Speakers:
Tommy Teigen, Cardiopulmonary Rehab Team Leader
Abigail Sirek, Pharmacist
Abby Sirek is a hospital pharmacist at Ely Bloomenson Community Hospital (EBCH). Abby received her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from South Dakota State University. She has a passion for rural health and teaching.
Tommy Teigen is an exercise physiologist at EBCH. Tommy got his education at the Universities of Augsburg and Wisconsin-La Crosse. He worked in several surgery department and cath labs around the Twin Cities before coming to Ely.
Topic:
Stay Heart Smart: A Pulse on Cardiovascular Health
The goal of the presentation is for attendees to have a broader and more applicable understanding of cardiovascular health. To learn about ways to prevent cardiovascular disease and learn more about ways it is treated.
Speaker Highlights:
Explained the different types of heart disease:
- Atherosclerosis is a vascular issue not getting enough blood flow
- Arrhythmias are the electrical system of the heart not working efficiently
- Heart failure is when the heart muscle is not squeezing hard enough to get blood to the rest of the body
- Heart valve problems are valves not opening or closing property causing heart failure
Risk factors:
- Age
- Family history
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Tobacco use
- Obesity
- Physical inactivity
- Stress
Discussed ways to modify behavior to improve risk:
- Eat digestible whole foods
- Reduce salt, caffeine and alcohol
- Decrease stress
- Stop nicotine use
Abby talked about different medications used to treat cardiovascular disease by:
- Lowering blood pressure
- Lowering cholesterol
Lifestyle changes that help heart health:
- Decrease saturated fats in your diet
- Fats from plants or nuts are healthier for you
- Dairy generally okay, opt for lower fat products
- It is easier for your body to process unsaturated fats
- Our bodies don't know what to do with transfats, many have been removed from our food supply
- Increase dietary fiber with vegetables, fruit and whole grains
- Whole grains help your body to process foods
- Avoid vaping and tobacco use. This is the most impactful change to reduce cardiovascular disease
- Reduce weight if overweight, take it slow
- Get exercise
- Exercise and good diet have the most impact
- 150 minutes of exercise to raise the heart rate a week (20 minutes a day)
- Small amounts of strength training to maintain muscle mass
- Set a specific time for exercise
- Reduce stress
- Good lifestyle routine
- Meditative practices or what works for you to keep emotions in balance
- Getting plenty of rest
- Consider therapy
Diabetes:
- Diabetes is when your body does not appropriately turn glucose or sugars into energy for your body
- Recommend having A!C blood test checked every three years
- Consider going for a walk after eating even a few minutes to bring blood sugar down after eating
Services offered by EBCH to discuss with your doctor:
- EKG
- Zoe patch - longer term EKG over several days provides more data
- Echocardiogram
- Stress tests
- Nuclear stress test
- Cardiac Rehab - Lifestyle management
- Review of medications with a pharmacist
EBCH is available for questions and has a wide variety of services available, talk to your doctor about what is best for you.
For more information visit their website:
Thank you to Abby and Tommy for their education on heart health.
Respectfully submitted,
Cathy Coombe
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