Heart Health"¦Is It All in Your Head? Newswise — Keeping your heart healthy is more than the physical aspects like eating nutritious foods and consistently exercising. One's heart health is related to one's mental health, particularly in the elderly where depression can be linked with a higher risk of contracting heart disease. It makes sense. After all, our elders experience more heart breaking losses such as the death of spouses and friends. They often have to uproot their lives by moving out of their homes. They can lose some physical capabilities. However, it doesn't have to be this gloomy picture. There are many ways to treat depression, encourage social interaction and boost mental health that can translate into healthier hearts.
A team of experts from Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland can explain ways to combat depression and keep the elderly heart strong.
For Women's Heart Health, Knowledge is Power While breast cancer gets plenty of attention, more women die of heart disease. The fact is about 500,000 women die from cardiovascular disease each year, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). That is about twice as many than from all types of cancer. One in 2.5 women will die of cardiovascular disease every year compared with one in every 30 women dying from breast cancer. Women, and the people who love them, must be proactive in knowing their risk factors and in keeping their hearts healthy. For example, women's symptoms for a heart attack are often different from those of men. Some women may not have chest pain when having a heart attack but may have difficulty breathing and/or unusual and unexplained fatigue.
Women should know their risk factors for cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. Medical experts at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore's Heart Center have that information..
Cardiac Rehab: Extending Life by Reducing the Risk of Future Heart ProblemsFor people who have cardiovascular disease or have had a heart attack, an outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program after hospitalization can be key to ensuring future heart health. Cardiac rehab lowers the risk for cardiac-related death by up to 25 percent, according to recent studies. Roughly one in four lives could be saved if most heart patients went to cardiac rehab.
Candidates for cardiac rehab include patients who have, or have had:* a heart attack* heart failure* angioplasty* bypass surgery* valve replacement* placement of a pacemaker or implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD)* a heart transplant* chest pain related to heart disease (angina)* an irregular heartbeat* coronary artery disease (CAD)* peripheral artery disease (PAD)
Cardiac rehab gives patients a customized exercise plan to help get their hearts into shape. The program also offers patients lifestyle modification coaching to keep risk factors such as diet, smoking and stress under control.
If you would like to learn more, experts from LifeBridge Health's cardiac rehabilitation program are available.
Stroke or Heart Attack? Know the DifferenceHeart attacks are the leading killer of both men and women. Strokes are third on the list. A heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart muscle becomes blocked. A stroke happens when the arteries that lead to the brain are blocked or burst. Some of the symptoms for both heart attacks and strokes are the same, while others are different. Prevention generally falls along the same rules of having a nutritious lifestyle, exercise, stress reduction and proper sleep.
Sinai Hospital of Baltimore's medical experts can explain why it is important to understand the difference between a heart attack and a stroke and offer tips to prevent both.
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