
Showing posts with label Heart Disease. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heart Disease. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Moving Is The Best Medicine For Diabetic Patient!

Sunday, June 12, 2011
Open Heart Bypass Surgery With Video!

Newer techniques allow heart surgery to be done through much smaller surgical cuts than the large cut needed for open surgery.
- Your heart surgeon will make a 2-inch to 5-inch-long surgical cut in the chest wall. Muscles in the area will be divided so your surgeon can reach the heart. The surgeon can repair or replace a valve or perform bypass surgery.
- During endoscopic surgery, your surgeon makes one to four small holes in your chest. Then your surgeon uses special instruments and a camera to perform the surgery.
- During robot-assisted valve surgery, the surgeon makes two to four tiny cuts (about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch) in your chest. The surgeon uses a special computer to control robotic arms during the surgery. The surgeon sees a three-dimensional view of the surgery on the computer. This method is very precise.
You will not need to be on a heart-lung machine for these types of surgery, but your heart rate will be slowed with medicine or a mechanical device. Open-heart surgery is a procedure in which the heart is cut open to correct a defect, such as repair of heart valves.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
What can I do to protect myself from heart disease?
For both men and women, the biggest factors that contribute to heart disease are
* smoking
* high blood pressure
* high cholesterol
* family history
* age
Take a moment to consider your lifestyle, family history and your general health. With this information, you and your family doctor can assess your risk and make a plan to avoid potential problems. Although you can't do much about your family history or your age, you can make lifestyle changes to avoid many of the other risk factors (see below).

Don’t smoke. Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease in women. More than half of the heart attacks in women under 50 years of age are related to smoking. If you stop smoking, you can lower your risk of heart attack by one third within 2 years. Women who smoke and use birth control pills increase their risk even more. Different products can help you quit smoking. You may want to try using nicotine skin patches or nicotine gum; these types of medicines are available over the counter. There are also prescription medicines available that can help you stop smoking. Talk to your doctor about the best way for you to quit smoking. Breathing smoke from someone else's cigarettes is also bad for your heart and lungs. If you live with someone who smokes, encourage him or her to quit.
Control your blood pressure. Treating high blood pressure can lower your risk of heart attack and stroke. A healthy diet, losing weight and exercising regularly are all ways to help control high blood pressure. Reducing how much salt you consume can also help. If these steps don't lower your blood pressure, your doctor may recommend medicine for you to take.
Control your cholesterol level. If you don't know your level, ask your doctor to check it. Screening is recommended for women 45 years of age and older with any other risk factors for heart disease. Healthy diet is a key part of lowering high cholesterol levels. However, some people may need to take medicine in addition to improving their diet and exercise.
Maintain a healthy weight. Extra weight puts strain on your heart and arteries. Exercise and a low-fat diet can help you lose weight. Being overweight means you have a higher risk for many other health problems, especially diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. If you're overweight, talk to your doctor about a safe and effective way to lose weight.
Exercise regularly. Remember, your heart is a muscle. It needs regular exercise to stay in shape. Aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, swimming, jogging or cycling, gives your heart the best workout. You can also use fitness equipment like exercise bicycles, treadmills and ski machines when exercising indoors. Finding an exercise partner may make it easier and safer for you to exercise regularly. Aim to exercise at least 30 to 60 minutes, 4 to 6 times a week. Talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program.
Eat a low-fat diet. Keep fat calories to 30% or less of the total calories you eat during a day and avoid saturated fat (like the fat in meats and dairy products). Information is available to help you make healthy choices. For example, food labels list nutrition information, including fat calories, many cookbooks have heart-healthy recipes, and some restaurants serve low-fat menu items.
Take care of your diabetes. If you have diabetes, regular exercise, weight control, a low-fat diet and regular doctor visits are important. If you need to take medicine for diabetes, be sure to take it exactly as your doctor tells you to.
Be aware of chest pain. Be sure to contact your doctor immediately if you suffer from pain in your chest, shoulder, neck or jaw. Also notify your doctor if you experience shortness of breath or nausea that comes on quickly. If you are having a heart attack, the faster you can get to the hospital, the less damage will happen to your heart. Every second counts.
Know your family history. Having a father or brother with heart disease before age 55, or a mother or sister with heart disease before age 65, are factors that contribute to heart disease. Inform your doctor about your family history.
* smoking
* high blood pressure
* high cholesterol
* family history
* age
Take a moment to consider your lifestyle, family history and your general health. With this information, you and your family doctor can assess your risk and make a plan to avoid potential problems. Although you can't do much about your family history or your age, you can make lifestyle changes to avoid many of the other risk factors (see below).

Don’t smoke. Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease in women. More than half of the heart attacks in women under 50 years of age are related to smoking. If you stop smoking, you can lower your risk of heart attack by one third within 2 years. Women who smoke and use birth control pills increase their risk even more. Different products can help you quit smoking. You may want to try using nicotine skin patches or nicotine gum; these types of medicines are available over the counter. There are also prescription medicines available that can help you stop smoking. Talk to your doctor about the best way for you to quit smoking. Breathing smoke from someone else's cigarettes is also bad for your heart and lungs. If you live with someone who smokes, encourage him or her to quit.
Control your blood pressure. Treating high blood pressure can lower your risk of heart attack and stroke. A healthy diet, losing weight and exercising regularly are all ways to help control high blood pressure. Reducing how much salt you consume can also help. If these steps don't lower your blood pressure, your doctor may recommend medicine for you to take.
Control your cholesterol level. If you don't know your level, ask your doctor to check it. Screening is recommended for women 45 years of age and older with any other risk factors for heart disease. Healthy diet is a key part of lowering high cholesterol levels. However, some people may need to take medicine in addition to improving their diet and exercise.
Maintain a healthy weight. Extra weight puts strain on your heart and arteries. Exercise and a low-fat diet can help you lose weight. Being overweight means you have a higher risk for many other health problems, especially diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. If you're overweight, talk to your doctor about a safe and effective way to lose weight.
Exercise regularly. Remember, your heart is a muscle. It needs regular exercise to stay in shape. Aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, swimming, jogging or cycling, gives your heart the best workout. You can also use fitness equipment like exercise bicycles, treadmills and ski machines when exercising indoors. Finding an exercise partner may make it easier and safer for you to exercise regularly. Aim to exercise at least 30 to 60 minutes, 4 to 6 times a week. Talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program.
Eat a low-fat diet. Keep fat calories to 30% or less of the total calories you eat during a day and avoid saturated fat (like the fat in meats and dairy products). Information is available to help you make healthy choices. For example, food labels list nutrition information, including fat calories, many cookbooks have heart-healthy recipes, and some restaurants serve low-fat menu items.
Take care of your diabetes. If you have diabetes, regular exercise, weight control, a low-fat diet and regular doctor visits are important. If you need to take medicine for diabetes, be sure to take it exactly as your doctor tells you to.
Be aware of chest pain. Be sure to contact your doctor immediately if you suffer from pain in your chest, shoulder, neck or jaw. Also notify your doctor if you experience shortness of breath or nausea that comes on quickly. If you are having a heart attack, the faster you can get to the hospital, the less damage will happen to your heart. Every second counts.
Know your family history. Having a father or brother with heart disease before age 55, or a mother or sister with heart disease before age 65, are factors that contribute to heart disease. Inform your doctor about your family history.
What are the symptoms of a heart attack in women?
Like in men, the most common heart attack symptom for women is pain or discomfort in the chest. However, women can also have a heart attack without having any chest pain. Some of the other symptoms women might experience include:


- Feeling out of breath
- Pain that runs along the neck, jaw, or upper back
- Nausea, vomiting or indigestion
- Unexplained sweating
- Sudden or overwhelming fatigue
- Dizziness
Are women at risk?
Women are at risk for heart disease and heart attacks, just like men. In fact:
Women develop heart problems later in life than men -- typically 7 or 8 years later. However, by about age 65, a woman's risk is almost the same as a man's. Also, the rates of heart attack over the last 20 years have been increasing for women 35 to 54 years of age. It makes sense for women to pay attention to their heart health.
- * Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women over 65 years of age.
- * American women are 4 to 6 times more likely to die of heart disease than of breast cancer.
- * Heart disease kills more women over 65 years of age than all cancers combined.
Women develop heart problems later in life than men -- typically 7 or 8 years later. However, by about age 65, a woman's risk is almost the same as a man's. Also, the rates of heart attack over the last 20 years have been increasing for women 35 to 54 years of age. It makes sense for women to pay attention to their heart health.
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