Say hello to 85-year-old Beverly. After a severe heart attack she went from shuffling along to dancing the two-step thanks to her enthusiastic participation in a cardiac rehab program. And she’s working out at a fitness center three days a week. “I don’t think I could have done this alone,” she told HealthyYou. “I’m grateful this rehab program exists. It has given me back my health.”
Cardiac rehab is for folks who have heart failure or stable angina, who’ve had a heart attack or received a stent or stents, or have had bypass surgery, a valve replacement or repair, or a heart-lung transplant. It’s proven to keep you out of the hospital, extend longevity and improve quality of life and mood.
So why did a study in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes find that only 24% of folks on Medicare who qualify for and need cardio rehab participate in it, even when it’s free? And why did only 29% of them complete the recommended course of 36 hour-long sessions?
Research shows the obstacles may be: cardiac-event-related depression; lack of access to a facility, physical weakness and lack of doctor insistence. If you’re a candidate for cardio rehab, investigate Medicare-provided and hospital-based ride programs to get you there. Talk to your doc about the benefits for you. Then look for support groups, such as those through the American Heart Association Support Network.
You can rehab from, and even reverse, cardio issues. So don’t settle for less than a satisfying life. You can achieve better health and happiness.
It’s smart to correctly monitor your blood pressure at home
Timothy West, 86, is a British actor who’s seen his career go up and up and up, from his first role in 1959 through last year’s appearance on the BBC’s “Dad’s Army: The Lost Episodes.” Unfortunately, so did his blood pressure!
Around 1990, he was gobsmacked (as they say in England) to learn he had dangerously high BP. Since then he’s been conscientious about keeping it under control. West says, “The most important part of my regime is a small portable blood pressure monitor.”
He sure is right -- and not just for folks taking BP meds! A study published in the journal Hypertension reveals that half of American adults should be monitoring their BP at home. That’s because 93% of you have higher readings when pressure is taken in the doc’s office than when taken at home. For others, at-home readings are indicative of prehypertension or hypertension, while in-office readings are normal.
So get an at-home monitor (check health.clevelandclinic.org for “Buying a Home Blood Pressure Monitor”) and ...
• Sit quietly in a chair with both feet on the floor for five minutes. To test, rest your arm on a flat surface, elbow around heart level. No talking.
• Have the cuff cover about 80% of your upper arm on bare skin.
• Do it twice, 60 seconds apart; average the readings. Also check both arms. Let your doc know your results.
• 115/75 is ideal for slowing your rate of aging. Don’t accept anything above 120/85. Get help to achieve the ideal!
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.
