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Saturday, December 8, 2007

Cardiac Rehabilitation and prevention

Cardiac Rehabilitation: How is possible?

Your doctor may prescribe cardiac rehabilitation (rehab) to help you recover from a heart attack and help prevent another heart attack. Almost everyone who has survived a heart attack can benefit from rehab. The cardiac rehab team may include: Doctors ; Your family doctor ; A heart specialist; A surgeon; Nurses; Exercise specialists; Physical therapists and occupational therapists; Dietitians; Psychologists or other behavior therapists.
Rehabilitation has two parts:
Exercise training to help you learn how to exercise safely, strengthen your muscles, and improve your stamina. Your exercise plan will be based on your individual ability, needs, and interests. Education, counseling, and training to help you understand your heart condition and find ways to reduce your risk of future heart problems. The cardiac rehab team will help you learn how to cope with the stress of adjusting to a new lifestyle and to deal with your fears about the future.

When You Leave the Hospital

After a heart attack, your treatment may include cardiac rehab in the first weeks or months, checkups and tests, lifestyle changes, and medications. You will need to see your doctor for checkups and tests to see how your heart is doing. Your doctor will most likely recommend lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking, losing weight, changing your diet, or increasing your physical activity. After a heart attack, most people take daily medications. These may include:
Aspirin; Medicines that lower your cholesterol or your blood pressure. Other medicines to help reduce your heart's workload. Always take medications as your doctor directs.

How We Can Prevent a Heart Attack?
Most heart attacks are caused by coronary artery disease (CAD). You can help prevent a heart attack by knowing about your risk factors for CAD and heart attack and taking action to lower your risks. You can lower your risk of having a heart attack, even if you have already had a heart attack or are told that your chances of having a heart attack are high. To prevent a heart attack, you will most likely need to make lifestyle changes. You may also need to get treatment for conditions that raise your risk.

By Lifestyle Changes
You can lower your risk for CAD and a heart attack by making healthy lifestyle choices: Eat a healthy diet to prevent or reduce high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol, and maintain a healthy weight; If you smoke, quit; Exercise as directed by your doctor; Lose weight if you are overweight or obese; Treat Related Conditions. In addition to making lifestyle changes, you can help prevent heart attacks by treating conditions you have that make a heart attack more likely: High blood cholesterol. If you have high cholesterol, follow your doctor's advice about lowering your cholesterol. Take medications to lower your cholesterol as directed. High blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, follow your doctor's advice about keeping your blood pressure under control. Take blood pressure medications as directed. High blood sugar (diabetes). If you have diabetes, follow your doctor's advice about keeping your blood sugar levels under control. Take medications as directed.

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