Your Heart - the ELECTRIC Wonder!

Your heart has electrical wiring, which keeps it beating. Electrical impulses begin high in the right atrium and travel through specialized pathways to the ventricles, delivering the signal to pump.
The conduction system keeps your heart beating in a coordinated and normal rhythm, which in turn keeps blood circulating. The continuous exchange of oxygen-rich blood with oxygen-poor blood is what keeps you alive.
The primary purpose for circulation is to provide fresh blood and nutrients to the rest of the body. The lungs are a vital part of the circulatory system as they are used to expel carbon dioxide a deadly toxin.

The health of all of the components of this intricate system are vital. If one area is not working to it's peak, your health suffers.

Pay attention to your bodies functions by taking note of reactions to little things such as:

• Excercise
• Excitement
• Sudden surprises

 If immediately after a heart palpitating episode you feel any unique symptoms, NOTE THEM and check with your doctor. This knowledge may help lead you to early diagnosis and prevention of heart ailments.

"Holiday Heart" - an ER term

Holiday heart syndrome most commonly refers to the association between alcohol use and rhythm disturbances in apparently healthy people, primarily Atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation is a common heart rhythm disturbance that often produces significant symptoms, and can even lead to stroke. It is a rapid and irregular heart arrhythmia, caused by chaotic electrical impulses in the atria of the heart (the two upper chambers).

http://heartdisease.about.com/od/atrialfibrillation/a/holiday_heart.htm

In many cases, atrial fibrillation is caused by underlying heart disease or by aging. Sometimes it has no identifiable cause. But in Holiday Heart, the cause is an unusual sensitivity to alcohol consumption. This does not indicate however, a person susceptibility is increased by the amount of their consumption. Some individuals are extremely sensitive to alcohol, such that even moderate amounts - two or three drinks, and sometimes a single drink - can trigger episodes of atrial fibrillation.

Up to 60% of people who ‘binge’ drink will experience episodes of atrial fibrillation

Eat MORE Turkey!

Turkey is a good source of protein with 24 g of protein per 3-oz. serving. One 3-oz. serving of light turkey meat has 132 calories and 3 g of fat. Turkey contains no carbohydrates. In addition, turkey is a good source of selenium, vitamin B6, niacin, and tryptophan.

Selenium is a trace mineral that is essential to good health but required only in small amounts. Selenium is incorporated into proteins to make selenoproteins, help prevent cellular damage from free radicals.

Additionally, selenium can protect the heart, primarily by reducing the "stickiness" of the blood and decreasing the risk of clotting, in turn, lowering the risk of heart attack, and stroke. Moreover, selenium increases the ratio of HDL ("good") cholesterol to LDL ("bad") cholesterol, which is critical for a healthy heart. Smokers or those who've already had a heart attack or stroke may gain the greatest cardiovascular benefits from selenium supplements, though everyone can profit from taking selenium in a daily vitamin and mineral supplement

Researchers for more than 20 years animal studies have suggested that tiny amounts of selenium in the diet can reduce the risk of cancer in several organs, but much less is known about the anti-cancer benefits of selenium in humans. In recent years, laboratory experiments, clinical trials and epidemiological data have established the role of selenium in the prevention of a number of degenerative conditions including cancer, inflammatory diseases, cardiovascular disease, neurological diseases, aging, and infections. Most of these effects are related to the function of selenium in the antioxidant enzyme systems.

Tryptophan is an amino acid that the human body cannot make and can only be obtained through food. It is a protein without which humans could not survive. It comprises one of the building blocks of DNA and is vital to the production of serotonin and melatonin.

In the body, tryptophan is converted into 5-HTP, which then can be converted into serotonin (a potent neurotransmitter in the brain). Serotonin is involved in mood, appetite, sleep and impulse control. When carbohydrates are consumed, an increase in insulin is created, removing from circulation other amino acids that compete with tryptophan. This makes it easy for tryptophan to enter the brain to make serotonin, which influences the brain in regulating food intake and sleep patterns.

Certain old-fashioned cures for sleeplessness were based on the consumption of foods with tryptophan. For example, drinking a glass of milk before bed was said to aid in sleeping. Though people were unaware at the time that such a thing as tryptophan existed, it is clear that such early prescriptions for increasing sleepiness were at least mildly effective. Today, one may hear similar prescriptions for including tryptophan foods in the diet not only to promote sleep but also to improve mood.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-tryptophan.htm

http://www.vitamins-nutrition.org/vitamins/selenium.html

Read more at Suite101: Turkey Nutrition Facts — The Health Benefits of Turkey http://www.suite101.com/content/turkey-nutrition-facts--the-health-benefits-of-turkey-a311757#ixzz16EeH9FBx

http://www.nutritional-supplements-health-guide.com/benefits-of-selenium.html

I had a STROKE! / I'm going to DIE of a Heart Attack!

I turned 45 in September. I have never smoked or drank any kind of alcohol.

On October 5th I woke up to use the restroom at 6:05 am and as I was walking out of the bathroom the world began spinning. I fell to the ground because at the rate the spinning was increasing, I would eventually fall to the ground... So I chose to fall (I did not hit my head or anything).

Someday I'll tell the whole story, but for now, and after 2 days, and much confusion I ended up at Ohio State University in the SICU diagnosed with a stroke. A stroke is when part of the brain has been deprived of blood flow and therefore has not had oxygen.

It was not a heart attack, it was a stroke!

So, I've been home for couple weeks and I went to see my regular family doctor.

After talking at length with him,

He says to me, "Do you know what you will die from?"

I didn't answer!

"You may come in here with a stroke or cancer...but the one thing that will probably kill you will probably be a heart attack!"

We continued to talk about all of the statistics and studies done by the American Heart Association. And the odds are that I will die, and YOU who are reading this, will die of a heart attack!

The number one cause of death in America is a heart attack!

If we are so consumed with taking care of certain parts of our body (our skin, our eyes, our muscles), we should concentrate on our main concern ~ our heart!

Fearfully & Wonoderfully Made!

Have you ever stopped to think of what an amazing machine the human body is?

As intricate as our bodies are it is amazing what abuse our bodies can withstand. Our body can withstand extreme temperatures, extreme climates and adapt to maintain basic functions.

But as tough as our body is, it can only take so much. Eventually the stress that we put on our bodies by requiring that they over work or when we provide less than adequate quality food supply will have a permanent affect. 

It will be then that we will have plenty of time to educate ourselves and to try to remedy our ails. Wouldn't it, however, seem prudent to apply a bit of preventative actions now so that we can try to delay or prevent a disruption of the normal operations of our bodies.

Try today to remove stressful things.

   Before getting uptight about something, ask yourself...

• Will this matter 10 years from now?
• Does this affect my integrity?
• Why is this so important?
• If I wait 1 hour, can I come back to this with a clearer head?

Looking forward to the Holiday Season, try to enjoy your days more by looking on the bright side of life, and letting go of some of the Stress that you carry around each day!

Healthy Habits ~ Happy Heart!

Trying to become more heart healthy conscious is important. We spend our lives taking for granted the constant strain and the importance of this organ.

We have a new list to ponder. But instead of dealing with a heart attack after it has happened, it would seem prudent to do what we can to prevent it in the first place.

1. Stop Smoking.
2. Cut down on salt.
3. Watch your diet.
4. Monitor your alcohol.
5. Get active.
6. Manage your weight.
7. Get your blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked by your doctor.
8. Learn to manage your stress levels.
9. Check your family history.
10. Make sure you know the signs of coronary heart disease.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2005/mar/17/NHS1


Have you learned and put to memory the 12 symptoms of a heart attack?? If you have, you're already on your way to a healthier heart!
Educating yourself about the symptoms and remedies will help change your thinking! Changing your thinking, will eventually change your actions! See! It's not so hard!

Heart Attack Help

There is so much to be understood by the common person about the types of heart attacks and the various symptoms that are detected.  But this is one of those occasions when ignorance is NOT bliss. And you would think that as we further educate ourselves, and as we become increasingly aware of our own health, that we would be more vigilant in getting treatment for something that we cannot understand or diagnose ourselves.

But in a report by Jennifer Warner of WebMD we learn that statistics show that from the years 2001 to 2006 the time between when a patient observes symptoms and when that person seeks medical attention averages two hours. TWO HOURS! 60% of these patients reported waiting more than two hours to seek treatment, and even more alarming 11% of these waited as much as 12 hours after experiencing symptoms.

The ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the most dangerous type of heart attack occurs when one of the hearts arteries has a sudden and complete blockage. But whether the heart attack is discovered to be a STEMI or non-STEMI immediate attention will lessen the damage done to the body.

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20101107/many-with-heart-attack-symptoms-delay-care

Timing is Everything~ And the TIME is NOW!

There is so much to be understood by the common person about the types of heart attacks and the various symptoms that are detected.  But this is one of those occasions when ignorance is NOT bliss. And you would think that as we further educate ourselves, and as we become increasingly aware of our own health, that we would be more vigilant in getting treatment for something that we cannot understand or diagnose ourselves.

But in a report by Jennifer Warner of WebMD we learn that statistics show that from the years 2001 to 2006 the time between when a patient observes symptoms and when that person seeks medical attention averages two hours. TWO HOURS! 60% of these patients reported waiting more than two hours to seek treatment, and even more alarming 11% of these waited as much as 12 hours after experiencing symptoms.

The ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the most dangerous type of heart attack occurs when one of the hearts arteries has a sudden and complete blockage. But whether the heart attack is discovered to be a STEMI or non-STEMI immediate attention will lessen the damage done to the body.

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20101107/many-with-heart-attack-symptoms-delay-care

2020 Goals for AHA

From the American Heart Association 2010 report Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, we see the importance of keeping a constant vigil against the deadliest disease to Americans. According to this report more than one in three adults in America have one or more types of Cardiovascular disease (81,100,000). Approximately 47 percent of these are over the age of 60 (38,100,000).

The AHA lists high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and stroke as Cardiovascular Diseases.

The most recent statistics for one year are from 2006. And in 2006 More than 151,000 American killed by CVD were under the age of 65. Nearly 33 percent of people who died from CVD died before their 75^th birthday.

To put these numbers in better perspective, here is a comparison of other leading causes of death and their mortality rate.

Cardiovascular Diseases: ................... 1,347,000

Cancer................................................. 559,888

Alzheimer’s disease............................... 72,432

HIV (AIDS).............................................. 12,113

In hopes to change these statistics, the American Heart Association has committed to what they are calling the 2020 Impact Goal.

“By 2020, to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent while reducing deaths from cardiovascular disease and stroke by 20 percent.”

Stay in School ~ It's Good for your health!

It has long been noted that lower income people have poorer health. Deductive reasoning would imply that a higher education level effects your income, therefore, it effects your health.

Now there can be various reasons for this, but whatever the slant of view, the facts cannot be denied.

You may not be able to change your situation in life, and you may just now be getting a hold on your own health. But we need to encourage others toward healthy living.

The character that it takes to complete school, and then to go on to higher education will only aid in successful living.

"We found that even after accounting for various risk factors, people in poverty still had higher CRP {C-reactive protein (CRP), a risk factor for heart disease}," said Dawn Alley, another corresponding author and a recent doctoral graduate from the USC Davis School. "This suggests that even beyond issues like health behaviors and chronic conditions, there is something about poverty that makes people sick, and at least part of this effect is working through CRP."

Education IS healthy!

http://www.emaxhealth.com/92/7494.html

A HIGH Quality Life!

Quality of life is a term often referred to toward the end of our lives. But what are we doing to ensure that we live a Quality Life now? In the coming days I’ll be discussing things that most of us already know, but obviously a little reminder won’t hurt. And if I can help just one person to live a longer, healthier life, my goal will have been accomplished.

IS YOUR EMOTIONAL HEART HEALTHY?

I know that life gets complicated, and sometimes there are twists and turns in life that we never anticipated or planned for. But I want to encourage you, that if there is something in your life that has you emotionally distressed “Deal with it!” No really, I MEAN deal with it.

Sometimes things happen completely out of our control (ie: grown children making poor decisions, friend or loved one ill) and we allow these things to affect our physical health by worrying, & stressing over things that we CANNOT change. If you can’t change it, admit that you can’t change it. But you CAN change how it affects you! And if there are things that emotionally have you down that you CAN change… then devise a plan to change those things so that they are no longer a negative factor.

Now, don’t everybody get mad at me all at once! I’m not a pie in the sky person, and I do live in reality. I’m just saying, WE ALL allow things to bother us that will eventually have a negative impact on our physical health if not handled properly. So, deal with those things! Face them, don’t make them bigger than they already are, and then find something positive to dwell on! Trust me, it will help!

IS YOUR PHYSICAL HEART HEALTHY?

The Center for Disease Control reports that Heart Disease is the leading cause of death in American Adults. Now I would think that just the awareness of this fact would bring down the statistic. Why don’t we make sufficient changes that are required to prevent our lives ending in this way?

But even for those of us who do make a conscious effort to increase our awareness of our physical health, sometimes there are factors beyond our control that will still remain with us.

The most complicated questions usually have pretty simple answers. So I’m not trying to be an expert. I will be here stating the obvious and discussing matters of our heart health.

Have a great day today – do something positive for your heart! And if you’re toward the end of your day, look back on today and see the good things that you did. You can’t change your mistakes, but you can learn from them to have an even better tomorrow!

Congress has Agreed:

Congressional Bill #106 Title IV "Cardiac Arrest Survival"

states the following findings accepted by the United States Congress.

(1) Over 700 lives are lost every day to sudden

(2) Two out of every three sudden cardiac deaths

(3) More than 95 percent of these cardiac arrest

 occur before a victim can reach a hospital.victims will die, many because of lack of readily available life saving medical equipment.

(4) With current medical technology, up to percent of cardiac arrest victims could be saved if victims had access to immediate medical response, including defibrillation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

(5) Once a victim has suffered a cardiac arrest,every minute that passes before returning the heart to a normal rhythm decreases the chance of survival by 10 percent. (6) Most cardiac arrests are caused by abnormal heart rhythms called ventricular fibrillation. Ventricular fibrillation occurs when the heart's electrical system malfunctions, causing a chaotic rhythm that prevents the heart from pumping oxygen to the victim's brain and body.

(7) Communities that have implemented programs ensuring widespread public access to defibrillators, combined with appropriate training, maintenance, and coordination with local emergency medical systems, have dramatically improved the survival rates from cardiac arrest.(8) Automated external defibrillator devices have been demonstrated to be safe and effective, even when used by lay people, since the devices are designed not

to allow a user to administer a shock until after the device has analyzed a victim's heart rhythm and determined that an electric shock is required.

(10) Limiting the liability of Good Samaritans

and acquirers of automated external defibrillator devices in emergency situations may encourage the use of automated external defibrillator devices, and result in saved lives.

(Emphasis mine.)

 http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-106hr2498eas/pdf/BILLS-106hr2498eas.pdf

(9) Increasing public awareness regarding automated external defibrillator devices and encouraging their use in Federal buildings will greatly facilitate their adoption.cardiac arrest in the United States alone.

Simple Device Saves Lives

According to a study by Pila Martinez of the University of Arizona, almost 75% of people who receive defibrillation within the first 3 minutes after a heart attack survived their heart attack. That is opposed to only 50% of those who received treatment after the 3 minutes.

America is seeing a widening trend in laws that are mandating the provision in AED defibrillators in public places. Studies have already proven the effectiveness of these devises. It’s only going to be a matter of time until they are considered a regular part of a company’s first response or first aid.

Approved by Governor Crist, and effective July 1, 2011 house bill No. 945 requires that assistedliving facilities with 17 or more beds must have a defibrillator on site.

All one has to do is search on the web for stories where on site defibrillators have saved the lives of young and old alike. For the small financial investment that these defibrillators suggest, it is a small price to pay to be able to save the life of one person. 
 http://www.defibrillatoroutlet.com/

The Difference

We've all heard of someone that we know or love having a 'heart attack' or that someone has suffered 'cardiac arrest'. But there is a great difference as to what these terms mean.

A Heart Attack, or myocardial infarction, occurs when a coronary artery becomes suddenly blocked. This blockage prevents blood flow to the heart, and an affected area of the heart muscle dies.

Cardiac Arrest, or  ventricular fibrillation is caused by sudden heart arrhythmia (arrhythmia is confused, erratic heart rhythm). During cardiac arrest the electrical currents that trigger each heart beat become completely chaotic. These  electrical currents control the rhythm and organization of the heartbeats, and when they become completely incomprehensible, the heart stops.

A Heart Attack can be treated with medication and sometimes surgery may be required to open the blocked artery.

Cardiac Arrest should be treated with immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and, as soon as possible, to deliver a large electrical shock to the heart with a device called a "defibrillator." The large shock allows the heart's electrical signal to reorganize itself, and the heart starts beating again. Unfortunately, because death occurs within a few minutes of cardiac arrest unless expert help is available, the large majority of individuals who suffer cardiac arrest are not successfully resuscitated.

In the past, most Cardiac Arrest victims have been lost. But due to tremendous advances in this field On-Site Defibrillators are now available to the public. The leading provider of this technology is the Phillips company.
http://www.defibrillatoroutlet.com/

If a loved one has recently died, especially suddenly, or if you know of a close family member that has suffered a Heart Attack or Cardiac Arrest, it is important that you find out as much about their health history as you can. Your own risk or a heart attack or cardiac arrest may be higher if a close relative has experienced these things. Ask their doctor to speak with you in detail about these matters. Because, IT MATTERS!