Our February Focus is Heart Health

In February we acknowledge Black History, Chinese New Year, Heart Health, Valentine's Day, and more. Let's start by talking about cardiovascular health. Have you resumed your normal aerobic exercise since the holidays? Have you started a new aerobic exercise? Have you forgotten what aerobic exercise is? ("Yes!" ~ me) Since having kids 22 years ago my cardio exercise has been spotty at best! I am not the “let’s go for a run” kinda gal. The only stationary cardio equipment I like is the elliptical. The things I love to do most require time and special equipment ~ hiking, dancing, kickboxing. Currently I am rehabbing an ankle injury and trying to get back to hiking ~ if you want to watch my progress you can find it on youtube! When we talk about cardiovascular health from a physical therapist perspective we are considering

• Your resting heart rate (RHR)
• Your oxygen saturation (O2 Sat)
• Your heart and lung exercise capacity
• Your Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

There are Physical Therapists who are Board-Certified Clinical Specialists in Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy who do much more than the above.

The Stats of Heart Health:

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States.
• One person dies every 36 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease.
• About 659,000 people in the United States die from heart disease each year—that’s 1 in every 4 deaths.
• Heart disease costs the United States about $363 billion each year from 2016 to 2017. This includes the cost of healthcare services, medicines, and lost productivity due to death.
• In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds.
• Every year, about 805,000 people in the United States have a heart attack.
• About 1 in 5 heart attacks is silent—the damage is done, but the person is not aware of it.

https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm

The major symptoms of a heart attack are:

• Chest pain or discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center or left side of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes or that goes away and comes back.
• The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain. Feeling weak, light-headed, or faint. You may also break out into a cold sweat.
• Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back.
• Pain or discomfort in one or both arms or shoulders.
• Shortness of breath. This often comes along with chest discomfort, but shortness of breath also can happen before chest discomfort.

https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/heart_attack.htm

Women also may have other symptoms, including:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Fatigue

https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/women.htm

To lower your chances of getting heart disease:

• Know your blood pressure. Take steps to lower it if it is high.
• Diabetes raises your risk of heart disease. Take steps to control your blood sugar.
• Quit smoking. If you don’t smoke, don’t start.
• Know your cholesterol and triglycerides. Take steps to lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol.
• Maintain a healthy weight, through exercise and healthy food choices.
• Limit how much alcohol you drink to one drink a day.
• Manage stress levels by finding healthy ways to cope with stress.
• Speak to your physician if you are feeling sad, down, depressed, not like yourself.

https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/risk_factors.htm

If you are concerned about your heart health, start with a full physical at your physician's office. If your physician recommends specific therapies for you or you know you have a heart or lung condition that requires specialized care you can find a Physical Therapist who is Board Certified in Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy here! If not then head over to Cairn Physical Therapy & Wellness for a FREE Discovery Visit to discover how we can help you have a healthy heart!

Not only do we consider your:

1. Resting Heart Rate (RHR)
2. Oxygen Saturation (O2 Sat)
3. Heart and lung exercise capacity
4. Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

But we also assess your:

1. Stress level
2. Food choices
3. Breathing techniques
4. Exercise routine ~ the content, the variety, the effectiveness
5. Any limitations you may be facing ~ physically, intellectually, psycho~social~emotionally, energetically and spiritually.

And we make sure that all of the above is working for you so you can meet your goals. If not, we create a plan to help you return to or improve your performance in the activities you love.

For a Free Discovery visit, or for answers to any questions you have, call 424-244-0575 or email drroxi@cairnptwellness.com. We look forward to helping you quickly and confidently return to the activities you love!

Stay tuned for more heart heath advice this month. Until then, Be Well!

Dr. Roxi Visit us on the web at www.cairnptwellness.com On FB @cairnptwellness On Instagram @drroxiz And on YouTube