Sheltering Arms Goes Red
Sheltering Arms Physical Rehabilitation Centers went red on Friday, February 3rd for The National Heart Association’s National Wear Red® Day. The campaign kicks off heart health awareness month.
Millions of Americans live with heart disease, stroke or a cardiovascular condition; however, heart disease is the number one killer of women – more than cancer. It causes one in three deaths each year, which is about one woman every minute. The Go Red For Women movement advocates for more research and swifter action for women’s heart health.
The doctors, nurses, and therapists at Sheltering Arms understand the importance of exercise and cardiac rehabilitative therapies. A lack of physical activity comes with great risks including blood clots, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and other heart-related problems. Becoming more active keeps the number one killer in women at bay by reducing heart disease by 30-40 percent and stroke by 25 percent in people who do regular moderate to vigorous activity.
Do you know some of the key cardiac definitions?
Aneurysm: A sac formed by the localized dilation of the wall of an artery, vein, or the heart. Aneurysms tend to increase in size, presenting a problem of increasing pressure against adjacent tissues and organs and a danger of rupture.
Angina Pectoris: Acute pain around the heart radiating to left shoulder and possibly to left arm (may radiate to back or jaw). It is caused by inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle.
Arrhythmia: Variation from the normal rhythm, especially of the heartbeat.
Atherosclerosis: An extremely common form of arteriosclerosis in which deposits of yellowing plaques (atheromas) containing cholesterol, other lipoid material, lipophages are formed within the inner layer (intima) of large and medium-sized arteries.
Bradycardia: Abnormally slow heartbeat, defined as heart rate under 60 beats/min.
Cardiac palpitations: Rapid or throbbing pulsations of the heart (premature ventricular contractions) that can be consciously felt by patient.
Congestive heart failure (CHF): Condition characterized by weakness, shortness of breath, abdominal discomfort, edema in lower extremities, and reduced blood flow from the left ventricle.
Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG): Procedure which installs an alternate route for blood to the myocardium to bypass an obstructed vessel. Grafting refers to the transplantation of a vessel, often the saphenous, to repair the defect.
Coronary artery disease: A disease process that is the result of an arteriosclerotic process, created by a thickening in the intimal, or inner layer, of the vessel.
Dyspnea: Labored or difficulty breathing, often accompanied by chest pain. Wheezing sounds occur because of inelasticity of and secretions in the respiratory tract.
Hypertension: A condition in which blood pressure is higher than that considered “normal”.
Pursed lip breathing: Method of controlled breathing in which lips are pursed during exhalation, thereby slowing the exhalation process and improving the carbon dioxide exchange as well as preventing airway collapse.
Syncope: A transient loss of consciousness caused by inadequate blood flow to the brain.
Tachycardia: Abnormal rapid heartbeat, usually defined as over 100 beats/min.
Approximately 80 percent of cardiac events can be prevented with education and lifestyle changes. To learn more about the Sheltering Arms cardiac rehabilitation program, call (877) 56-REHAB.