Bennington Banner - 02/01/2017
Bennington Banner | BenningtonBanner.com
health
rement of health and
e by estimating day-
function.
e the question
se I preach about
hy lifestyle all the
ut never really delve
e meaning behind a
y lifestyle.
the impression that
eople feel forced to
althy and work out
se theyre told theyll
nny or that theyll
heart medication,
e motive shouldnt
rom someone else. It
to come from within
dividual.
y day you wake
decide what kind
it will be. You can
to fight environ-
l forces by being
ed for the unknown
egard them and set
lf up for failure.
ut education, deter-
on and commitment,
ll fail.
p your mind healthy
ducation on fitness,
and how your body
then apply it by
ng in your physical
eing. Im not going to
u whats good or bad,
or you to figure out.
one is different and
heir environmental
staff writer Makayla-
ey McGeeney at 802-
1 or @MC_McGeeney.
AR
sbury
ics Anonymous:
oes It Group, United
dist Church, Church
8 p.m. First and third
sdays are discussion,
Wednesday is a Step
g, fourth Wednesday
Book meeting.
DAY
Copyright 2017 Bennington Banner 02/01/2017
February 1, 2017 12:22 pm (GMT +5:00)
ngton
| HEALTH |
HEALTH MATTERS
Understanding a heart condition
BY JENNIFER THUERMER
Among our friends and
neighbors, it is not uncom-
mon to hear that someone
has heart trouble or a
heart condition. But why?
They might share that they
have congestive heart fail-
ure or hypertension or that
they need a pacemaker. For
patients and the people who
love them, figuring out what
is going on can be difficult.
In this case, it is helpful
to turn to a metaphor. The
heart is surprisingly like a
house. We all live in houses.
Some of us spend a great
deal of time repairing them.
Because we have so much
familiarity with houses,
envisioning the heart as
a house is a good way to
explain many heart condi-
tions.
Like houses, hearts have
rooms and doors. The
heart has four rooms: the
right atrium, left atrium,
the right ventricle, and
the left ventricle. It has
four doors, the valves. Two
of the valves connect the
atria with the ventricles,
one valve connects the left
ventricle out through the
body, and the fourth valve
connects the right ventricle
to the lungs. The anatomy is
quite simple when we think
of it in this way.
Just like a house, the
heart is made up of three
main systems: plumbing,
electrical, and carpentry.
The most common heart
conditions can be traced to
a problem with one of these
three systems.
PLUMBING
The heart receives criti-
cal oxygen through arteries.
Arteries are like the pipes
and plumbing of the house.
If there is a blockage no
different than a hair clog
in the coronary arteries, it
causes a heart attack. The
IN THE O.R.
B3 Page : B03
heart cannot get the oxygen
it needs to work.
Symptoms can come on
suddenly or over time and
vary in severity. If you have
chest pain, which can be
in any region of the upper
body, both right and left
sided, and shortness of
breath, contact your doctor,
call 9-1-1 or go immediately
to the Emergency Depart-
ment. Lack of oxygen to the
heart over as little as a
few minutes can cause
damage to the heart.
ELECTRICAL
Most peoples hearts beat
involuntarily at regular
intervals. Adult hearts
usually beat between 60 and
100 times per minute. This
beating is a result of electri-
cal impulses. Someone with
trouble in the electrical
system of their heart might
find that their heart beat in
unexpected ways.
A problem with the rate
or rhythm of the heart-
beat is called arrhythmia.
During an arrhythmia, the
heart can beat too fast, too
slow, or with an irregular
rhythm. Atrial fibrillation
is the most common type
of arrhythmia. If a heart is
beating too slowly, with-
out having impact from
medications, it may cause
a person to feel poorly. In
some circumstances, a pace-
maker may be indicated. A
pacemaker is a metaphori-
cal upgrade to the electrical
system.
CARPENTRY
If you have a problem
with the walls or doors
of your heart, we would
consider it carpentry. One
of the most common heart
problems in this category
is leaking valves. Using the
house metaphor, you can
imagine that the doors of
your heart are not closing
properly. Who hasnt had
a door that wouldnt open
or shut? When the problem
gets serious enough, pa-
tients may need to have their
valves, or doors, repaired
or replaced.
Like problems we find in
our houses, heart problems
can be caused by several
factors, including congeni-
tal (Something you were
born with), biological (The
effect of a bacterial or viral
pest), or chemical (Like
chemotherapy). The same
problems in a house prob-
lems might be imagined as
weathered wood.
For both houses and peo-
ple, the most common cause
of problems is behavior. If
you live in your house for
a long time without clean-
ing and conducting general
maintenance, your house
will slowly break down. For
hearts, general maintenance
is eating a healthy diet and
getting enough exercise.
Living a sedentary life-
style and eating foods high
in sugar, fat, and LDL (The
bad) cholesterol cause arter-
ies to harden and become
clogged. Just as you have
your furnace maintained
and your gutters cleaned at
home, be sure to get a regu-
lar checkup. Talk to your
healthcare provider today
to learn about your blood
pressure, cholesterol, blood
sugar, and body mass index.
Each of these numbers will
help you and your provider
assess your risk and deter-
mine what you may need to
do differently to ensure your
heart health.
Jennifer Thuermer, DNP,
ACNP, AACC, is a provider
in the Cardiology practice at
Southwestern Vermont Medi-
cal Center. Health Matters is
a column meant to educate
readers about their personal
health, public health matters,
and public policy as it affects
health care.
Powered by TECNAVIA