Importance of Cardiac Rehabilitation Program for Heart Patients

A healthy heart ensures a healthy and active life. A hospital's cardiac rehabilitation program serves the needs of heart patients to exercise safely, and maintain a heart-healthy life style. As part of the cardiac rehabilitation heart patients are provided tailored-exercises, education, guidance on quitting smoking and change of diet, and emotional support.

Patients with a record of cardiovascular diseases, those who had recent cardiac event, such as heart attack or heart failure, those who had undergone cardiac procedure such as angioplasty or heart surgery and those suffering from arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm) or an implantable device (pacemaker or defibrillator) are eligible for cardiac rehabilitation.

It helps patients to carry out daily activities - walking, working etc, reduces the risk of recurrence of heart diseases, and improves the patients' quality of life. These programs are usually multi-disciplinary, and invite the coordinated and collaborative efforts of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, psychologists and dieticians.

Each cardiac rehabilitation program takes into account the patient's personal preferences and personal constraints. Certain guidelines are mandatory while availing cardiac rehabilitation programs

1. Doctor's advice and referral are required before the patient goes for these programs.

2. It should have a proper reporting mechanism whereby the patient's progress is reported to the concerned doctor from time to time.

3. Patients are to undergo the doctor-supervised stress test, before going for this program.

4. Not only the patient but also his family need to be counselled of the heart diseases, its impact on them, and the good effects of undergoing this program.

5. It is never the same for all patients. It has to be customized as per the patient's health condition and proper diagnosis of the heart disease.

6. Trained and certified cardiac rehabilitation staff should facilitate the program.

7. The duration of the program, fee and insurance coverage are to be clearly defined.

It is mostly advised for patients who suffer from some form of cardiac risk. A planned cardiac rehabilitation program helps in achieving a level of health that may even be better than life before heart disease has occurred.

It offers remarkable benefits to patients suffering from heart diseases.

1. Improves the patient's exercise capacity.

2. Helps in lowering of lipid levels, body weight, blood pressure, blood glucose.

3. Reduces the progression of atherosclerosis.

4. Helps in the reduction of depression, anxiety, and stress.

Notably, This program helps patients to acquire and maintain functional independence. By the end of this program, each patient achieves enhanced, active and enriched life.

Cardiac rehabilitation program is advised for the patients suffering from cardiac problems and to maintain healthy heart. It improves the patient's exercise capacity, reduces the depression & blood pressure and provides healthy life.

Original article

Dark Chocolate Can Be Beneficial for Heart Patients

Chocolate, the ubiquitous delicacy that all of us relish, has, of late, become a subject of heated arguments relating to its health benefits or the lack of them. Chocolate has always been a favorite with all of us, always. It was never considered a health food, but recent researches have come up with some very interesting aspects of chocolate, relating to the health of the heart and brain. This is great news for all the chocolate lovers out there. Heart diseases, of late, has become one of the biggest killers of mankind. In addition, brain-related diseases are also on the rise, thanks to many factors, which include changed lifestyles too.

When we talk about heart diseases we do not just mean heart strokes, but a vast group of diseases that affect the blood vessels like coronary artery disease, irregularity of heart beats, blockages and so on. Some researchers are of the view that contrary to what many believes, dark chocolate can work wonders in lessening the impact of these diseases and keep attacks at bay if eaten on a daily basis.

One thing that needs to be stressed here is that it is not the chocolate that we eat, but the additives like fat, sugar etc in the chocolate based drinks, cookies and sweets that we consume are the real culprits. This is why experts stress on consuming dark chocolate and not the milk chocolates and other varieties that are found abundantly in the market. There have been several studies on the positive health effects of chocolate on the heart and brain in which more than one hundred thousand subjects were examined, and the results showed that around 37% of exhibited lesser chances of heart diseases and around 29% less chances of a heart stroke compared to those who consumed very less quantities.

Chocolate has always been denigrated as a reason for teeth decay, obesity and a number of other health problems. But as per facts, chocolate is not bad for your health if you set a limit on its consumption. In fact, the presence of polyphenols, an antioxidant, helps improve the production of nitric oxide in the body, which in turn, would stabilize blood pressure and improves the flow of blood through the arteries. Additionally, consumption of moderate amounts of dark chocolate also reduces had cholesterol. Another plus factor is that chocolate is made of plant matter.

Chocolate can also stimulate the production of endorphin inside the body. Being an antidepressant, this compound can automatically improve your brain health. To put in a nutshell, chocolate has many positive health aspects, which have been proved time and again.

If you need help passing your USMLE, PLAB and other board exams you must have a large set of Cardiology MCQs. Visit Cardiology Questions for latest Cardiology questions with answers.

Original article