Mercy physician notes encouraging trend in heart-health awareness
T
he word may be getting out on cardiovascular disease. While it remains a significant health issue, not just in the Toledo area, but across the nation, local family physician Dr. Tanya Baldwin of Mercy Family Physicians at Isaac Street is encouraged to note that more and more of her patients are becoming aware of the disease, its risk factors, and steps they can take to prevent it. She’s optimistic that this trend will continue and lead to greater overall health and longevity in our community. “I’m seeing more patients, especially women, becoming more aware of their cardiovascular health and adopting a proactive stance when it comes to preventing heart disease and stroke,” Dr. Baldwin says. “Women are also beginning to understand that heart disease isn’t something that ‘just happens to men’ and that they often manifest atypical symptoms during a heart attack. For example, instead of the classic crushing chest pain we tend to associate with heart attack, women may feel a nagging back or neck pain that won’t go away.” Dr. Baldwin goes on to explain that while we have a lot of work to do when it comes to overall prevention, we’re catching the signs and symptoms of cardiovascular disease much earlier, and once patients do experience an event, such as chest pain or a transient ischemic attack (a so-called “mini-stroke”), they seem to be getting the message that they need to make lifestyle changes to prevent the problem from getting worse. “Just today, a male patient was having lunch with his wife when he started to have memory issues,” recounts Dr. Baldwin. “His wife, recognizing that his memory lapse could be a sign of stroke, immediately took him to the emergency room where he was treated with the clot-busting drug tPA. Because they caught the symptom and sought treatment so quickly, he’s doing fine and has no deficits from the stroke.” If Dr. Baldwin could recommend only one thing to help her patients improve their cardiovascular health, it would be to increase their physical activity (her second recommendation would be to drink plenty of water—with nothing added). She suggests that adults who are new to exercise begin by walking briskly for 30 minutes three times per week. For kids, she recommends any kind of ac-
vital micronutrients our bodies need. A diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean protein is best. If, like most Americans, you aren’t getting all the nutrients you need from the foods you tive play. “It’s a good eat, Dr. Baldwin recommends idea, especially with taking a daily multivitamin and all of the technology mineral supplement. and videogames out Stress, too, can play a big part. there, to encourage Stress increases blood pressure kids to get active for and causes chemical reactions in Dr. Tanya Baldwin at least 60 minutes the body that can actually bring three times a week,” she says. on a cardiac event. But sometimes Of course, diet plays a significant people aren’t even aware that they’re role in cardiovascular health, as well. experiencing chronic stress. Symptoms Not only does eating the wrong types to watch for include a mild, nagging of foods promote obesity, a major headache daily or several times a risk factor for cardiovascular disweek; difficulty sleeping; extreme ease, but it also deprives us of the fatigue; irritability; and forgetfulness.
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“In addition to exercising and eating right, it’s very important to incorporate things into your lifestyle that help you de-stress and refocus on the things that are most important and most productive,” Dr. Baldwin says. Because elevated cholesterol is so strongly correlated with cardiovascular disease, Dr. Baldwin advises her patients and Healthy Living News readers to “know their numbers” with respect to their blood cholesterol level and other factors that impact circulation. She explains that high cholesterol leads to plaque buildup in the arteries, which increases blood pressure because the heart has to work harder to pump blood through the narrowed vessels to the organs and tissues of the body. Total
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