Tag: health

Can exercise trigger a heart attack?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 13 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters

Last winter, I heard about four men in Ottawa – ages 45-72 – who had heart attacks, all on the same afternoon and all while shovelling snow.  Despite news reports like this, it is not true that Ottawa men will do just about anything to get out of doing their chores.

Nor is it true that exercise all by itself will trigger a heart attack.

According to Mayo Clinic cardiologist Dr. Sharonne Hayes:

“All heart attack patients have had an underlying condition that caused the attack.”  

Most heart attacks, in fact, are 20-30 years in the making.

About half of all heart attack survivors, however, mistakenly blame the attack on one specific event – such as extreme exertion.   Continue reading “Can exercise trigger a heart attack?” →

The chest pain of angina comes in four flavours

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 45 Comments

woman angina

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥  @HeartSisters

There are four main types of angina pectoris women should know about, no matter how you pronounce it: ‘anj-EYE-nuh’ in Canada or Australia, or ‘AN-gin-uh’ in the U.S.   This term is translated as “strangling in the chest”.

The chest pain called angina is not the same as a heart attack – but it can feel like one and can in fact lead to one. Here are the four types of angina you need to know:

  • Stable angina: Mayo Clinic cardiologists define this as any pain/discomfort between neck and navel that comes on with exertion and is relieved by rest. When you climb stairs, exercise or walk, your heart muscle demands more blood, but it’s harder for the muscle to get enough blood when your coronary arteries have become narrowed. Stable angina can also be triggered by emotional stress, cold temperatures, heavy meals, smoking or other activities that can narrow arteries. learn more about the other three types of angina

My cardiologist: “the devil himself”

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 4 Comments

devil on brown paper

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters

Letters to the Editor, Victoria Times Colonist

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

‘Dress codes in hospital should respect patients’

Dear Editor,

In May, I had to stay in the Royal Jubilee Hospital cardiology ward. At that time they decided to do a cardio conversion. Then in walks the devil himself to do the task. He wore tight jeans, a shirt of some ungodly print and had curly hair hanging down past his bum. Not OK. I am a 66-year-old woman with a serious heart condition and I just wanted to get up and run.

Whatever happened to dress code? A white coat and clean hands gives a person a feeling of confidence. Is it some kind of infringement on these people’s rights? One seldom knows if they are talking to the janitor or head nurse. I feel I deserve better than that in the hospital.

Sincerely,

Mrs. M.A., Victoria, BC  Canada click here to read my response to this letter

Women’s heart disease and chronic stress

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 6 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters

Cardiology researchers have recently begun calling on doctors to include the diagnosis and treatment of stress in the routine care for patients with heart disease.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, led by researchers at Université Laval in Quebec City, found that first-time heart attack survivors who returned to chronically stressful jobs within 18 months of their heart attacks were twice as likely to have a second heart attack as patients whose occupations were less stressful, and also had a markedly higher risk of death than their less-stressed peers.   click to continue reading