(NAPSI)—While death from heart attack is highest during the winter
holidays, you can protect heart health with diet, exercise and taking
prescribed medication.
The Problem
Juggling all the extra pressures of a busy holiday schedule can wreak
havoc on your healthy habits, but it’s one of the most dangerous times
to lower your guard. Research shows deaths from heart attacks peak during
December and January.
“Changes in diet and alcohol consumption; stress from family
interactions, strained finances, travel and entertaining; and even
respiratory problems from burning wood are all possible reasons for the
increase in heart attacks during the holidays,” explains John Osborne,
M.D., Ph.D., a preventive cardiologist for State of the Heart Cardiology.
A Solution
If you’ve had a heart attack, it’s especially important to
maintain a healthy diet, stick to an exercise plan and take medicines as
prescribed. About 20 percent of heart attack survivors over the age of 45
will have another heart attack within five years of their first.
“Making lifestyle changes can be difficult,” adds Osborne. “Many
of my patients use mobile apps that provide education and electronic
reminders to help stay focused on how to protect their heart health and
minimize risks.”
One such app is My Cardiac Coach, a free and easy-to-use mobile app
developed by the American Heart Association that empowers people to take
control of their heart health using interactive tools to learn about their
condition, track medications and closely monitor any changes.
One Man’s Story
For example, Lex Roulston overhauled his diet and increased exercise after
having a quintuple bypass surgery in 2001, since all five of his coronary
arteries were blocked. Roulston said he “never thought about what he
ate or worried about his health,” and that his bypass surgery “was
a big wake-up call” to take his health seriously and protect his heart
health.
Roulston, now 84, relied on in-person resources through a cardiac care
program following his bypass surgery, but said mobile tools such as My Cardiac
Coach can provide the support, as well as access to medical information, that
proved so crucial as he made significant lifestyle changes.
“It’s just another tool to help you make a lifestyle change,”
said Roulston, who, with his wife, funded the Lex and Eileen Roulston
Lifestyle Change Initiative and Lee County Support Network for Survivors and
Caregivers to provide a local support network to people in Lee County, Fla. “Having
the tools to support you makes it a lot easier to make changes, especially as
you face challenges.”
Learn More
For further facts about My Cardiac Coach and to download the app for Apple
or Android mobile devices, go to www.heart.org/MyCardiacCoach.
On the Net:North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.(NAPSI)