Tag Archives: people

Slash Your Heart Attack Risk!

I never want to have a heart attack. I hope it’s something I never get to experience in life. Are you with me? A recent study from the Boston University School of Medicine and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden looked at the medical histories for more than twenty-four thousand women. They found that just FIVE lifestyle choices can cut your heart attack risk by more than ninety percent. The first two choices alone can cut your risk by more than fifty percent. Drink ONLY a moderate amount of alcohol. That means no more than one half glass of wine daily. … Continue reading →

Not Enough People Know the Signs of a Heart Attack

A survey from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found that too many Americans don’t know all the warning signs of a heart attack. Do you? More bad news from the CDC when it comes to heart attacks: More than nine hundred thousand Americans have heart attacks each year. More than one hundred and fifty thousand Americans die from a heart attack each year. Approximately seventy five thousand Americans die within an hour of symptom onset. Quick action and awareness of the symptoms are critical if you’re going to survive a heart attack. In case you weren’t sure, the five … Continue reading →

A Cat Can Lower Your Heart Attack Risk

As if we didn’t love our pets enough — here’s another reason to cuddle your kitty! A ten year study from the University of Minnesota suggests that having a cat for a pet can cut your heart attack risk by nearly a third! More than four thousand Americans between the ages of thirty and seventy-five were tracked between 1976 and 1980 for a National Health and Nutrition Examination Study. The University of Minnesota team looked at the data, then spent a decade following up with the participants to look at health issues and death rates. More than half the people … Continue reading →

Heart Attack Aftermath: Returning to Work

Returning to work after a major injury or health crisis can be exciting. You may be tired of resting and feeling a touch of cabin fever! Or, the prospect of going back to your regular routine may be frightening. Can you handle your old workload? Have you missed too much in your absence? When it comes to a heart attack, there’s one emotion you need to be careful of: stress. A recent study from Universite Laval in Quebec found that chronic job stress can double a person’s likelihood of having a second heart attack! There is a lot of potential … Continue reading →

Choosing Who You Work With

While I appreciate the autonomy of working at my home business, I know that I don’t always have as much say and control as I’d like to imagine. One element I do appreciate, however, is that I really do get to choose who I work with. I am in a sort of business where I do not have to take every offer, client and opportunity that comes along. Additionally, this feels very different than working for a company where a person has to work with whoever the company says! I am the company and I get to decide who I … Continue reading →

Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease with a Good Meal

You like to eat, right? For many people, a good meal with friends or family is one of life’s finest pleasures. There are some meals that can help reduce your risk of heart disease — ensuring that you will be around for many meals with friends and family to come. Cut back on salt. Too much salt can put you on the path to high blood pressure. High blood pressure is key in causing heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Check the sodium content of packaged foods like frozen dinners, canned soups, and snack foods. Limit your intake to 1500 … Continue reading →

Five More Ways To Protect Your Heart

Don’t stop at just five changes to protect yourself from heart disease. Here are some more things you can do to help lower your risk of heart disease. Watch your cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, and triglycerides. Keep a copy of your blood work from annual check ups. LDL cholesterol should be under 100 mg/dL; HDL cholesterol should be 50 or above. Blood pressure should be 120/80 or lower. Fasting blood sugar should be 100 mg/dL or lower. Triglycerides should be under 150 mg/dL. Stay active! Physical activity can reduce every controllable risk factor for heart disease. Just ten minutes … Continue reading →

Six Ways To Protect Your Heart

There are so many little things you can do that add up to BIG protection for your heart. Here are some tips for keeping your ticker safe and healthy. Eat plenty of omega-3 fatty acids. If you have heart disease already, omega-3 fatty acids can help keep inflammation in check, lower blood pressure, and slow plaque growth. Plaque is a mix of fatty substances (including bad LDL cholesterol) that can inflame artery walls. A plaque deposit that bursts can produce an artery-blocking clot and lead to a heart attack. Take a low dose aspirin if your doctor says you should. … Continue reading →

I Didn’t Know I Had A Heart Attack

I’ve been taking classes at a glass studio in Portland. How does this relate to heart attacks? One of the owners had one recently, and ended up having a quadruple bypass! He told me he didn’t know he was having a heart attack. In fact, he spent a weekend in discomfort but going about his usual business before finally going to the emergency room on Monday for what he thought was kidney stones. The pain didn’t get too severe until the third day after the heart attack happened — the actual attack happened on a Friday. By the third day, … Continue reading →

How Serious Is Your Racing Heart?

When I was in college, I had a frightening period of heart palpitations. After lots of tests (including wearing a Holter monitor) we figured out that it was most likely stress related. That didn’t make it any less frightening when my heart was thumping away for no apparent reason. What are heart palpitations? Any irregular or extra heartbeat can be called a palpitation. You may feel a thumping in your chest or a sinking sensation. A person may have them many times throughout the day without even noticing them! Heart palpitations are more easily felt when we lay down — … Continue reading →