Since February is heart month did you know that, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC,) heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of disability? The most common type of heart disease in the United States is coronary heart disease, which often appears as a heart attack.
The chance of developing coronary heart disease can be reduced by taking steps to prevent and control factors that put people at greater risk. Additionally, knowing the signs and symptoms of heart attack are crucial to the most positive outcomes after having a heart attack. People who have survived a heart attack can also work to reduce their risk of another heart attack or a stroke in the future.
Other conditions that affect your heart or increase your risk of death or disability include arrhythmia, heart failure, and peripheral artery disease (PAD.) High cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and secondhand smoke are also risk factors associated with heart disease.
Some heart attacks are sudden and intense; however, most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people affected aren’t sure what’s wrong and wait too long before getting help. Here are signs that can mean a heart attack is happening:
- 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 without any chest discomfort. Pain may extend downward into your abdominal area and feel like heartburn.
- Shortness of breath. May occur with or without chest discomfort.
- Other signs. These may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or lightheadedness. You may feel a sense of doom or feel as if you are having a panic attack for no apparent reason.
Women may not have chest pain but feel really tired - even after enough sleep. Women may have trouble sleeping, experience new or worse headache, or have pain in the belly, above the belly button in addition to all other symptoms listed above.
The American Heart Association, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the Red Cross, and the National Council on Aging have launched a new "Act in Time" campaign to increase people’s awareness of heart attack and the importance of calling 9-1-1 immediately at the onset of heart attack symptoms.
If you or someone you are with begins to have chest discomfort, especially with one or more of the other symptoms of a heart attack, do not drive to the hospital or let someone else drive you. Call 9-1-1 immediately so medical personnel can begin life-saving treatment on the way to the emergency room.
A healthy diet and lifestyle are the best weapons you have to fight heart disease. Many people make it harder than it is. It is important to remember that it is the overall pattern of the choices you make that counts. As you make daily food choices, read nutrition labels and base your eating pattern on these recommendations:
Choose lean meats and poultry without skin and prepare them without saturated and trans fat.
Select fat-free, 1% fat and low-fat dairy products.
Cut back on foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans fat in your diet.
Cut back on foods high in dietary cholesterol. Aim to eat less than 300 mg of cholesterol each day.
Cut back on beverages and food with added sugars.
Select and purchase foods lower in salt/sodium.
Keep an eye on your portion sizes.
If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation. That means no more than one drink per day if you are a woman and two drinks per day if you are a man.
Although heart disease is sometimes thought of as a "man’s disease," Heart disease is a very real threat to women.
Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is a disease in which plaque builds up in the inner walls of your coronary arteries. Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium and other substances found in the blood. Hardened plaque narrows the coronary arteries and reduces the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart.
In Coronary Microvascualer Disease (MVD), the walls of the heart’s tiny arteries are damaged or diseased. Women are more likely than men to have coronary MVD. Many researchers think that a drop in estrogen levels during menopause combined with other heart disease risk factors causes coronary MVD.
Women are also more likely than men to have a condition called broken heart syndrome also called stress-induced cardiomyopathy. In this recently recognized heart problem, extreme emotional stress can lead to severe (but often short-term) heart muscle failure.
The symptoms are so similar to the traditional heart attack that you may feel chest pain, shortness of breath, arm pain and sweating. Because traditional heart attacks can be triggered by stress as well, don’t take any chances, go to the hospital immediately any time you experience these symptoms.
Operation We Care – Thanks to your generosity, over 3000 pounds of goodies and personal care supplies have been sent to our local servicemen and women stationed in Iraq & Afghanistan.
2012-2013 Property Tax/Rent Rebate – The rebate program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians age 65 and older; widows and widowers age 50 & older; people with disabilities age 18 and older. The program expansion increased the income limit from $15,000 to $35,000 (which excludes ½ of Social Security income) for homeowners and raises the maximum rebate for both homeowners and renters from $500 to $650. The income limit for renters is $15,000.
If you received or qualified for a property/rent rebate within the past year. You will automatically receive an application in the m ail. If you did not receive a rebate in the past year on property taxes or rent paid in 2011 but think you qualify to receive a rebate in 2012 call
Kathy Burda at 621-3220.
|
