Stayin' Alive, Stayin' Alive...

Hello everyone!

​How the heart works:

The heart is a muscular organ which pumps the blood to the body. To be more specific, the right side of your heart receives oxygen-poor blood from your veins and pumps it to your lungs, where it picks up oxygen and gets rid of carbon dioxide. The left side of your heart receives oxygen-rich blood from your lungs and pumps it through your arteries to the rest of your body.

For a visual watch this video:

Some things you can do to prevent heart disease:

-Eat a healthy diet: try to limit saturated fats such as red meat aim for chicken instead. Eat plenty of fruits, whole grains and vegetables.

-Get regular exercise: it is important to aim for a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise per day. Exercising will strengthen your heart and improve circulation. It will also lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

-Get enough sleep: I know that with school it is difficult to get more than 5-6 hours of sleep, however it is crucial that you manage your schedule so you can at least get a minimum of 7-8 hours of sleep. If you don't get enough sleep, you raise your risk of high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes.

-If you are a smoker try to quit: smoking raises your blood pressure and puts you at higher risk for heart attack and stroke.

-Limit your alcohol consumption: alcohol can also raise your blood pressure, hence increase your risk of having a heart attack or stroke as well.

-Practice good hygiene: Not regularly washing your hands and not establishing other habits that can help prevent viral or bacterial infections can put you at risk of heart infections

-Reduce sodium: 1,500 mg of sodium a day or less is ideal for most adults. You can eat fewer processed foods and read the food labels prior to buying food.

-Monitor your blood pressure: blood pressure monitors are available widely and require no prescription. Go to your doctor regularly.

There are 3 factors that we cannot change to prevent heart disease they include:

1. Age

2. Sex

3. Family history

One of a heart disease complication: ANEURYSMS

What are aneurysms?

*** An aneurysm occurs when part of an artery wall weakens, allowing it to widen abnormally.

*** Aneurysm can develop almost everywhere in the body such as : the aorta, the brain, the arm, the spleen,....

***A brain aneurysm may come with symptoms like sudden dizziness, blurred vision, and seizures. Some may feel nauseous, vomit, become confused, or have a drooping eyelid.

***The main causes of aneurysms are HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE and atherosclerosis (buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on your artery walls).

***If an aneurysm bursts, you may/will face life-threatening internal bleeding.

Aortic aneurysms

-There are two locations of aortic aneurysms. One is in the chest called a thoracic aortic aneurysm. The other is in the abdomen and is called an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

-For both locations of aortic aneurysms causes include high blood pressure and atherosclerosis.

-if you have an abdominal aortic aneurysm you could experience symptoms such as: back pain, a deep pain on the side of your abdomen or a throbbing sensation near your navel.

-if you have a thoracic aortic aneurysm you might experience symptoms such as: chest or back pain, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath or coughing.

I highly recommend watching this video for more visual content on aortic aneurysms:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16742-aorta-aortic-aneurysm

Another heart disease complication: PERIPHERAL ARTERY DISEASE (PAD)

What is a peripheral artery disease?

***It occurs when the blood vessels narrows outside of your heart. The cause of PAD is atherosclerosis.

***Symptoms for PAD: painful cramps in hips, leg numbness or weakness, or coldness in your lower leg/foot.

***In most cases, lifestyle changes, exercise and medications are enough to slow the progression or even reverse the symptoms of PAD.

Once again, I hope you enjoyed reading my blog and REMEMBER TO ALWAYS STAY ALERT!

FYI: October is Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) month! SCA is one of the leading causes of death.

What is SCA?

SCA is the sudden loss of of heart function, breathing and consciousness.

What happens when someone is under SCA?

An electrical disturbance in their heart disrupts its pumping action, stopping blood flow to their body.

How can you help?

1. call 911

2. get an automated external defibrillator (AED)

3. begin CPR immediately and continue until professional emergency medical services arrive.

*** If two people are available to help, one should begin CPR immediately while the other calls 911 and finds an AED.

Your help matters... By performing CPR to the patient to the beat of the song “Staying Alive,” you can double or even triple a victim’s chance of survival.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to reach out, I am always happy to help!