WVU Medicine Uniontown Hospital presents 鈥淥ptimizing your heart health.鈥�
WVU Medicine Uniontown Hospital presents 鈥淥ptimizing your heart health.鈥�
February is National Heart Month and WVU Medicine Uniontown Hospital wants to help you take great care of your heart. This month, Dr. Affan Haleem, M.D., talks about common challenges around heart health and some simple steps you can take to strengthen your heart.
1. What is heart disease?听
ANSWER: Any illness affecting the normal functioning of the heart can lead to heart disease. Normal functioning of the human heart requires a careful synchrony of its individual components, much like an orchestra. If one component falls out of tone, the overall efficiency decreases. This is what we often see in heart disease.
2. Why should I be concerned about the health of my heart?
ANSWER: Heart disease is the leading cause of death in United States. Most of us will have heart issues at some point in our lives. Thankfully, we have good treatment options for most heart conditions. As long as we keep an eye on our health and get timely care, the quality of our lives can be maintained.
3. What kind of diet is considered heart healthy?
ANSWER: An overall 鈥渂alanced鈥� diet is generally heart healthy. Less fast food and an increased variety can help reduce our risk of heart disease. Our diets typically affect our health over decades. Understanding the role of nutrition can be very challenging from a research perspective. This is why we often see contradictory research on this topic. Most importantly, home cooked meals over fast foods and eating a variety of vegetables and protein can help make sure we鈥檙e not accumulating too much of the unhealthy stuff in our bodies.
4. Why is salt bad and why is fiber good?
ANSWER: Excessive salt intake can cause our body to retain extra water. This can lead to long term problems such as high blood pressure. In people with inefficient heart function, this salt and the excessive water can cause breathing difficulty and swelling. Fiber can help regulate our cholesterol and reduce the risk of cholesterol buildup in heart arteries.
5. How does exercise play into the health of my heart and what should I make sure I am doing?
ANSWER: Like any other muscle, exercise can help improve heart performance. 鈥淐ardio鈥� exercises such as walking, jogging, climbing stairs can train our heart and help blood vessels expand and develop. We recommend 30 minutes of daily walking at a steady pace without stopping to maintain heart function. Walking at work may make your legs sore but typically does not lead to the same heart benefits.
6. What about stress? Does that play a role in my heart health?
ANSWER: There is clear evidence that stress can lead to heart disease. Usually, this occurs over years, likely decades. There are occasions when lifechanging stressful events can cause dramatic changes in the heart and even change its shape! Finding time for ourselves to decompress and be able to pursue our hobbies or interests can lead to measurable decrease in stress hormone levels in the blood.
7. What other things can I do听to ensure my best heart health?
ANSWER: Reducing exposure to tobacco is one of the most impactful things we can do for our heart. Even second-hand smoking can cause long term diseases that we almost never see in non-smokers. If you or a loved one continues to smoke, please, please, please find a way to stop! If you have a strong family his- tory of heart attacks or strokes, certain medications can reduce your risk. We can help you decide if these medications are right for you.
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