Grace Weatherby
/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2023

Boost Your Heart Health this Holiday Season

The holidays are meant to be a time for good cheer and rejoicing. Unfortunately, for far too many Americans, the holidays are also when they’re most likely to experience a heart attack.

According to the American Heart Association, December 25 and January 1 are the top two days when Americans are most likely to die from cardiac arrest.

While it’s difficult to eliminate the stress and opportunities to overindulge, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of suffering a cardiac event.

Here’s where to start:

1. Celebrate in moderation: If you’re headed to an event where food and drink will be plentiful, have a healthy snack before you go lessen the chance you’ll overeat. At the event, fill up first on high-fiber, low-calorie foods like raw fruits and vegetables. Follow that up with any lean proteins, like chicken or shrimp, which will work to slow your digestion and make you feel full. If you’re still hungry, take small amounts of carb-heavy foods, like bread, chips, pasta and, of course, cookies. Listen to your body and stop eating when you’re full.  

2. Keep moving: Even if your calendar’s full of events and gatherings, there’s always time for a bit of physical activity. A 10- to 15-minute walk after a meal or while you’re on the phone chatting with friends will do your heart good. Exercise is also a good way to work off or step away from any stress that may be weighing on you. 

3. Stick to a schedule: Traveling and/or hosting company can make it hard to stick to your regular routine over the holidays. But it’s important to take all prescribed medications as and when directed and to get a good night’s sleep. Falling out of rhythm or behind on either can place unnecessary stress your heart. If you need help staying on top of your needs, set an alarm on your phone to alert you it’s time to take your meds and or to step away from the fun to ensure you get a good and full night’s sleep.

In addition, it’s important to recognize the signs of a heart attack early before a lot of damage occurs.

If you or someone else experiences any of the following warning signs, don’t hesitate. Call 911.

  • Chest discomfort: Most heart attacks—especially in men—involve a sense of heaviness or uncomfortable pressure in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes. The pressure may go away and then return. 
  • Upper body discomfort: Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in the upper back, neck, jaw, one or both arms, or stomach.
  • Shortness of breath: This can occur with or without chest discomfort.
  • Heart palpitations: Palpitations, which may feel like a fast beating or fluttering heart, are more common in women.
  • Other signs: Other potential signs of a heart attack include breaking out in a cold sweat, lightheadedness, nausea, or vomiting.

The sooner medical treatment begins, the better the chances of survival and preventing heart damage.

Scott Rogge, MD, FACC, is the Medical Director at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center Cardiology

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The Latest Testing Information

The world of COVID-19 testing is very complex and changing rapidly. But gratefully, unlike early on in the pandemic, tests are available for everyone who wants one, whether they have symptoms or not. Below is a list of common questions, along with answers from SVMC’s Laboratory Services Director Karen Bond and SVMC’s Director of Perioperative Services Tanya Cowder, MSN, RN, CNOR.

What are the reasons someone may get tested for COVID-19, even if they don't have symptoms? People without symptoms of COVID-19 are being tested when they are admitted to SVMC, before being discharged to other facilities, before scheduled surgeries, or because they may have been exposed to the virus. Primary care providers are also able to order a test for those who need to return to work or school or to end quarantine or isolation. And anyone can be tested through the Vermont Department of Health's Pop-Up Clinics.

What types of tests are available for detecting active cases of COVID-19? SVMC offers Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing that is processed at both outside labs and our own lab, depending on how quickly results are needed. PCR, which was pioneered by American biochemist Kary Mullis in 1983, actually amplifies and detects the presence or absence of small gene sections. In this case, it determines whether or not COVID-19 is present.

The specimen is most often taken from deep in the nose-throat passageway (nasalpharyngeal). Patients experience eye watering and a burning sensation for 30 seconds or less. The test can also be taken from inside the nose (anterior nares), depending on the patient population. The most common type of test, like those administered both at SVMC’s drive-up testing station and at the Vermont Department of Health’s Pop-Up Clinics, is greater than 90% sensitive (meaning that the test picks up the virus, if it is present) and greater than 90% specific (meaning the test detects the COVID-19 virus, as opposed to other viruses).

How do I get my results and what should I do? Results are usually provided by a primary care provider within 48 hours. Your primary care provider will share specific directions regarding what you should do next. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sharing this table, which provides a synopsis of tests, what results mean, and guidance for what to do. If the test is positive, the Vermont Department of Health may call before the primary care provider to initiate contact tracing.

Are all of the tests sufficiently available? Yes. Anyone with an order from their primary care provider can be tested at the drive-up testing site at SVMC. Anyone can be tested at the Vermont Department of Health's Pop-Up Clinics. Visit https://humanresources.vermont.gov/popups for times, dates, and locations. Tests for inpatients at the hospital are also in adequate supply.

Important Note: Remember test results offer a snap shot of the current active viral load. A negative test result doesn’t reveal whether you have been exposed in the past or predict whether you will be infected in the future. Whether or not the result is positive, we should all continue to wash our hands frequently, wear masks when in public and in proximity to those outside of our household, and stay 6 feet from others.

What about antibody tests? Antibody tests (serology) are also available. It does not tell you if you have active disease. Antibody tests check for antibodies that appear in the blood between about 1 – 3 weeks after symptom onset and may remain as long as a lifetime. Antibody tests may be positive while a person is infected. It is not yet known whether these antibodies protect against reinfection with the COVID-19 virus. For many other similar viruses, antibodies are protective for years or longer, but we do not yet have adequate data to know for COVID-19. Patients who would like the test would get a referral from their primary care provider and come to the SVMC Lab to have blood drawn. Results are delivered by the primary care provider.

Those who receive a positive antibody test or who have recovered from COVID-19 may qualify to donate plasma with the American Red Cross. The plasma, which includes antibodies, may help those fighting the disease. Learn more at https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/dlp/plasma-donations-from-recovered-covid-19-patients.html.

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