Au Revior!

Hello bloggers!

Happy Monday! Today is the LAST day of February, so it's your last blog entry for the month! I'd like to take a quick second to thank the jewelry contest entrants, to thank the Wear Red day businesses, and our donors, and to fill you in a little continuation of the project blog!

Congratulations to our jewelry contest winners, who will receive a piece of Micah Marie Jewelry! Here's what they have committed to:

• I make my hubby get his teeth cleaned, and we’re working on getting him to quit chewing
• I am exercising more often!
• I'm committing to walking my dog
• I am...cutting down on portions at meal times; cutting down on alcohol intake; when feeling stressed I pay attention to my breathing and slow it down and take deeper breaths (you can also do mini-relaxation sessions); I walk to work and the grocery store as often as I can; I've really cut back on soda intake and have replaced both a soda and alcohol drink with a 12oz glass of water
• I am walking 2 miles at least 3 times a week on my tread mill
• I am maintaining a high level of oral health and committing to floss more often
• I am limiting my chocolate intake to appropriate portions of dark chocolate
• I am (once spring comes) spending more time exercising in the out-of-doors on a regular basis
• I am increasing the amount of vegetables my family has access to by buying the pre-packaged veggie trays or packages of ready to eat fresh veggies.  I never seem to get bulk vegetables cleaned and ready for the family to eat before they are past their prime, so even though it initially costs more, it is ultimately better for my family and less wasteful in terms of spoiled food thrown to my chickens.
• I manage my diabetes
• I make time to spend with a friend each week to share in a hobby we both enjoy. Good for both our hearts!

Thanks to everyone who entered! Winners, enjoy your prizes!

I would like to thank the following businesses and organizations for celebrating their wear red days this month!

Richland County Extension Office

MonDak Heritage Center

Pamida Pharmacy

Sidney Job Service

Sidney Herald

1st Choice Collision

Boys & Girls Club

Richland Federal Credit Union

Richland Opportunities, Inc.

M + M Cafe

Farm Bureau Financial Services

Sidney Health Center

Richland County Health Department

Jock Stop

Quilts & More

Savage Seniors Center

Fairview Seniors Center

And I'd like to thank the following donors for supporting the Sidney Health Center Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Center! In total, we raised $300!

NAPA Auto Parts

Heidi and Jay Moran

Reynold's Market

Quilts & More

Judy and Warren Johnson

Chad's Furniture

And I'd like to thank the following few people who have supported the program in other ways!

Jessica Pica

Kathy Helmuth

Justin Nuveman

Jay Witte

Yellowstone Marketplace

Sidney Public Library

Lesley Theissen

Julie Sokoloski

The Lachapelle Family

Nicole Bollerman

Emily McCoomb

Bobbi Jo Hackmann and the Richland County Ambulance Service

Idelle Badt

Sidney High School

Josh King

Montana Cardiovascular Health Program

WomenHeart

Kristan Haugen

Heather Nevins

Micah Marie Jewelry

Sidney Herald

Heidi Moran and Rebecca Miller

Maurice's, Williston, ND

Ellen Forde

Jock Stop

Thanks everyone!

Since I know you're really sad to see me go, I wanted to let you know that I'd be continuing my blogging with a What's on Wednesday blog that will include stories and updates on health-related things in Richland County! Keep your eyes peeled for the weblink soon!

And keep your eyes peeled for an update on the IronHeart Duathlon, where we will be announcing the winners of the two tickets on Great Lakes Airlines, and the winners of some great medals and trophies!

Thanks everyone for your support!

From my heart to yours,

Red in Richland County

A new addition to the family!

Happy Sunday bloggers!

This weekend we got a new addition to the family after I stopped at WalMart and picked up a fan-tail goldfish I named Puck. We're not allowed to have pets at my house, so I figured this was my way to enjoy a pet without it making a mess in the house.

So speaking of having a pet, research shows that pets can help reduce stress and lower blood pressure in their owners, so if you're concerned about developing a cardiovascular disease, or you're just plain stressed to the max, adopt (or just play with someone else's) a pet. According to biologist Erika Friedmann, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, "It's providing a focus of attention that's outside of someone's self. They're actually letting you focus on them rather than focusing inward on yourself all the time."

Having a pet will also force you off the couch because they actually require work. Dogs require walks or at least some play time, so you're likely to burn some calories while caring for your pets. They always say, if your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise!

Can't have pets? Don't have the time to devote to caring for an animal? Borrow someone else's! You'll still get the same stress-relieving benefits, and who doesn't love playing with a pup? If you're thinking about adopting a pet into your family but aren't sure if it's right for you, first try getting a plant or a fish- something you won't feel THAT bad about if it dies (eek!), and if you can keep that alive, you're golden. You can also try being a foster family for pound pups, if you think you can handle giving the animal up at the end of your foster family cycle.

For now, I am enjoying spending quality time with my fish. On to other animals later.

From my heart to yours,
Red

Part two!

Hey bloggers,

If you’ve already been diagnosed with any type of diabetes or blood sugar disorder, you’re probably
super busy managing your current condition, and you probably haven’t put much thought into
preventing other conditions. I don’t blame you at all. But, you are also probably well on your way to
preventing other conditions like cardiovascular disease by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. As we learned
yesterday, avoiding smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, and staying active will help you fend off
cardiovascular disease and will help you maintain a healthy blood sugar. Here are a few additional tips
to add to your daily routine:

If I don’t sound like a broken record yet…

Watch your blood pressure. Some really easy tricks are to switch from salt, which we know increases
blood pressure, to something lower in sodium like Mrs. Dash’s products, which should season your
foods without adding tons of extra sodium.

Watch your cholesterol. Having diabetes makes you more likely to develop a cardiovascular disease
because your body can’t regulate your ratio of good and bad cholestertol. The cholesterol starts to build
up in your arteries, and BAM! You’re in trouble. So watch your fat and cholesterol intake as well as your
carb and sugar intake. If you’re looking for heart healthy, diabetes friendly recipes, try the American
Heart Association.

Don’t let any of it get you down. You may be feeling overwhelmed dealing with two (or the potential for
two) chronic conditions, but you aren’t alone, and it certainly is manageable. Find a healthy way to deal
with your stress (because stressing out about it will make it worse!) and focus on the things you CAN do
to improve your health, rather than everyone you perceive as wrong with your health. All you have to
do is make sure you watch your levels, eat right, and exercise and you are well on your way to the clear!

From my heart to yours,
Red

P.S. Today is the LAST day to enter the Micah Marie Jewelry raffle! Don't miss this one!

It's not just about your heart!

TGIF Bloggers,

As promised bloggers, here is a two-day special on diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and your chance to win Micah Marie Jewelry!

I know what you’re thinking- why is she blabbing about diabetes when this blog is about heart disease?

Trust me.

Diabetes and cardiovascular disease have a LOT in common- mostly several of the same risk factors, but diabetes is actually one of the leading causes of heart disease. If you’ve survived a heart attack or stroke, having diabetes makes you more likely to have even more complications. 

What is diabetes?

Having diabetes means that your body has a problem with the way it uses food for energy. When you something- let’s revisit the pickle from our salt discussion- it gets broken down into components, one of them being glucose. Glucose is a type of sugar in your blood stream and is the main source of energy for your body. In order for your body to use glucose, a substance called insulin has to be present. Insulin is produced by your pancreas, a gland behind your stomach. In people with diabetes, three things can go wrong with your pancreas.

• 1.       Your pancreas produces little or no insulin, so you have trouble using the glucose in your blood stream. This is known as Type 1 diabetes.
• 2.       Your body doesn’t know how to use the insulin that your pancreas produces, so again, you have trouble using glucose. This is known as Type 2 diabetes.
• 3.       Both of these things. This is typically Type 2 diabetes.

In any case, when you have diabetes, you have an unusually large amount of glucose floating in your blood stream that your cells can’t use. 

So what does that have to do with my cardiovascular health?

Having a ton of extra glucose in your blood stream does damage to your blood vessels by increasing the amount of plaque that sticks to your artery walls. All of that glucose floating in your blood stream is eventually turned into some kind of fat. Also, there is some evidence that the high levels of glucose may also damage the cells on the walls of your arteries as well (I’ve saved you from a LOT of science, but check out this article if you’re really interested). Diabetes leads to narrowed arteries (due to plaque build-up), nerve damage, and decreased blood flow. 

What do diabetes and cardiovascular disease have in common?

These risk factors:

Having obesity. Or wiggle. Or badonk. Whatever you want to call it. Having central obesity (the kind where you carry most of your extra wiggle in your midsection, not your badonk or hips) increases your risk. Chances are that you got your central obesity from a poor diet and lack of exercise- the extra food intake and lack of energy usage makes your pancreas work harder.

Having high cholesterol: This means that you probably already have some plaque build-up in your arteries.

Having high blood pressure: High blood pressure puts extra strain on the heart and vessels, causing damage that will be made worse by the extra glucose in your system. High blood pressure will make you more likely to experience a heart attack, stroke, eye problems, and kidney problems. 

Smoking: Other than the obvious damage that smoking does to your system, it will further narrow your blood vessels, and damage the vessels in your legs, increasing your risk of amputation due to poor circulation. 

Check back tomorrow for the final installment of your diabetes and cardiovascular disease course!

Have a fantastic Friday!

Don't forget to e-mail me at slachapelle@richland.org to enter our Micah Marie Jewelry contest! Just tell me what you are going to do to prevent heart disease in your life and you'll be entered!

From my heart to yours,

Red

Check it

Hey bloggers,

I just gave a presentation to Lower Yellowstone REA about cardiovascular disease along with my cancer prevention, tobacco prevention, and nutrition and physical activity colleagues. It went well, but it dawned on me that I constantly talk about reducing your risk, but I never really told you how to determine your risk! Here are two resources you can use to determine if you are heart healthy, and what you should do to get heart healthy!

The first is My Life Check. This is a type of heart health survey you fill out that will determine what areas you are heart healthy in, and what areas need work. They ask you questions about your eating habits, physical activity, cholesterol, blood pressure, weight, blood sugar and your smoking habits. You don't have to have all the examples- I didn't know about my blood sugar and my cholesterol. It'll just suggest that you talk to your doctor about it. It kicks back a short list of things you can do to either get or stay heart healthy, and what your goal should be. My area that needs work? My diet. There's no surprise there! I'm a super picky eater and I cover everything with salt. I'm working on it! You can even save and print your survey results so you can keep track of your goals and progress.

The second is something just as important as knowing your personal risk. It's My Family Health Tree. This is a little family tree you can fill out to figure out how many relatives have certain health conditions like heart disease. Having a blood relative with one of these conditions means that you are at risk of developing these conditions too! It was scary to see just how many of my relatives suffered from cardiovascular conditions! Eek! If this doesn't motivate you to live a heart healthy lifestyle, I don't know what will!

That's all for now, I suppose. Before I go, I just want to remind you to e-mail me your heart health commitments to be entered into the Micah Marie Jewelry raffle! I would also like to thank the Richland County Extension Office for celebrating their Wear Red day yesterday!

From my heart to yours,

Red in Richland County

Now What? Part two- Moving on

Hey R.C.,

Today is part two of your two-day 'Moving On' blog special!

I wanted to fill you in on one of the books we recently added to the Sidney Public Library. I made sure that when we picked the materials for the library resource that it included something about moving on from a cardiac episode, because this is potentially even scarier than the actual episode. 

I've talk to a few people who have been caregivers or lived through a cardiac episode, and here is what they had to say:

"When he came home all he wanted to do was sit in the rocking chair watching TV and waiting to die.   Every time he had indigestion  he made me call rescue cause he thought he was having another heart attack.   He was hospitalized 14 times in 15 months for cardiac related issues, one was another heart attack....I spent almost two years watching him sleep cause I was afraid if I went to sleep he would stop breathing...If I dared go anywhere and heard sirens I would rush home cause I was sure it was MY house."

"Since the surgery, I have worked hard at restoring my health: following my doctor's orders, eating nutritional foods, taking supplements and exercising. Despite my efforts, I have not made much progress. I am depressed about my state of affairs and panicked about my future.” (borrowed from WomenHeart)

This excerpt show just how scary it is to live past a cardiac episode, but the end result is a blessing:

"Dad  remembers to take his medications  and eats healthy and exercises regularly that he is still with us 16 years later, despite having been given only 6 months to live."   

“After 14 angioplasties, five stents and two quadruple bypass surgeries, I have gone through the frustrations, depressions and fears of serious heart problems. I even go through periods of denial, but I also meditate, do Tai Chi, and generally have a positive view of life. I am aware that there have been many changes and new directions in my life but I am very happy for each moment, laugh and hug that comes into my life. I am actively involved in living even though how I live has changed.” (borrowed from WomenHeart)

"I had a 1% chance of survival after surgery, but I came through and I'm doing great. The depression following the surgery is terrible, but it does go away and all the pain is worth every day I have afterwards. I call my scar my "life line" to a new and wonderful life.” (borrowed from WomenHeart)

One of the books, called "Back to Life After a Heart Crisis: A Doctor and His Wife Share Their 8-Step Cardiac Comeback Plan" by Marc Wallack, MD, and his wife, Jamie Colby, teaches how to conquer your fear of living, how to get through sleepless nights, answers the questions you're afraid to ask, and gives helpful information for coping as a caregiver.

Need more information on coping after an episode or being a caregiver? Check out the Sidney Public Library or visit the American Heart Association. 

From my heart to yours,

Red

Now what?

Welcome back to your work week!

Since we've touched on the signs of different cardiac events, we come to the part that nobody ever really tells you about. Now that you or your loved one has suffered an event, what happens? What now? How do you move on from this experience?

I'm thinking this will be a two-day special, but we will see!

Firstly, after you're stable and sent home from the hospital, you're going to get a whopping ton of paperwork, most of which makes no sense and tells you that you basically can't eat anything except lettuce and you certainly can't lift more than the remote for at least several days or weeks. It's a really scary time, but hang in there- things will clear up. 

The first thing you can do is get on a heart health website like the American Heart Association or WomenHeart (a site geared toward women, but still a great resource for everyone) and read their information about your condition. These sites tend to put things into terms you can understand. The key to moving on from the episode is to learn what you should do to recover, and how you can change your lifestyle to get heart healthy. If there is something you don't understand, ASK- that's why your doctor is a doctor- his/her job is to answer your questions. Don't ever feel bad about being vastly confused, you are not alone!

Something I definitely wanted to touch on here is cardiac rehabilitation. You've heard of sports rehab (or drug rehab) I'm sure, and cardiac rehab is kind of similar- it's a professionally supervised program to help you recover from cardiac events and surgeries. The program will help you integrate exercise into your lifestyle to reduce cardiac symptoms and reduce your risk of a repeat episode. Rehab will start with an evaluation of your current condition and your limitations, and they will come up with an activity regimen tailored to your needs. It'll start slow and pick up as you make progress. They will help you understand your condition and how to successfully manage it.

Once you're done with rehab, your task is to integrate what you learned into your daily life. Follow your diet and exercise plan, reduce and learn to cope with stress in your life, and make sure you are able to recognize the symptoms of a cardiac episode should one happen again.

Keep checking back for more information on living with a heart condition!

And don't forget to enter our jewelry raffle- just e-mail me at slachapelle@richland.org and tell me how YOU are committing to fight heart disease in your life and you'll be entered to win!

From my heart to yours,

Red in Richland County

Lazy Monday

Hello blogsters!
In honor of the Presidency, I have declared today a Lazy Monday. I will not tell you to get up and exercise, I will not tell you to eat healthy (but you should be anyway!). I will tell you to relax, enjoy your day off, and take note of these heart healthy tips. I will be cleaning and enjoying a peanut butter and banana sandwich.

Since I (and the Grey's Anatomy cast) filled you in on the warning signs of stroke yesterday, today I'll keep you posted on the warning signs of the other big cardiovascular event- heart attack.

Not all heart attacks are the dramatic type, where the person grabs their chest and falls to the floor- unless you're my father, who kept it as dramatic as possible. Most heart attacks start slowly, and show themselves as just a mild pain or a "weird" feeling. Signs that you should call 911 are:

• Chest discomfort: This can feel like a squeezing, fullness, or all out pain in the center of the chest that ususally lasts for more than a few minutes. It can stay, or it can go away and come back.
• An uncomfortable feeling in other parts of your upper body: Ever seen a really dramatic heart attack on TV? The person usually says they have pain in one of their arms. You could have pain in one or both arms, your back, neck, jaw or stomach.
• Shortness of breath: This can occur with or without chest discomfort.
• Other: There had to be an other category, right? Other signs could be a cold sweat, nausea, lightheadedness.

Women are more likely to experience signs in the "other" category (we have to be difficult)- shortness of breath, vomiting, back or jaw pain.

So what are you going to do if you or someone you know is feeling like this? Okay, everyone repeat after me.

I will call 911 immediately.

We learned from Bobbi Jo Hackmann, our CPR teacher, that everyone always thinks everyone else will call 911, so that means that nobody calls 911. We learned from our second patient on Grey's Anatomy that even though you may think that your "weird" feeling or minor chest discomfort is nothing, it could be something serious. So let's do this again. Repeat:

I will call 911 if I am feeling weird.

Okay, now that we have that down, make sure that you get to a hospital at the first sign of a "weird" feeling. These episodes happen FAST, so get the help you need as soon as possible. Emergency medical staff are trained to deal with cardiac episodes and are often the ones who save the lives of cardiac patients in the field. Don't drive yourself to the hospital. Buck up, call yourself an ambulance. Nobody will judge you- we'd rather see you alive.

In any case, practice saying that key statement over and over- this WILL help save your life. I promise.

That's all for now, bloggers.
From my heart to your,
Red.

P.S. Don't forget to e-mail your heart healthy committment to slachapelle@richland.org for a chance to win one of several pieces of Micah Marie Jewelry!

Lucky You!

Afternoon bloggers!
It's a late entry because I was on those crazy Alexander roads this morning!
Let me tell you, TGI-a three day weekend because I'm pooped! Today is the first, and ONLY, time I will ever suggest that you take a breather from your heart healthy eating and exercising to watch some good TV.
But first things first!

I’m running a little raffle all next week, and you could win one of several pieces of jewelry from Micah Marie Jewelry! This is a great charity out of Billings. Micah Marie is a Type 1 diabetes sufferer who collects insulin pump caps and makes beautiful, hand-crafted jewelry out of them. 5% of the purchase goes to one of three diabetes organizations! Check back next week for a blog about cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Check out their website this week and see what you can win!

 

What do you have to do?

All you have to do is e-mail me at slachapelle@richland.org or comment on the blog between Sunday, February 20 and Saturday, February 26 and tell me how you are committing to prevent heart disease in your life. You can commit to eating less salt, watching your cholesterol, exercising more often, or whatever you are willing to commit to! Anyone who commits will be entered to win one of five pieces of Micah Marie jewelry!

 

Second, the producers of Grey's Anatomy threw me a bone this week and gave me the PERFECT episode to pass on to you guys! Click here!

 

Without giving any important details of the show's drama away, this week's episode features Meridith in charge of the ER. In one hour, she gets a patient who is having a stroke, and a patient who is convinced that he doesn't have a fatal heart condition despite having chest pains.

 

This episode teaches:

1. The signs of a stroke. The patient comes into the ER with a "glorified migraine", as his heinious girlfriend puts it, and is later diagnosed with a stroke after Meridith notices the difference in his signatures pre- and post- discharge. So what happens? Meridith gives his a quick stroke exam (I made that name up, but keep reading) where she asks him to try to smile, to raise both hands above his head, to repeat a simple phrase. He can't do it. These are classic symptoms of a stroke. Here is a rundown of the signs and symptoms:

• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause

 

Why is this important? The only reason this guy was saved was because Meridith recognized the stroke symptoms early enough for him to be treated appropriately. After about an hour, you may have permanent damage. Study these signs so you can recognize if you or someone you know is having a stroke!

 

 2. This episode gives a PERFECT depiction of why cardiovascular conditions are silent killers. The chest pain patient was adamant about getting to the ball game and tried to convince doctors that he was fine. He was actually having a problem with his aorta (a giant vessel in your heart), and he does from the condition, despite looking otherwise "fine". What does this tell you? Your chest pains are a big deal! And you need to seek treatment ASAP!

 

Thanks, Grey's Anatomy producers, for doing my job for me!

 

Check out the Flickr site for pictures of the Micah Marie jewelry available for you to win!

 

From my heart to yours,

Red in Richland County

“Fatness”- Really?

Happy weekend bloggers!

In one of the articles I was reading while doing research to write this post, this is what scientists at the American Heart Association referred to obesity as- “fatness”. But I suppose that is science for you- we tend to be pretty direct. In your case, however, we will refer to obesity as just that- obesity- because I recognize that you, bloggers, are humans, and not rats. We don’t have “fatness”, we have junk in the trunk, badonk, a little wiggle. But today let’s go over how a little extra wiggle might put you at risk.

I was looking at resources to try to find an explanation for my intense salt addiction when I found this statement:

“Every pound of excess weight adds several miles of extra capillaries that must be supplied with blood from the heart.”

MILES. You have MILES of extra blood vessels in all of that badonk.

This means that you heart has to work even harder to pump blood to all those tiny little capillaries (capillaries are the teeny little blood vessels that supply all the parts of your body with blood and nutrients and things. These are what actually bleed when you get a papercut or something). That’s why there is a direct connection between obesity and high blood pressure, one of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Not only does your heart have to pump harder to get blood where it needs to go, your lungs have to work harder to put oxygen into your blood, your bones have to work harder to keep you vertical, and your muscles have to work harder to move you around, among other hard working parts of your body.

But I’m not here to just tell you that you should probably lose weight and eat healthier and blah blah blah, because I’ll be the first one to admit that I haven’t seen the gym in a month and I really prefer pasta to vegetables. I’m here to tell you HOW to easily accomplish these things, because that’s where so many prevention campaigns go wrong. We all know what we’re SUPPOSED to do, we just don’t have any idea how to do it.

How do you fight obesity? Lifestyle changes. This takes a while, but let’s start with easy ones.

1.       The American Heart Association recommends getting 30 minutes of activity a day to be heart healthy. Who has time for that? You do! On your lunch break, take a brisk walk around the building. Take the stairs. Park a few spots away from the grocery store entrance. Stand when you talk on the phone (it burns more calories than sitting down). Carry your own groceries. Dance while you’re getting ready in the morning. These are all quick little ways to work exercise into your life.

2.       Choose to eat more vegetables. Sneak them into foods. I always make sure I put peas in my rice so I trick myself into eating a vegetable. If you’re making meatloaf, shred some carrots into the mix. Take advantage of all of these little ways you can eat more vegetables without having to crunch raw celery all the time.

3.       Go in on it together. Even if you’re not struggling with weight problems, we all still need to take charge of our health to avoid cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases like diabetes and cancer. Get a group of friends together and initiate a “Walking on Wednesday” group or a recipe exchange group where you and your friends exchange healthy recipes, or think of something you can do together to support each other’s healthy habits. It’s SO much easier to be healthy when you’re all doing it together.

From my heart to yours,
Red in Richland County

I opened the door and in flu enza

TGIF ladies and gents'.

First things first:

You can WIN!

I’m running a little raffle all next week, and you could win one of several pieces of jewelry from Micah Marie Jewelry! This is a great charity out of Billings. Micah Marie is a Type 1 diabetes sufferer who collects insulin pump caps and makes beautiful, hand-crafted jewelry out of them. 5% of the purchase goes to one of three diabetes organizations! Check back next week for a blog about cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Check out their website this week and see what you can win!

What do you have to do?

All you have to do is e-mail me at slachapelle@richland.org or comment on the blog between Sunday, February 20 and Saturday, February 26 and tell me how you are committing to prevent heart disease in your life. You can commit to eating less salt, watching your cholesterol, exercising more often, or whatever you are willing to commit to! Anyone who commits will be entered to win one of five pieces of Micah Marie jewelry!

Second...here is your tip for the day.

I thought I’d start your day with a little science humor (re: title)- I saw the title line in one of my microbiology lab books in college and thought it was pretty witty…but that’s science humor for you!

Today’s focus is on the importance of getting your flu shot if you have or are at risk for cardiovascular diseases. Remember that cardiovascular disease is a silent killer, so you probably don’t even know you have one of them until it’s too late, so your best bet is to get the arm stick before things get too complicated.

The CDC estimates that the flu causes more than 36,000 deaths and 200,000 hospitalizations in the US alone, and the number of flu related complications are higher among people with cardiovascular disease.

Why? Bear with me while I get science-y on you.

The real reason why the flu may cause cardiovascular events isn’t really clear (get used to this- it happens in science all the time). One pretty good guess is that your immune system goes CRAZY when you are first infected with the flu virus. Your immune system starts to produce all of these substances to fight the infection. These substances may also cause the plaque building in your arteries to build up faster, causing complications. Another pretty good guess is that the flu virus affects your blood vessels, causing cardiovascular complications. Remember that the arteries in your heart feed right into your lungs, where the flu virus main effects, so it’s no surprise that the flu may cause heart and vessel problems.

If you’re a science buff, check out the real report from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 

So what are all of these complications?

Nobody ever feels good when they’ve got the flu (I know this from my swine flu experience in 2009), but if you’ve got a cardiovascular condition you’ll be feeling really bad. You might experience pneumonia, respiratory failure, dehydration, heart attack, worsening of pre-existing conditions like heart failure or diabetes, or you could actually die from it. It’s kind of a big deal, right?

So what are you going to do about it? You’re going to have to subject yourself to the arm stick, because the nasal spray, FluMist, isn’t recommended for people with cardiovascular diseases. Here are some tips for avoiding the flu.

• Get a flu shot! Either make an appointment with your provider to get a flu shot, or visit the Health Department during clinic hours, which are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 12 to 430; every 2^nd Wednesday from 12 to 6, and every 3^rd Thursday from 1 to 4. Make sure that you tell the doctor or nurse that you have or are at risk for developing a cardiovascular disease and they can decide which type of vaccine to give you.
• Avoid people who are sick, or if you are sick, avoid healthy people.
•  Use a tissue and cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze! Your mom was right, it spreads germs!
• Wash. Your. Hands.

It’s really that simple. 

From my heart to yours,
Red

In a pickle...

Hello Richland!

In a pickle trying to think of what I wanted to blog about today, I decided to blog about just that-pickles. A personal favorite food, along with any other sodium-rich foods like canned soups and hot sauce, pickles are LOADED with sodium (or salt). What’s the big deal?

You need at least some sodium in your body to keep it going, but too much can cause some major problems. Let’s follow a pinch of salt through your body.

Without being too fancy and biological, you eat something really good and salty- a nice dill pickle, we’ll say. It enters your stomach and is broken down by your stomach acids. All the different substances contained in the pickle are separated somewhere between your stomach and intestines, and all of the vitamins and minerals (salt included) are absorbed into the blood stream. The salt from your pickle is used for three things:

• Maintaining the balance of fluids in your body
• Transmitting nerve impulses
• Contracting and relaxing your muscles

Your kidneys are responsible for balancing the amount of sodium store in your body. If you eat too much salt, your kidney will excrete it in your urine. If you don’t get enough salt, your kidneys will hold on to it. If you have WAY TOO MUCH salt, you’ve got a BIG problem.

Your kidneys can’t handle WAY TOO MUCH salt, so all the extra salt floats around in your blood stream. Because sodium attracts water (test it out- add some water to a little pile of salt and it’ll form into a nice paste- that’s essentially what’s going on in your blood stream), your blood volume increases. This means that your heart has a lot more blood to pump, so it has to work harder, so this increases your blood pressure. Over time, this will create a BIG problem for you, because your heart will keep working full-speed ahead, and you’ll develop a cardiovascular disease. This=bad news. 

So what can you do about it?

Eat less salt! The American Heart Association recommends eating less than 1500 milligrams of sodium a day. Easier said than done, huh? Here are some things to know about salt intake.

You get most of your sodium intake from the foods that you eat, so the first thing you have to do to reduce your sodium intake is watch what you eat. 

Make sure you look at the nutrition label on the box or bag of food. The sodium content of your food will be listed very obviously as “sodium”. Most of your extra salt comes from processed and preserved foods- anything pickled, any kind of condiment, anything containing MSG (monosodium glutamate), etc. 

Watch how much table salt you pour on your food! I am very, very guilty of this. Very guilty. I can’t think of one food that I don’t put salt on. Well maybe not on brownies, but that’s about it. Sodium chloride or table salt is approximately 40% sodium, according to the Mayo Clinic.

1/4 teaspoon salt = 600 mg sodium
1/2 teaspoon salt = 1,200 mg sodium
3/4 teaspoon salt = 1,800 mg sodium
1 teaspoon salt = 2,300 mg sodium

This adds up FAST, and you’re probably tripling your sodium intake by adding table salt. Try seasoning your foods with other seasonings- try herbs, spices, etc., but watch out for already-mixed marinades, salad dressings, and mixed seasonings- these often contain loads of salt as well. 

Try the low-sodium versions of your favorite foods. Campell’s carries a line of heart-healthy low-sodium soups now. 

Avoid high-sodium snacks like chips and salted nuts. Choose low-sodium crackers if you seriously need some carbs, or eat fruits and vegetables as snacks instead. 

Visit the American Heart Association’s website to check out your seasoning alternatives and some free low-sodium recipes. 

That's all for now, R.C.-ers, other than a very special Happy Birthday to my very favorite Connecticut cardiovascular disease champion! 

From my heart to yours,

Red in Richland County

IronHeart Progress Update!

Okay bloggers, bear with me while I attempt to update you on the progress of our IronHeart Duathlon at HealthWorks.
Everyone is doing a fantastic job, so keep up the good work!

Points figured by: 

Number of Miles Ran-Walked/13.1 + Number of Miles Biked/56 = Total  
(Click on the picture to make it bigger!)

Okay, so we've broken this up into points rather than listing miles, so here's how you can figure out where you stand.
1. Find your age group.
2. Find your membership number. We wanted everything to be private!
3. Your miles run points is determined by the # miles / 13.1. Your miles biked is determined by # miles / 56. Your total points is the sum of these. If your number of points for either piece is 1 or greater, that means you have completed that leg of the duathlon. Having a total of 2 or greater DOESN'T necessarily mean that you have finished- remember you have to have a 1 or greater in both categories to be finished!

Did I confuse anyone yet?
If you have any questions, feel free to comment! These results will be posted for you to see at HealthWorks! Have a happy, healthy heart!

From my heart to yours,
Red

The way to a man's heart...

Morning!

The American Heart Association has gotten some smack lately about focusing their heart health improvement efforts on women. By request, here is some information about men and cardiovascular disease.

If I may, first, defend the AHA by saying that chances are, the way to a man’s heart is through his wife. Wives and girlfriends have this innate gift for making simple suggestions ( ahem…nagging…) that always seems to get men to do what they should. We do it because we love you, I promise!

According to Men’s Health and the Mayo Clinic, heart disease is the top biggest threat to a mans health, responsible for almost half of US male deaths. About a third of these deaths are sudden, and that means that chances are, these guys didn't even know they were in trouble.

The same rules go for men as for women, only our society has rules about how men should act. Men are meat eaters, whisky drinkers and are invincible. Here are some ways you can stay heart healthy while protecting your masculinity. 

Quit smoking- Take charge of your health by committing to stop smoking. This includes chewing too! Try making a pact with the smokers in your group of friends to all quit smoking together. You’ll get the moral support you need, no one will make fun of you, and you can collectively avoid the situations where you would previously smoke. A little friendly competition never hurt either. My office-mate’s husband is trying the group-quit method and so far it’s working!

Up your activity- Try joining a men’s basketball league or some other kind of group activity. You’ll enjoy the time you get to spend with your buddies and you‘ll be keeping active.

Manage stress- Men are just as stressed as women, only women tend to express it better (better? Maybe more). If you’re feeling the heat, find an activity that lets you get it all out. HealthWorks has got a punching bag if that’s your style, or try running it off outside (weather pending) or on a treadmill. 

Most importantly, don’t ignore the symptoms of a cardiac episode. Although I’ll get a little deeper into the signs and symptoms of various cardiac events, heart attack symptoms include chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breath, feeling light-headed, or pain or discomfort in one of both arms, the jaw, neck, back or stomach. If you’re feeling any of these, see a physician ASAP- this could save your life!

That's all for now!

From my heart to yours,

Red in Richland County

P.S. Man did I mess up the formatting on the entry yesterday- that'll teach me to not proof my entries! Sorry about that guys!