Heart disease: which countries have the highest and lowest rates?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 62 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters

Prepare to scratch your head in confusion as we consider the subject of geography for a moment.

In the U.K., the Brits’ high daily consumption of saturated and trans fats – chief suspects among risk factors for heart disease – is actually topped by those living in Germany, Belgium and France. Yet these three salami-eating countries boast fewer heart disease deaths than the U.K., according to the British Heart Foundation.

Even more confusing are the people of France. Although the French smoke more, eat more fat, and consume only slightly more fruit and vegetables than the British do, the French have the lowest heart death rate in the European Union – only about one-quarter of the British rate. This is the notorious “French Paradox“, which epidemiologists have puzzled over for decades.

Although French hearts appear to be the healthiest and best preserved in Europe, they are certainly among the worst on the risk factors of diet and smoking.

The Spaniards, Finns, Italians, and Portuguese all eat less harmful fat and consume more fruit and vegetables than the French – yet die in greater numbers from heart disease.

How can this be?  Continue reading “Heart disease: which countries have the highest and lowest rates?” →

Six personality coping patterns that influence how you handle medical crises

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 8 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters

As regular readers already know, I like to include the work of cardiac psychologist Dr. Wayne Sotile on this site, mostly because what he writes about the psychological challenges of heart disease and recovery rings so true for me since my own heart attack.

His 1992 book Heart Illness and Intimacy: How Caring Relationships Aid Recovery looks at the profound impact that the stresses of heart disease can have on patients, spouses and children.

The interesting chapter called The Personality Factor: Can We Change? explores how our personalities and coping patterns can often determine how we’ll react to a life-changing cardiac event.

Based on the 1987 pioneering work of Stewart and Joines on Transactional Analysis, Sotile outlines in this chapter the six basic coping patterns that seem to drive our perceptions, our behavioural choices, and our corresponding emotional reactions to both everyday life and to a chronic and progressive diagnosis like heart disease. He explains:

“These six personality drivers become especially influential in shaping our reactions during stressful times like a serious illness.”

I recognized myself in more than one factor on this list. The six personality coping patterns are:  Continue reading “Six personality coping patterns that influence how you handle medical crises” →

Caring for elderly parents: why daughters pay a heavier toll than sons

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 13 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters

At the Canadian Stroke Congress in Quebec City recently, researchers presented a review of 42 published studies that had looked at the effects of caregiving on adult children who take care of parents who have survived a stroke. More than half of the studies looked at daughters who served as caregivers.

Although this review focused on the care of parents who were stroke survivors, no woman I know with ailing parents of any diagnosis would be surprised at the review’s findings: that adult daughters suffer more than adult sons from poor relationships with aging parents who need their care.  Review author Marina Bastawrous of the University of Toronto explained:

“Adult daughters place greater emphasis on their relationships with their parents, and when those relationships go awry, it takes a worse toll on the adult daughters than the adult sons. Overall, the studies suggest that daughters suffer more than sons when they don’t get along with their ailing and elderly parents. The relationships rupture when there is less cooperation, less communication and more conflict. ”  Continue reading “Caring for elderly parents: why daughters pay a heavier toll than sons” →

Why all the fuss over cardiac endorsement of Nintendo Wii video games?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 7 Comments

  

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters

The first time I played Wii video/fitness games over at my daughter’s house was memorable.  We laughed nonstop while we were boxing, river rafting, hula-hooping and ski-jumping in her living room, and were both huffing, puffing and sweating after an hour with the Wii console. Have you tried it yet?

Next morning, my shoulders and arms (my main boxing muscles, I would guess) were so sore I could barely lift my coffee cup.  This was a sure sign that I’d been getting a great workout, while having heaps of fun.

The American Heart Association thinks it’s a great cardiac workout, too.  In fact, the AHA has entered into a “strategic relationship” with Nintendo to endorse its Wii video game system, saying that active-play video games like Wii can be part of a healthy lifestyle.  The Wii gaming console, the Wii Fit Plus, and the Wii Sports Resort will all carry the AHA’s seal of approval.

So what could be wrong with this new AHA endorsement on such a swell product? It was the TV show Good Morning America that first raised the alarm over the partnership.  Continue reading “Why all the fuss over cardiac endorsement of Nintendo Wii video games?” →