Health Information Guide
In many cases, heart and vascular disease can be prevented by lifestyle changes such as eating healthy, exercising and quitting tobacco. Take a minute and read some of this health information to see if it could make a difference in your life.
Health Tips and Prevention
Support Groups
Heart Attack Warning Signs
Some heart attacks are intense and quite obvious. However, most heart attacks are more subtle, often beginning with only mild pain or discomfort.
What’s important is to recognize the following signs and act quickly by calling your doctor if they are brought on with activity and improve with rest.
Some heart attacks are intense and quite obvious. However, most heart attacks are more subtle, often beginning with only mild pain or discomfort.What’s important is to recognize the following signs and act quickly by calling your doctor if they are brought on with activity and improve with rest.
- Chest discomfort (pain, squeezing, pressure) that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away but then comes back
- Pain or discomfort in upper body (neck, arms, jaw, back, even stomach)
- Shortness of breath with activity
- Lightheadedness, dizziness
- Cold sweat
- Nausea
Be Smoke Free
Within 20 minutes of not using tobacco, your blood pressure is close to normal. Within 24 hours, your chance of a heart attack decreases and within one year, your heart attack rate drops in half. Samaritan Health Services (SHS) offers classes and support groups to help. Please call one of these resources for more information:
Online Health Resources
Exercise:
justmove.org – AMA.
General health topics:
americanheart.org – Information from American Heart Association.
medlineplus.gov – General health.
healthfinder.gov – General health.
intelihealth.com – Information from Harvard Medical School. A-Z access.
mayoclinic.com – Information from Mayo Clinic. A-Z access.
netmed.com – Health topics A-Z.
webmd.com – General health and drug information.
Health Insurance:
ehealthinsurance.com – General information, quotes and applications.
einsure.com – General information.
Nutrition and Supplements:
supplementwatch.com/supatoz – Anything you want to know.
navigator.tufts.edu – Ratings and reviews.
healthyeatingseries.com – Nutrition for women and kids. Many recipes.
vegetariancourse.org – Online vegetarian nutrition course.
www.cc.nih.gov/ccc/supplements –Dietary supplement facts.
Pharmacy:
pharmacychecker.com – Good information. Must subscribe to access.
www.fda.gov – Federal Drug Administration information.
Smoking:
www.cdc.gov/tobacco – Tobacco information and smoking cessation.
surgeongeneral.gov/tobacco – Smoking cessation.
Travel:
www.cdc.gov/travel/index.html – Excellent travel site. Information on all overseas travel aspects, including health.
iamat.org – Good travel site. Membership required but has benefits.
travelmed.com – General information and mail order site (medical kits, etc.).
Women and Heart Disease:
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/hearttruth
www.womenheart.org
The Samaritan Heart & Vascular Institute does not endorse the efficacy or accuracy of the information contained in the referenced Web sites. Independent and specific medical advice concerning your medical condition should be sought before making exercise, dietary, pharmaceutical or lifestyle changes.