Tag Archives: blood pressure

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

HEART FACTS WE ALL SHOULD KNOW

Because February is American Heart Month, we want to share more information regarding heart health.  There are some important numbers you should know.  You could keep this list, and the next time you have a physical, including blood work, ask your doctor to explain just exactly where your numbers are. 

  • 120/80 or under is normal blood pressure for adults.
  • Less than 200 mg/dl is a desirable cholesterol level.
  • Less than 100 mg/dl is an optimal level of LDL, or “bad” cholesterol.
  • More than 40 mg/dl is a desirable level of HDL, or “good” cholesterol.
  • Less than 150 mg/dl is a desirable level of triglycerides.  This blood fat, like LDL, can make your arteries harden or narrow.
  • Less than 35 inches for women, and less than 40 inches for men, is the best waist size.  Too much fat around the waist ups heart disease risk.  To measure your waist, put a tape measure around your midsection, just above your hips, and breathe out.
  • Between 18.5 and 24.9 is a normal body mass index (BMI).  A higher BMI can increase your risk for heart disease.
  • ZERO is your ideal exposure to tobacco, including secondhand smoke.
  • At least 30 minutes most days is how much to exercise.  Regular exercise can lower your resting heart rate.  According to a recent study in American Heart Journal, a resting heart rate higher than 90 doubled the risk for heart disease. 

FACTS WOMEN SHOULD BE AWARE OF

Many women think of heart disease as a man’s problem; however, each year, almost as many women as men die of heart disease.  Women may be less likely to survive heart attacks as men.  Why? One possible reason is women’s smaller hearts and blood vessels are more likely to be damaged.  Another reason is women may not recognize or respond to heart attack symptoms. 

Both genders usually experience the most common sign of a heart attack – pain and discomfort in the chest.  Women are more likely than men to have other signs of a heart attack.  Here are some of the symptoms they may have:

  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Shortness of breath
  • Extreme fatigue, sometimes for days or weeks beforehand
  • Pain in the back, neck, and jaw
  • Light-headedness or a cold sweat
  • Heartburn, coughing, heart flutters, or loss of appetite 

These symptoms can come on suddenly or develop over days or weeks.  The more signs you have, the likelier it is to be a heart attack.  Every minute counts: treatment within an hour offers the best chance for survival.  If you suspect a heart attack, call 911 immediately.  On a personal note: my sister-in-law is an E.R. nurse, and she told me that too many times men come to the E.R. complaining of indigestion, when in fact, they are having a heart attack.

Don’t ignore the symptoms.  Get to an emergency room in order to be sure of what is causing the pain.  My husband thought his problem was indigestion; however, when he finally decided to go to the E.R., he was immediately taken by ambulance to a larger hospital, where they discovered he needed four bypasses.  Thankfully, he is doing well now.  

Please take care of your ticker – it’s the only one you have! 

Sources: CDC; American Academy of Family Physicians, National Women’s Health Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and American Heart Association.

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

LET’S KEEP OUR HEARTS HEALTHY!

We all need little reminders that our hearts must be healthy in order to keep us going.  Every day stress, at work or home, can add to health problems.  If we keep in mind the numbers everyone should know, such as goals for heart health, hopefully, we can continue working and being productive.  After retirement, we also want to be healthy enough to enjoy other activities, or part-time work. 

It is important that you know your numbers, and these are important ones:

  •          120/80 or under is normal blood pressure for adults.
  •          Less than 200 mg/dl is a desirable cholesterol level.
  •         Less than 100 mg/dl is an optimal level of LDL, or “bad” cholesterol.
  •         More than 40 mg/dl is a desirable level of HDL, or “good,” cholesterol for men; women’s should be at least 50.
  •         Less than 150 mg/dl is a desirable level of triglycerides.  This blood fat, like LDL, can make your arteries harden or narrow.
  •         Between 18.5 and 24.9 is a normal body mass index (BMI).  A higher BMI can increase your risk for heart disease.
  •         Less than 35 inches for women, and less than 40 inches for men, is the best waist size.  Too much fat around the waist increases heart disease risk.      To  measure your waist, put a tape measure around your midsection, just above your hips, and breathe out.
  •          Zero is your ideal exposure to tobacco, including secondhand smoke.
  •          At least 30 minutes most days is how much to exercise.  Regular exercise can lower your resting heart rate.  According to a recent study in American Heart Journal, a resting heart rate higher than 90 doubled the risk for heart disease.

If you don’t know how much your body mass index is, here are some explanations on how to figure it.  First, you can use a free body mass calculator online, or if you prefer, we have some instructions on how to do it yourself.

Established by the federal government as a standard to determine obesity, Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. A Body Mass Index between 18.5 and 25 is ideal. People with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 are overweight and a BMI greater than 30 indicates obesity. Being overweight increases the chances of serious health risks like heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. But Body Mass Index is not a foolproof measurement. Though muscle tissue weighs more than fat tissue, BMI calculation doesn’t recognize the difference between muscle and fat; an aggravating footnote for people who spend a lot of time at the gym. For those who lead more sedentary lives however, BMI can be a useful first indicator of general fitness.

Use Discovery Health’s free BMI calculator to find out what your body mass index is. Simply put in your height and weight, and let Discovery Health’s free BMI calculator work for you.

Here are instructions in case you prefer to figure your BMI yourself:

         First you will need to know what your height is in inches. This is quite simple, just take your height and multiply it by 12 and add the inches. For example if your 6’2”, take 6 feet times 12, which is 72. Then add the 2 extra inches, which is 74 inches. Simple enough. Write this number down.

         Next in figuring your BMI, you will need to know your weight in pounds. This can be done on any scale measured in pounds. Write this number down.

         Now we are ready to calculate. Take your height and multiply it by itself. So in the previous example, just multiply 74 x 74, which is 5476. Now multiply that result by 703. This number is fixed. It’s always the same when calculating BMI. Continuing with our example, we take 5476 x 703, which equals 3849628.

         Then, divide your weight by that result. So say the weight in pounds is 180. We take 180 / 3849628, which equals 4.6 lbs. So in this example, the person who is 6’2” and 180 lbs is overweight by 4.6 lbs. This is how you figure Body Mass Index.

Let’s make a pact to take better care of ourselves and keep those hearts ticking!

Source: CDCP; American Heart Association; Strive; eHow.com/health; Discovery Health.

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

HEALTHY HEARTS ARE IMPORTANT!

We began the month of February asking everyone to wear red on Friday, February 4, to help everyone be aware of taking care of our hearts, and stating that heart disease is the #1 killer of both men and women in the United States.  Midway through February, we again talked about keeping our hearts healthy.  What better way to end the month than to again express the importance of this subject – keeping the very most vital organ in our body in good shape. 

Everyone should discuss their heart health with a physician.  He/she should know important things about their patients – family history, blood pressure, and other risk factors that need to be watched.  Also, too much sodium intake should be avoided.  Healthy people should consume a maximum of 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day, which equals 1 Tablespoon.  Those with high blood pressure or other risk factors should not consume more than 1,500 milligrams per day.  Over 75% of sodium consumption comes from pre-processed foods. 

Your primary care manager can determine what risk factors you might have.  Age (men over 45, and women over 55), tobacco use, inactive, diabetes, and overweight/obese, are all risk factors; family history cannot be changed, but tobacco use, weight, and high cholesterol can.  Your physician will order a lipoprotein test, an analysis that breaks down cholesterol into four groups:

  1. Total cholesterol;
  2. Low density lipoproteins (LDL), “bad” cholesterol;
  3. High density lipoproteins (HDL), “good” cholesterol;
  4. Triglycerides.

Fasting prior to this test is required in order to ensure an accurate reading.

Total cholesterol values over 200 may indicate an increased risk for heart disease.  However, LDL levels better predict risk factor for heart disease.  Those with known heart disease (previous heart attack or peripheral vascular disease) or diabetes should have levels under 100.  LDL over 130, with two or more of the above risk factors, is abnormal.  An LDL over 160, with one or fewer of the risk factors, is also abnormal.  HDL cholesterol more than or equal to 60 takes away one risk factor and decreases your risk for heart disease.  Levels under 40 add a risk factor.  Normal triglyceride levels are under 150.  However, as with other components of the lipid test, fasting less than 9-12 hours may alter triglyceride results.  The best policy is to sit down with your doctor and let him explain these results in detail so you understand exactly where you stand. 

Also, here’s news about the  importance of training kids in CPR.  It is important for both adults and kids to know how to administer this life-saving procedure.  Here are the facts:

  • Effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest, can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival.
  • 85% of cardiac events happen in the company of family and friends.
  • The incidence of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest in high school athletes ranges from .23 to 1 death per 100,000 high school athletes in the U.S. annually.
  • Studies have shown that children as young as 9 years old can learn and retain CPR skills.
  • About 5,900 children 18 years old and under suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year from all causes, including trauma, cardiovascular causes and sudden infant death syndrome. 

Last, but not least, I want to leave February heart health tips for you with a recipe that I found on the North Carolina State Health Plan website:

“RECIPE FOR A HEALTHY HEART” 

Preparation Time: Depends on you

Level of difficulty: Easy to moderate

Ingredients:

1 ounce of prevention

1 or more motivated individuals

Lbs of healthy weight (remove large amounts of fat)

Well-balanced nutrition

4-6 servings of exercise/week

Blood pressure management

Less than 200mg cholesterol/day

Controlled blood sugar (glucose), if diabetic

A pinch of stress management

Moderate alcohol consumption (O optional)

O tobacco (for best results) 

Instructions: Combine the above ingredients on a regular basis, you will feel better, and your heart will thank you!