HEALTH TIPS

• Healthy Heart Tips
• 10 Ways to Stop Smoking
• Understanding Hearing Loss

• For more health information, you may search MedlinePlus through the link below

MedlinePlus directs you to information to help answer health questions. MedlinePlus brings together authoritative information from NLM, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations. MedlinePlus also contains extensive information about drugs and supplements, an illustrated medical encyclopedia, interactive tutorials, the latest health news, and surgery videos.

[Back to Top]

If you want your heart to be healthy for the rest of your life, follow this prescription:

1. Get plenty of exercise.
2. Follow a good diet.
3. Keep your heart clean and drug-free.

People who don't follow this prescription often develop some form of heart disease.

Be heart smart and have a healthy heart.

1. Get plenty of exercise.

The hardest part of an exercise routine is getting started. Once you've established a regular pattern of exercise, you'll find yourself following it. So, how do you get started? Well, first of all, consult your doctor. Your doctor can recommend the specific kinds of exercise for your own individual needs. Generally, however, these guidelines should get you going.

First of all, exercise will only become a habit if it's fun! Pick something you will enjoy doing. If you like being with a group of people, try a team sport like basketball or soccer. You don't have to be a super athlete. Anyone can exercise. Social activities like dancing and mall-walking are also good. If you're more of a loner, try bicycling or swimming.

Don't kid yourself. Be honest about what you realistically think you can do. If you have always hated to climb stairs, step aerobics probably isn't for you. Maybe a walk around the neighborhood would be more pleasant. Many people today are walking toward fitness.

Consider your current state of physical fitness. If you haven't exercised in years, you'll definitely want to start with some modest activities. As you get adjusted, you can increase your activity.

Consider your schedule. Are you a morning person? Then plan to exercise in the morning. If you're addicted to your snooze button, plan to exercise in the evening. Start with just a small block of time, maybe fifteen minutes. As you get into your routine, you probably won't mind increasing to twenty, and then thirty, minutes. In order to be effective, you'll need to repeat your exercise routine 3 or 4 times per week.

Will you exercise at home or at a fitness center? Selecting a fitness center can be a challenge, but you may find the community support motivational. Will you need any special equipment? The variety of exercise equipment available for purchase today can be overwhelming. Be sure to buy the proper equipment.

Finally, take it easy. Make sure that you exercise intelligently and cautiously. Follow some guidelines for beginners. Exercise should improve your health, not risk it.

If you're still making excuses, at least try some of the Healthy Heart Tips for today. These simple, realistic activities can become the first step toward a healthier tomorrow.

If you're not convinced about the need to develop an exercise program for your life, you can at least try following some of these tips in your everyday routine. Take advantage of any opportunity for exercise. Try some today.

• Take the stairs instead of an elevator or escalator at school or the mall. Just start with one flight. Soon, you'll be ready for two.
• Park your car at the far end of the parking lot. The short walk to and from the store or school helps your heart.
• If you ride a bus or subway, get off a stop before your destination. Walk the rest of the way.
• If you can, spend a few minutes of your lunch break taking a stroll around the campus grounds. It should help you stay awake after lunch.
• Think of housework as an extra chance to exercise. Vacuuming briskly can be a real workout.
• Mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, and raking leaves are chores that can be done yourself as a chance to exercise.
• If you have a dog, think of the dog as an exercise machine with fur. A brisk walk with the dog is good for both of your hearts. Make it a part of your daily routine.
• If you have a family, schedule an after-dinner walk. Make it quality time.

2. Follow a good diet.

If you want to have a healthy heart, you have to learn how to eat a healthy heart diet. All of the food you eat effects the health of your heart. Learn which foods are heart smart and try to include them as a regular part of your diet.

Consult your doctor for an eating plan that best suits your dietary needs. If you are of average health, you can probably follow the Food Pyramid eating plan.

Build the foundation of your daily eating plan with
6 to 11 servings from the Bread, Cereal, Rice & Pasta Group.

Choose an item from the Vegetable group
at least 3 to 5 times each day.

It's a treat to enjoy 2 to 4 servings from the
Fruit Group as part of your daily diet.

Limit your selection of Milk, Yogurt & Cheese
to just 2 to 3 items per day.

Get protein from the Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs & Nuts
through 2 to 3 servings every day.

Top off your daily eating plan with
Fats, Oils & Sweets, but only in small quantities.

No matter which eating plan you follow, the following guidelines are recommended:

• Total fat intake should be less than 30 percent of total calories daily.
• Saturated fatty acid intake should be less than 10 percent of total calories daily.
• Polyunsaturated fatty acid intake should be no more that 10 percent of total calories daily.
• Monounsaturated fatty acids make up the rest of total fat intake, about 10 to 15 percent of total calories daily.
• Cholesterol intake should be no more than 300 milligrams per day.
• Sodium intake should be no more than 3000 milligrams per day.
• Beware of chemicals in your food like caffeine, MSG, and other food additives.

3. Keep your heart clean and drug-free.

The human heart's job is to pump nutrient-rich blood throughout your body. If you smoke, take drugs, or drink alcohol excessively, you are giving your heart extra work. How do you feel when you have too much work to do? Your heart cannot handle too much extra work over a long period of time. Over time, the health of your heart will suffer.

Scientists have proven that smoking doubles your risk of having a heart attack and doubles, triples, or quadruples your risk of sudden cardiac death. Each year, over 300,000 Americans die of smoking-related heart disease. So, don't smoke. If you do, quit. The sooner you quit, the sooner your risk will start to decline. There is hope. Former smokers can completely lower their risk of sudden cardiac death within ten years of quitting.

Because they are foreign substances, any drug can effect your heart. Even prescribed medications can. However, since prescribed medications are legal, doctors are able to control the effect a drug will have on your heart by controlling the dosage. With illegal drugs (cocaine, heroin, marijuana, amphetamines, etc.), YOU have to control the effect on your heart. Can you do that? Only if you don't take any. Even a small amount of a drug can be potentially fatal. So, don't use illegal drugs. If you do, quit.

While drinking alcohol in moderation may not pose a risk, drinking excessively does pose a serious hazard to your heart. While alcohol flows in your blood stream, the nutrient-rich blood is less able to nourish the heart. If the alcohol content is excessive, your heart will be in danger. So, don't drink alcohol excessively. If you do, quit.

-- Taken from http://sln.fi.edu

[Back to Top]

1. Be truly motivated.  Have good solid reasons for wanting to quit – self esteem, concern for your health, concern for loved ones who are affected by your habits.

2. Set date to quit and follow it.

3. Take positive action to break the habit. Destroy any cigarette you have in the house.  Get all your tobacco-smelling clothing cleaned.  Throw away your ash trays.

4. Avoid all tobacco laden atmospheres and friends who are smokers during your withdrawal period.  Visit places where smoking is forbidden such as libraries and museums.

5. Save all the money you would have spent on tobacco and count it after a month.  Buy something you really need.  Alternatively use that money to buy a gift for your spouse or child.  Their happiness will be an extra motivator for you to continue in your smoke free course.

6. Keep your hands and mouth busy at those times when you would have been smoking.  Try chewing gum or sucking on mints when you get the urge to have a cigarette.  Instead of smoking, brush teeth after meals.  Take a walk, garden, sew, write a letter, clean the car, etc.

7. When feeling nervous or anxious, rather than reaching for a smoke, try breathing deeply and slowly.  Drink plenty of water and fruit juices.

8. Get some regular exercise.  Your improving physical condition will encourage you.

9. Cut down on alcohol consumption.  Alcohol and cigarettes often go hand in hand.  Alcohol can trigger the desire to smoke.

10. Fight against bad reasoning that may tempt you to smoke.  Don’t fool yourself with, “I’ll just have one today to get me through this tough time,” or “Smoking is my only vice.”

[Back to Top]

The essence of hearing loss is its effect on communication and the resulting impact on cognitive, speech, language and psychosocial development and function with the corresponding changes in behavioral patterns.  This not only affects the individual with the hearing loss but especially those around him.

Hearing loss differs from most afflictions in that it is not usually characterized by pain or physical discomfort.  It is usually a gradual and steady process that can easily develop into a physical handicap before it commands attention.  Very often, the problem is ignored, or explained with problems such as “fatigue” or that the speaker mumbles and usually it is the family members or friends who notice this. Unfortunately, many hearing impaired seem strangely reluctant to admit a problem, often suffering needlessly for years before seeking help.

As with most other health problems, early detection offers the best hope of finding a treatment that will slow the deterioration of hearing, or at least compensate for it.  Early detection leads to more ready acceptance of the hearing loss and thus a more normal maintenance of mental and social activities.  Recognizing a hearing loss in yourself or someone you know is the first step towards improving the situation.

Below are some helpful warnings of Hearing Loss. 

• You can hear but cannot understand.  Among the first sounds that disappear are those high pitched ones like:
  • Women and children’s voices
  • Telephone dial tones and confusion among sounds of words such as: "dime", "time" or "bake", "take"
  • Bird songs
• Because most hearing problems occur in the higher tone, you may first notice that the hearing problem when there are many people talking at the same time or when there are high levels of the background noise to contend with.
• Simple conversations with family, friends and business associates become increasingly more difficult.
• You find yourself complaining that people are mumbling or slurring their words.
• Continually asking people to repeat words or phrases, though they feel that they are speaking loud enough.
• Prefer the TV or radio louder than others do.
• Difficulty understanding conversations with a group of people.
• Presence of ringing in the ears (tinnitus) or other head noises like hissing.
• Some sounds may seem abnormally loud to you or even cause pain.
• You are talking too loud yourself in relation to others.
• Have periods of increasing bad temper and aloofness.

These warning signs are the most commonly encountered ones.  Your observations according to the above could help in the general assessment of someone who is suspected of having hearing loss.

If any of these apply to you, your loved ones or friends, please allow us to help.  You can visit our Ear Care Center at Room 206, 2^nd Flr., VRP Medical Center Bldg. or call us at 531-4911 loc. 504.

[Back to Top]