American Heart Month 2013

A Happy Heart is a Healthy Heart

Drs. Naveed Adoni and Ken Fujise

We’ve all been intuitively aware that a positive attitude can make you feel better.   As doctors, we’re constantly reminding people how diabetes or smoking can increase your risk of heart disease.  And, of course, medical advances help us treat and prevent the risk of heart disease.   But not much attention has been given to the fact that being happy, in love or just plain positive in nature can lower your risk of heart disease. 

The Canadian Nova Scotia Health Survey, a large study with 10 years of follow-up, showed that people who generally are happier or have a positive outlook on life were 22 percent less likely of developing coronary artery disease.

This positive attitude has been shown to influence factors that contribute to good heart health, including decreased systolic and diastolic blood pressures, enhanced modulation of heart rate, a lower risk of developing diabetes and lower stress and lower cortisol levels.  [Read rest of article]

Dr. Ken Fujise is head of the division of cardiology at UTMB, and Dr. Naveed Adoni is a cardiology resident.

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HEART ATTACK WARNING SIGNS

Chest Discomfort

Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain. 

Discomfort in other Areas of the Upper Body  

Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

Shortness of breath, with or without chest discomfort

Other Signs

May include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

STROKE WARNING SIGNS

If one or more of these signs is present, don't delay:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

CARDIAC ARREST WARNING SIGNS

Sudden loss of responsiveness. No response to tapping on shoulders 

No normal breathing. The victim does not take a normal breath when you tilt the head up and check for at least five seconds.

If these signs are present, CALL 911.

Read more about Warning Signs from the American Heart Association. 

5 steps to a healthy heart for Valentine's Day

February is Women’s Heart Health Month and today, being Valentine’s Day, reminds us all to attend to our sweethearts, heartthrobs and even heartaches.

Did you realize that in the past 60 or so years, the death rates from cardiovascular disease and stroke have been reduced by 60 to 70 percent? This has been because of medical advances such as medications, heart stents, pacemakers and increased attention to lifestyle factors like exercise.

Keeping salt and saturated fat content low in your diet will help reduce risks of high blood pressure and dangerous cholesterol. Knowing your numbers on blood pressure and cholesterol will help you and your doctor work to improve your risk.

As a nation, we have cut our smoking rates in half, further reducing our heart disease rates. In cities that banned smoking in public places, heart attack rates were reduced by almost half in six months, mostly among nonsmokers. This shows the risk of even passive smoking on the heart.

But you know all these basics by now, don’t you? Let me share some things from the cardiology literature that might not be quite as familiar to you.

1. Heart disease can be reversed. Work done by Dean Ornish as described in his books like “Love and Survival” show how a low animal fat, essentially vegetarian diet, relaxation exercises like meditation and yoga, and forgiveness exercises opened coronary arteries and improved blood flow. This was accomplished without drugs or invasive cardiac procedures.

2. The Mediterranean diet might be the world’s most heart-healthy diet. Despite having twice the fat content of the standard American Heart Association diet, it provided risk reduction of over 40 percent in patients who had recent heart attacks. With its improved flavor, healthy fats like olive oil and fish, whole grains, lots of vegetables, garlic and even a bit of red wine, people were more likely to stick with this diet and better protect their hearts.

3. Depression is related to heart disease. Depressed people had poorer outcomes if they had heart disease and increased attacks after a first heart attack. Depression also increased the risk of developing heart disease to four times normal.

4. An aspirin a day is even better than an apple a day. Two are better than one. A review article in 2010 by cardiologist James Dalen concluded that 162 mg is more effective than the usually prescribed single 81 mg baby aspirin in reducing heart attack and stroke risk. Higher doses might lead to increased risk of bleeding.

5. Eat fish at least once a week, especially cold- water fish like wild-caught salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, and halibut. Doing so substantially reduces the risk of heart attack and sudden death. For those with known heart disease or risk factors like high cholesterol, diabetes or high blood pressure, supplementing with 2,000 mg of fish oil daily will provide added benefit.

Dr. Victor S. Sierpina is the W.D. and Laura Nell Nicholson Family Professor of Integrative Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch.