hold on to extra sodium, which in turn causes extra fluid to build up in your body. The extra fluid makes your heart work harder.

Cutting back on sodium is admittedly a challenge because salt is everywhere — in canned soups, canned vegetables, fast food, restaurant meals and processed foods like frozen dinners, boxed noodle and rice dishes. So, even if you do not add salt while cooking or use a salt shaker at the table, you may be eating too much.

What can you do to cut back on the sodium (salt)? Here are four tips from the Heart Failure Society of America:

1. Instead of salt, flavor your food with black, cayenne and lemon pepper; fresh herbs like garlic, onion powder, dill, parsley and rosemary; lemon juice; and flavored extracts like vanilla, almond, etc.

2. Adapt preferred foods to low-sodium versions. Instead of buying lunch meats, which typically contain high amounts of sodium, you can cook fresh chicken, turkey, roast beef or pork without adding salt and then cut it up for sandwiches the next day.

3. If you like soup, instead of buying the canned version which is high in sodium and preservatives, you can cut up fresh vegetables, put them in a slow cooker and use herbs and spices for seasoning.

4. Pick foods naturally low in sodium, like fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meat, poultry and fish.

It can be difficult to change your eating habits. It may take weeks before you enjoy the taste of low-sodium foods, but your taste buds will adjust. Eventually you may not even miss the salt. Your heart will thank you for the lifestyle change.

To learn more about heart failure and how to manage your condition, log on to the Heart Failure Society of America’s Web site: www.abouthf.org.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Exercising daily and eating healthy are great ways to help reduce your risk for heart disease, but it can be tempting to let healthy habits slide during the holiday season. That’s why the National Lipid Association is encouraging people to know the facts about cholesterol to ensure happy and healthy holidays.

Most people know about good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL), but many forget to consider another important heart disease risk factor: triglycerides. Triglycerides are a lipid, or fat in the blood, that are produced by your body as it digests the things that you eat and drink. Triglycerides are also an independent risk factor for heart disease.

Recent studies published in the “Journal of the American Medical Association” (JAMA) show that high non-fasting triglyceride levels increase the risk for heart attack, stroke and even death, particularly in women.

If you can’t seem to make it through December without taking your hand out of the cookie jar, why not commit to living a healthier lifestyle in 2008? Not only will you be doing something good for your heart, but you may even notice a trimmer waistline as well.

Smaller waist size isn’t just about looks, studies show a link between an enlarged waistline and elevated triglyceride levels. People with both of these risk factors are more than three times as likely to suffer from serious cardiovascular disease or even death.

“These studies provide us with information about the heart risks posed by triglycerides, which is especially important going into the holidays when people tend to overindulge and gain weight,” says Dr. Jerome Cohen of St. Louis University.

Don’t push the panic button just yet though. It’s okay to treat yourself to a slice of Aunt Sally’s famous pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, or toast a glass of eggnog at the company holiday party, but the National Lipid Association wants you to check your cholesterol and triglyceride levels first. Triglycerides are measured as part of a standard cholesterol test. Normal triglyceride levels are less than 150.

High triglycerides levels are typically treated through a combination of eating and exercising lifestyle changes, and when necessary, with medications.

You don’t have to travel far or spend a lot to find the gift that keeps on giving — treat yourself to better heart health and you’ll enjoy this holiday season and many more to come.

Visit www.lipid.org to learn more about cholesterol and triglycerides or to find a lipid specialist who can assess your lipid profile and set up a treatment plan that’s right for you.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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