- Heart CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAre you getting enough shut-eye to keep your heart ticking strong? You should. A recent study found that people who sleep less than seven hours a night had a 48 percent higher risk of developing or dying from coronary heart disease, and a 15 percent higher risk of dying from stroke. Jonathan Altschuler, MD, a cardiologist at AAMC, explains why you should make sleep a priority. Q: Why is sleep necessary for a healthy heart? A: The majority of working adults are sleep deprived. They get less than eight hours of sleep a night. Some doctors have found that getting less than eight hours of sleep can lead to hypertension, which is a key risk factor for heart disease. Q: What other heart-related conditions can be affected by lack of sleep? A: Sleep apnea. If left untreated, this condition can lead to a higher risk of an irregular heartbeat. If you experience unexplained daytime sleepiness, you may have sleep apnea. See your doctor. There are a lot of good treatment options for sleep apnea today. Q: What tips can you provide for getting more and better rest? A: Stick to a consistent sleep schedule. Wake up and go to bed at the same time each day. Exercise regularly. Aim for 30 minutes five times a week. Finally, avoid bright lights in the evening from your computer screen. Read Dr. Altschuler’s tips for maintaining a healthy heart by avoiding processed carbohydrates and address sugar. Learn your risk for heart disease with our free online heart health profiler at askAAMC.org/HeartHealth and take the first step toward having a healthy heart for life. Author Jonathan Altschuler, MD, is a cardiologist at AAMC. Originally published Feb. 15, 2017. Last updated Feb. 3, 2020.
- Men's Health, Senior Care, Women's Health, Heart CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogHeart disease strikes someone in the United States every 43 seconds, according to the American Heart Association. While we’ve made strides in reducing the death rate from heart disease, it’s still the number one cause of death in the U.S., killing more than 375,000 people a year. The good news is you’re never too old—or too young—to take care of your heart. You can benefit from taking simple steps toward better heart health in every decade of life. In your 30s Prevention is key. This is a busy time when people often juggle demanding careers and young families. Make your health a priority with regular cardiovascular exercise and a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables. It’s never too early to learn about any family history of heart disease. Family history raises your own risk. In your 40s Your metabolism slows down, so watch your weight. Exercise and diet are even more important to help you avoid weight gain. Get familiar with your numbers—blood pressure, body mass index (BMI) and cholesterol. Start these screenings early and have them done regularly. Work with your doctor to monitor any changes from year to year. In your 50s Aging is one risk factor for heart disease that you can’t control. That’s why it’s important to continue to focus on factors you can control, such as blood pressure, your weight, cholesterol and smoking tobacco. Smoking raises your risk for heart disease and sudden cardiac death. If you need help quitting, you can find classes to help at askAAMC.org/events or call 443-481-5366. During this decade you might also want to talk to your doctor about a calcium heart scan. This test looks for calcium deposits that can narrow your arteries and increase your heart attack risk. Your calcium score can reveal you have a higher risk of heart disease before other symptoms present themselves. In your 60s All the hard work you’ve put into your diet, exercise and knowing your numbers will pay off at this stage of life. If you haven’t been as diligent, talk with your doctor before making drastic changes to your exercise routine. Be sure to get appropriate screenings to learn your heart health risks. As you age, blood pressure, cholesterol and other heart-related numbers tend to rise. Watch your health closely and address any issues that come up. Author By Jerome Segal, MD, interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Heart Institute at Anne Arundel Medical Center. Originally published Feb. 10, 2016. Last updated Feb. 3, 2020.
- Men's Health, Women's Health, Heart CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogThe number one killer in America is heart disease. What if I told you there were six things you could do to make you 70 percent less likely to have a heart attack? A study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that if women followed six healthy lifestyle habits—just six—they were 92 percent less likely to develop heart disease. Not only that, but these six simple activities also could have prevented 70 percent of heart attacks in the study group. Lifestyle Habits to Prevent Heart Attacks Maintaining a healthy diet. Having only one or no alcoholic drinks a day. Exercising two-and-a-half hours weekly. Watching seven or fewer hours of TV per week. Being smoke-free. Keeping a healthy BMI or Body Mass Index, which is really your weight. As a cardiologist, what I found interesting about this study is that it focused on heart disease risk factors rather than just preventing heart attacks. Of course, it’s important to know the signs and symptoms of a heart attack and to call 911 immediately if you think you or a loved one is experiencing one. But it’s also time we get more proactive about our heart health. Small Changes Make a Huge Difference If you think about the six habits that were studied— eating a healthy diet, limiting alcohol, exercising, watching less TV, not smoking and keeping a healthy weight—I think we can all agree it wouldn’t be too hard to change a few of these in our own lives for the sake of a healthier heart and, in turn, a longer life. Some heart disease risk factors are beyond our control, such as age and family history. But there are more factors you can control either through lifestyle changes or medication from your doctor. Learn your risk for heart disease with our free online heart health profiler at askAAMC.org/HeartHealth and take the first step toward having a healthy heart for life. Author Barbara Hutchinson, MD, is a cardiologist at Anne Arundel Medical Center. To reach her office, call 410-573-9805. Originally published Jan. 30, 2015. Last updated Feb. 3, 2020.
- News & Press Releases, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogLast updated Jan. 27, 2020. For more recent updates on the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, see our list of FAQs. If you’ve been reading or watching the news recently, you have learned that a newly identified coronavirus strain has been spreading in China and has made its way to several other countries through travelers. As a result, this has prompted the U.S. to quarantine travelers returning from the epidemic zones in China to reduce the risk of further transmission in the country. The Wuhan coronavirus, or coronavirus (COVID-19), was named after Wuhan City, China, where this strain originated. This is the newest example of an emerging infectious disease. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), coronaviruses can be as mild as the common cold or can be as deadly as the SARS coronavirus strain. If you were not in China during the initial outbreak period or you have not had close exposure to someone who has been infected with the new virus, be assured that you are highly unlikely to have this particular strain of coronavirus. At this point, there has been no sustained human-to-human secondary transmission in the U.S. Other coronavirus strains occur in the U.S. year-round. Most people will get infected with one or more of the common human coronaviruses in their lifetime. There is no FDA-approved drug treatment for this virus. What are the symptoms? Most people with a coronavirus infection do not become seriously ill. The coronavirus is a kind of common virus that causes mild to moderate upper-respiratory infections. Like other respiratory viruses, strains of coronavirus increase transmission during the winter season. Similar to the common cold, coronaviruses last for a short period and symptoms are typically not severe but include a runny nose, cough, sore throat, fever and malaise. Those at highest risk of complications are children, the elderly, those with significant cardiac or pulmonary disease and those with a compromised immune system. How does it spread? Because the coronavirus is a respiratory virus, the most common method of transmission is through respiratory droplets and contact with surfaces contaminated with the virus. Contagion happens from person-to-person through coughing, sneezing, close personal contact or through touching contaminated surfaces. How can I protect myself? Although there are currently no vaccines available against the coronavirus infection, an important preventative step is to always get your annual flu vaccine. It’s not too late to get the flu vaccine given that the flu season typically extends into April or May each year in this area. It’s helpful when we can prevent other known viruses (like the flu) that can present symptoms similar to coronavirus strains. There is no commercially available test for the Wuhan strain of coronavirus at this time. Testing of hospitalized patients at highest risk is done through the state lab and CDC. According to CDC recommendations, you may be able to reduce your risk of infection by avoiding unnecessary travel; washing your hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds or using a hand sanitizer; avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth; and avoiding contact with people who are ill. If your symptoms are similar to those of the cold, you can reduce the chance of spread to others by staying home during the duration of your symptoms, avoiding close contact with others, covering your mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing and frequently disinfecting nearby objects and surfaces. Both the CDC and WHO recommend against non-essential travel to China at this time. A 14-day mandatory quarantine for travelers returning from China to the U.S. was imposed on February 3. According to the CDC, the immediate health risk from Wuhan coronavirus to the general American public is considered very low at this time. Visit the CDC website for up-to-date information on the Wuhan coronavirus.
- Weight LossGeneral Page Tier 3BlogIn today’s era of the increasingly health-conscious consumer, you may view processed foods with fear and disgust. They are often associated with the obesity epidemic, high blood pressure and the rise of Type 2 diabetes. But processed foods are more than boxed macaroni and cheese, or chips. In fact, most foods in your standard grocery store have been processed in some way. When people refer to processed foods, they’re usually talking about heavily modified products that contain a long list of ingredients, such as snack foods, sweets, frozen-prepared foods, packaged meats and boxed items. These foods often have little to no nutritional value. We encourage limiting these foods in your diet. Not all processed foods are bad for you The key is to distinguish between foods that have been lightly processed versus heavily processed. Here’s a quick guide to help you: Minimally processed foods, such as bagged spinach, cut vegetables and roasted nuts, are often pre-prepped for convenience. They are fine to include on your menu when you want to prepare homemade meals, but need a little extra help to make cooking dinner realistic for your busy schedule. Foods processed at their peak to lock in nutritional quality and freshness include canned beans, canned tomatoes, frozen fruit and vegetables, and canned tuna. These are better alternatives to eating out and help make meal prep convenient. Some ingredients like sweeteners, spices, oils, colors and preservatives are added to foods for flavor and texture. These foods include jarred pasta sauce, salad dressing, yogurt and cereals. While they’re helpful in recipes, many of them have long lists of ingredients. So, comparison shop and look for foods with simple and few ingredients. Ready-to-eat foods, such as crackers, granola, deli meat, TV dinners, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, frozen pizzas and desserts, are the most heavily processed. It’s a good idea to limit these foods in your diet. Processed foods can be beneficial to your diet. For instance, milk and some juices are fortified with calcium and vitamin D, and breakfast cereals may have added fiber. Canned fruit (packed in water or its own juice) is a good option when fresh fruit is not available, or grocery trips are irregular. In efforts to make nutritious food readily available and more convenient for you, minimally processed foods offer shortcuts to avoid the alternative of eating out, or last minute fixes. Generally, you should avoid foods that you cannot recognize in their original form, like potato chips, muffins, or foods that are not naturally occurring, such as sodas, donuts, cookies and candy. These foods are major contributors of added sugars, salt and fat in our diets. To keep processed foods to a minimum, be sure to look at the nutrition facts and ingredient list before purchasing. Do more cooking and food prep from home to maximize control over what you put in your body. Authors By Ann Caldwell and Maureen Shackelford, nutritionists and registered dietitians at Anne Arundel Medical Center. To reach them call 443-481-5555. Originally published May 8, 2017. Last updated Jan. 27, 2020.
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