Home Health Care Blog

Source/Credit: http://www.everydaychoices.org/eat.html

Who would have thought you could fight cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke … with a fork?

Many people don’t know it, but one of the most important things you can do to protect yourself from these diseases is to eat a healthy diet. Whether or not you have a family history of cancer, diabetes, heart disease or stroke, what you eat - and how much you eat - can help reduce your risk. As a matter of fact, if you are one of the many Americans who do not smoke, eating well – along with being active and maintaining a healthy weight – is your best defense against disease.

Following a few simple recommendations from the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association can help you eat your way to a healthier weight – and a healthier YOU!

For more information on how you can start to make healthy choices click here!

Source/Credit: www.iamproheart.com

The way you live each day affects your heart. An unhealthy lifestyle can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Making lifestyle changes now and being educated on this disease could save your life.

On average someone who suffers from a heart attack arrives at the hospital almost 5 hours after the onset of symptoms. Symptoms of a heart attack are often mistaken with stress or the flu. This is why it is so important to know the early warning signs of a heart attack and what to do if you experience them.

Common Early Warning Signs

Knowing these common warning signs of a heart attack could help save your life:

• Chest pressure, tightness and heaviness
• Pain in shoulders, neck, jaw or arms
• Lightheadedness
• Fainting
• Paleness
• Sweating
• Nausea
• Shortness of breath with or without chest pain

Take Action

If you experience any of these symptoms, call 911 immediately. Then, chew or crush and swallow an aspirin as directed by a doctor. Taking aspirin immediately at the onset of heart attack symptoms may prevent the formation of additional small blood clots blocking blood flow through clogged arteries. If that happens, heart muscle damage may be prevented or delayed, which can buy you time to get to the Hospital.

Never make excuses for heart attack symptoms or shrug them off as simply “indigestion.” Even if you’re not sure it’s a heart attack, don’t hesitate to get help. The actions you take within the first hours after a heart attack could save your life so never feel like you’re creating a false alarm.

Dudley's Home Health Care hopes you never need this information, but thinks everyone should be prepared. 

Source/Credit: www.livescience.com

Definition of Heart Disease: The term heart disease includes several conditions. But the term most often refers to coronary heart disease, in which plaque builds up in the arteries. Heart disease is the number one cause of death for men and women in the United States, according to the NIH. Below is a brief overview of the causes, symptoms and treatments, plus links to more information.

What Causes Heart Disease? Atherosclerosis — a buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries — poor diet, lack of exercise, being overweight and smoking all increase the risk for atherosclerosis. As atherosclerosis develops, the coronary arteries narrow and weaken increasing the risk of heart attack, heart failure and stroke.

Is Heart Disease Contagious? No.

Medical Term: Coronary heart disease, coronary artery disease and cardiovascular disease refer to what is commonly called heart disease.

Signs & Symptoms: Chest pain, shortness of breath and pain; numbness, weakness and coldness in the arms and legs, according to the Mayo Clinic. Having high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes puts you at risk for developing heart disease. If you have signs of a heart attack, immediately call 911.

Treatment & Remedies: A healthy diet, exercise, quitting smoking and, if needed, losing weight. Medicines include blood thinners, ACE inhibitors, statins, and calcium channel blockers, among others. Some cases are treated with bypass surgery to reroute blood flow to the heart or with angioplasty, which is a procedure to expand narrowed arteries.