Phillips Health Care Newsletter

KEEPING A HEALTHY HEART

February is Healthy Heart Month. To help keep your heart “young”, here are some ways the CDC recommends to help keep a healthy heart and prevent heart disease.

By living a healthy lifestyle, you can help keep your blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar normal and lower your risk for heart disease and heart attack. A healthy lifestyle includes the following:

HEART healthy diet.

Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and fewer processed foods.

Eating foods low in saturated fats, trans fat, and cholesterol and high in fiber can help prevent high cholesterol.

Limiting salt (sodium) in your diet also can lower your blood pressure. Limiting sugar in your diet can lower you blood sugar level to prevent or help control diabetes.

Eating two or more servings a week of certain fish, such as salmon and tuna, may decrease your risk of heart disease.

At moderate levels, alcohol may have a protective effect on your heart.  For healthy adults

No more than one drink a day for women, and two drinks a day for men. (12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine & 1 1/2 ounces of liquor) Too much alcohol can be a health hazard. 

BE SMOKE FREE

Smoking or using tobacco is one of the most significant risk factors for developing heart disease. Chemicals in tobacco can damage your heart and blood vessels, leading to narrowing of the arteries, causing plaque buildup (atherosclerosis). Atherosclerosis can ultimately lead to a heart attack.

Smoking  decreases oxygen in the blood, and makes the heart work harder, contributing to high blood pressure. The good news is, the risk of heart disease reduces as soon as you quit.  So, no matter how long you’ve smoked, quit!

EXERCISE

Regular, daily exercise can reduce the risk of heart disease. When you combine physical activity with other lifestyle measures, such as maintaining a healthy weight, the payoff is even greater.

Physical activity can help you control your weight and reduce your chances of developing other conditions that may put a strain on your heart, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes..

According to the Mayo Clinic :

“In general, you should do moderate exercise, such as walking at a brisk pace, for about 30    minutes on most days of the week. That can help you reach the Department of Health and Human Services recommendations of 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity, 75 minutes a week of  vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity.

For even more health benefits, aim for 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 150 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity every week. In addition, aim to do strength training exercises two or more days a week..”

FISH OIL

Fish contain unsaturated fatty acids, may lower cholesterol. But the main beneficial nutrient appears to be omega-3 fatty acids in fatty fish. Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of unsaturated fatty acid that may reduce inflammation throughout the body. Inflammation in the body can damage your blood vessels and lead to heart disease and strokes.

Phillips Clinic Family Practice offers Pure Omega 820, an ultra-pure fish oil sources from Norway.

While no supplement, diet, or other lifestyle modification other than physical distancing, also known as social distancing, and proper hygiene practices can protect you from COVID-19, some supplements have been shown to be useful in enhancing the immune system.

Are you depressed? 

The symptoms of depression may surprise you. More than 5 million men in the U.S. experience depression each year.

Clinical depression can cause sadness and a loss of interest in once pleasurable activities. But depression can sometimes manifest in different ways in different people.  

Depression Symptoms

fatigue

difficulty concentrating

irritability

stomach ache or back ache

sleeping too much or too little

anger or hostility

stress

anxiety

substance abuse

sexual dysfunction

indecision

suicidal thoughts

Depression Types

All depression types are not the same. Learn about the different types of depression, the signs and symptoms, and talk to your doctor about treatment

Major Depression

Major depression is characterized by a pervasive and persistent low mood that is accompanied by low self-esteem and by a loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities.

Chronic Depression (Dysthymia)

Atypical Depression

Many people with depression don't have the typical symptoms. Symptoms can include weight gain, sleeping too much, and feeling anxious.

Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression may be mistaken for “baby blues” (which lasts up to 2 weeks) at first — but the signs and symptoms are more intense and last longer, eventually interfering with your ability to care for the newborn baby and handle other daily tasks. Symptoms usually develop within the first few weeks after giving birth, but may begin later — up to six months after birth. 

Bipolar Depression 

(Manic Depression)

Bipolar depression include mood swings of bipolar depression (manic depression) from the elated highs of mania to the major depression lows.

Seasonal Depression (SAD)

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that's related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year. For most people with SAD, symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping energy and causing moodiness. 

Psychotic Depression

Psychotic depression includes psychosis,  hallucinations (such as hearing voices ), delusions (such as, intense feelings of worthlessness, failure, or having committed a sin) or some other break with reality. 

Serotonin Syndrome

Serotonin syndrome occurs when you take medications that cause high levels of the chemical serotonin to accumulate in the body

Serotonin syndrome can occur when the dose of such a drug is increased or added.

If you believe you or a loved one suffers from any of the symptoms of depression, make an appointment with your Phillips provider .