Heart Health

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The Impact of Exercise in Heart Disease Prevention

Guest post by Dr. Rachelle Sultana, PhD, AEP, M Clin Ex Phys, B Ex Sp Sci

By now, the role of physical activity and exercise in promoting better health is universally accepted. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 27% of adults do not meet its recommended levels of physical activity. If we factor in adolescents, the figure jumps to a staggering 80%.

Physical inactivity is among the most important behavioral risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) such as heart disease and stroke. It is clear that exercise, along with a healthy diet, is crucial in preventing heart disease.

Best exercises for heart health

Exercising regularly offers many positive benefits for heart health. Exactly why is exercise good for the heart? Well, it can help lower your blood pressure, support you in maintaining a healthy body weight, and reduce inflammation throughout your body.

Having said that, what type of exercise is best for your heart? Studies show that 3 kinds of exercise can boost your heart’s health:

Aerobic exercise

Aerobic exercise pumps the heart and can help improve circulation, lower your blood pressure and heart rate as well as improve your overall aerobic fitness. Good examples of aerobic exercise include walking, cycling, swimming and aquatic exercises, and racket sports.

Resistance/strength training

Training with resistance can help reduce body fat and build lean muscle mass. You can do resistance training using your body weight, free weights such as dumbbells, exercise bands, or exercise machines.

Studies show that combining aerobic exercise with strength training may help lower LDL or bad cholesterol and raise HDL or good cholesterol levels.

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The Skin Issues That Could Indicate Poor Heart Health

Contributed by Ryan Peterson.

skin-issues-and-heart-health

Photo by Vasiliy Skuratov

Who knew that your skin, your body’s largest and most fabulous organ, could be a tattletale when it comes to the health of your ticker? That’s right, people, your skin can be like that one honest friend who tells you that yes, indeed, those pants do make you look funny.

Now, before we jump into this, remember: I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. I’m just a curious soul with access to Google and a penchant for connecting dots – sometimes in a very abstract, Picasso-like manner. So, if you suspect something’s up with your heart, please see a real doctor and not just WebMD yourself into a frenzy.

Dry Skin: More Than Just a Moisturizer Issue

Let’s start with one that is maybe not so obvious: dry skin. We’ve all been there – slathering on lotion like it’s an Olympic sport. But did you know that extremely dry skin could be a sign of poor circulation? When your heart’s not pumping blood like a champion, your skin might throw a dry and scaly tantrum. It’s like your skin is passive-aggressively telling you, “Hey, I need more nourishment here!” But don’t worry yet because it could be something totally benign, for example, dry skin on side of mouth can be nothing more than the result of you licking your lips a lot!

What You Can Do

If you’re drier than a British comedy and it’s not just the winter weather or your love for hot showers, it might be worth a chat with your doctor. And maybe invest in a good humidifier.

Xanthomas: The Skin Bumps You Didn’t Sign Up For

Xanthomas, which sound like a villain in a sci-fi movie, are actually cholesterol-filled deposits that can appear on your skin. They’re like little yellow flags saying, “Hey, check your cholesterol levels!” They often pop up on eyelids, joints, and tendons and are about as welcome as in-laws on your honeymoon.

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Kidney and Heart Disease: How They Are Connected

Guest post provided by Michael Spigler, Vice President of Patient Support and Education, American Kidney Fund

When it comes to taking care of your health, think of heart disease and kidney disease as interconnected partners. If your kidneys don’t function properly, it can lead to issues like high blood pressure and inflammation, putting your heart at risk. Additionally, heart problems can negatively affect your kidneys by reducing blood flow to them.

Having chronic kidney disease (CKD) means that you’re more likely to get heart disease. The reverse is also true: heart disease can cause CKD. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death among people on dialysis, a life-saving treatment for people in kidney failure. 

However, many people don’t know that the best way to prevent heart disease is to prevent or treat the problems that can cause it, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and anemia.

Consider these facts:

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Getting Through Seasonal Affective Disorder with Hiking

Contributed by Ryan Peterson.

seasonal affective disorder

Photo by Dziana Hasanbekava

Seasonal affective disorder is now recognized as a genuine medical issue. If you aren’t sure what it is, you may already be experiencing it. In the past, it was called the Winter Blues and was dismissed as something trivial. However, recent studies have shown that it can be very detrimental to your health and well-being, as well as affecting your social life and work. You can combat SAD with physical activity and nature, both of which you get en masse with hiking.

What the Heck is SAD?

Commonly known as the Winter Blues, SAD is a depressive condition that feels much like any other. Not much is known about why most people don’t experience it, and some do, but it can be demanding in your life. There is some suggestion that SAD happens because of the shorter days and less exposure to natural light, with some evidence to support this. However, it can be a symptom of other disorders that also require mental health treatment, such as depression.

Why Does SAD Happen?

There is some suggestion that SAD is a response to lack of sunlight. This prevents a part of your brain from working as it should and lowers the amount of melatonin your brain produces. This causes an imbalance among other hormones, such as cortisol and serotonin, which leads to a depressive feeling. The feelings of SAD are very similar to other depressive disorders, such as severe depression and anxiety, and are made worse if you have an existing depressive issue.

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5 Factors That Impact Heart Health

Are you worried about your heart health?

Heart health is something to think about more as you get older. Increased age equals an increased risk of heart issues. There are certain factors that put you at a higher risk of developing heart disease.

Below are some of the factors that impact heart health and steps you can take to reduce your risk.

High Cholesterol 

Heart disease risk increases with high cholesterol levels. High levels of cholesterol may be caused by poor dietary choices. It is important to eat a well-balanced diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, high in fiber, with low-fat dairy products and lean meat. You may opt to add healthy smoothies while reducing other unhealthy choices, such as excessive levels of red meat. 

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Defibrillator Types: How do they work?

A defibrillator is a critical piece of life-saving equipment. They are used in most healthcare settings to help support patients suffering from cardiac difficulties. However, there are a wide range of defibrillators on the market today. It can be confusing to navigate and understand the various defibrillator types and how each performs and supports patients.

Here we will discuss the various types of defibrillators currently on the market to help you understand what they do and what circumstances they are most suited to.

Photo by RODNAE Productions

What is a defibrillator?

A defibrillator is a medical device designed to send electrical energy, in the form of a shock, to the tissues of the heart. The aim of using this device is to treat cardiac arrest. 

The need for this device generally arises when a patient develops life-threatening arrhythmias, such as ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation that occur when the contractions of the ventricles become irregular. 

Defibrillators usually have ECG (electrocardiogram) leads and adhesive paddles (or patches). The adhesive electrodes are patches placed on the patient’s chest before delivering the electric shock.

Defibrillator Types

There are a range of different defibrillator types used today across numerous healthcare settings. These include AEDs (automated external defibrillators), WCDs (wearable cardiac defibrillators), and ICDs (implantable cardioverter-defibrillators). Some other defibrillator types include manual external defibrillators and manual internal defibrillators. 

Here we will discuss the major types of defibrillators and the indications and uses of each. 

Automated external defibrillators (AED)

These defibrillators use computer technology that makes it easier to analyze the cardiac rhythm and determine if the rhythm is shockable more effectively. 

An AED is a battery-operated, portable, lightweight device that checks the cardiac rhythm, and then sends a shock to the tissue of the heart to restore normal heart rate and rhythm. This device is used to help patients suffering from cardiac arrest.

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