THE COAST NEWS
FEB. 8, 2013
With heart attacks, minutes matter Health Watch By the physicians and staff at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas
When a heart attac k strikes, what happens in the next few minutes can make a critical difference in both the immediate and long-term health consequences. Each year, about 1.2 million people in the United States have heart attacks. A heart attac k results when the flow of blood to the heart is sud denly cut off , often due to a build-up of plaque in the arteries caused by coronary heart disease. Left untreated, the plaque eventually becomes so thick that it pr events blood from getting through. If blood flo w is not quic kly restored, the heart is deprived of o xygen and
The discomfort may radiate down one or both arms or up to the jaw, neck or shoulders. Sudden and pr ofuse sweating may also occur , as well as shortness of breath, a lightheaded feeling, or nausea. However, these symptoms are not al ways present — some people ma y have only mild discomfort, or just feel short of breath. Women often ha ve very different heart attack symptoms than men, and they can be less predictable. Research by the National Institutes of Health indicates that women often experience new or different physical symptoms as long as a month or more before experiencing heart attacks. The most commonl y reported symptoms included unusual fatigue, sleep disturbances, shortness of b reath, indigestion, and anxiety.
Too often, people make the mistake of waiting to seek medical care because they don’t want to “look silly� if they aren’t having a heart attack after all. begins to die. If enough of the heart muscle is damaged, the heart attack can be fatal. That’s why it is vital to get medical attention immediately if you believe you or someone else may be having a heart attack. The sooner you get treatment, the less likely the damage to the heart m uscle. Immediate intervention by a medical professional team is critical to getting the blocked artery open with angioplasty and sten t placement and r estoring blood flow to the heart muscle. If treatment is received within several hours, longterm damage can often b e minimized or avoided. Once up to six h ours have passed without tr eatment, the injury tends to be more severe. After 12 hours, heart damage is lik ely to be permanent. The ability to r ecognize heart attack symptoms is critical. For men, the typical warning signs include an intense feeling of pr essure, pain or squeezing around the chest.
NIH research revealed that more than 40 percent of women reported no c hest pain before or during the heart attack. If you suspect y ou’re having a heart attac k, don’t write it off as indigestion or wait to see if y ou feel better. Call 911 immediately and tell the operator you are having symptoms of a heart attack. Too often, people make the mistake of w aiting to seek medical car e because they don’t want to “look silly� if they aren’t having a heart attack after all. To learn mor e, join Scripps for a fr ee presentation on heart attac k prevention and new treatments Feb. 20, from 6 to 7 p.m. at Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA, 200 Saxony Rd. Call 1-800-SCRIPPS (727-4777) to register. Health Watch is brought to you by the physicians and staff at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas. For more information or for physician referral call 1-800-SCRIPPS.
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Art show seeks entrants COAST CITIES — Applications for artists to be juried into the f ourth annual Art in the Pines are due Feb. 15. Artists who are California residents are invited to appl y for the show to be held at the Visitors’ Center, San Diego. The show, set for May 4 and May 5 at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, will benefit children’s nature programs at The Torrey
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through sixth-graders have not yet looked through microscopes. I cut green vinyl into two wiggly, shapeless pieces and glued them to gether, leaving head and armholes. I decorated it with a nucleus and various vacuoles made of felt. I spotted my face and sprayed my hair to match and ta-da. Let the fun begin. The majority of little ones thought I was green eggs and ham. After I stopped laughing, I figured that was book-related enough to be acceptable. I then launched into an explanation of an amoeba, which made their eyes glaze over. I decided to opt for a germ.
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the best c hoice for their health care. “Education is v ery important,� he said, “to know what your options are and not to panic when you have an episode of bac k pain.� Becoming educated on your spine care options -- and your surgeon -- is crucial. San Diego attorne y Kathryn Meadows, who specializes in malpractice and injury cases, advises people to get a r ecommendation from someone who has experience with a particular doctor. It’s especially helpful to get a recommendation from another doctor, perhaps your own general practitioner. She also suggested checking the California Medical Board website to see if there has been any disciplinary action against a doctor. Though, she added, the information there is not always complete. “Oftentimes there are multiple complaints against a doctor before there is public disciplinary action taken.� And if there is a private reprimand, the public
Pines Reserve. The event will offer a Plein-air competition with an award ceremony and artists’ booth for sale of nature-based artwork. There will also be music, artist demonstrations, food, free nature hikes, raffle, silent auction and children activities. This event is hosted by the volunteer docents of the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.
That got their attention. A sprinkling of others guessed I was a booger (close enough to a germ) and vomit, which was visually pretty accurate. I couldn’t fault any of them and it kept my laughing all week. The book fair was a grand success, although I doubt my amoeba outfit sold any books. It did, I think, add to the party atmosphere and convey my excitement about all things written and educational. It’s quite enough to inspire me again next year and I’m stocked up on glue sticks. Jean Gillette is a freelance writer who may have been a well-read court jester in a former life. Contact her at jgillette@coastnewsgroup.com
will not know, she said. In addition, it’s important to learn whether your physician is board certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), she said, explaining that spine surgeons are generally certified in either orthopedic surgery or neurosurgery. Also, if a surgeon has had his or her surgical privileges at a hospital or sur gery center revoked or suspended, this is a huge red flag. Patients should always ask this question, as such a suspension or revocation is generally due to a significant number of unwarranted surgical complications and/or mistak es, Meadows said. Raiszadeh is certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, an ABMS member board. He has surgical privileges at hospitals and sur gery centers throughout the county, and he and his brother, Ramin, serve as co-medical directors of the Advanced Spine Institute & Minimall y Invasive Spine center at Alvarado Hospital and are starting a spine center of excellence at the Ne w Palomar Hospital.
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refreshed greens dressed with sesame-miso (goma-ae) or tofu-miso (shira-ae). “For the demo, I will stir fry some julienned vegetables, perhaps carrots, and flavor them with red pepper, ginger and soy sauce,� she said. “This is the first signing venue where I will arri ve without vegetables and I am tremendously excited to cook from what is growing at Chino Farms right now. The final menu will evolve naturally once I can actuall y touch their beautiful pr oduce.� Singleton Hachisu took on the book pr oject after raising three sons and spending several years cooking, teaching cooking and helping with f arming which “toughened me to the point
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because they are receiving “a spinal surgeon’s perspective.� While he cautioned that, “there’s no quick fix out there,� those who c hoose Spine Zone are “empowered to treat (their) problem.� This concept is important to him, as he would like to change the paradigm of non-operative treatment to one of empo werment, he said. “I’d like to see this paradigm get added to every spine professional’s thought process,� he said, “so people really understand and harness the body’s own power to heal itself.� Dr. Steven Pratt, a San Diego ophthalmologist and New York Times-bestselling author on health and longevity, is an advocate of the Spine Zone. Pratt was feeling the cum ulative effects of a lifetime of physi-
where I knew I could do anything.� “The hardest part about writing the book w as wrestling myself into a positive frame of mind to start the main push of pulling all the pieces together and filling in the gaps,� she added. “I did it over the course of one long summer, but that was the summer after the earthquake and it really took until the fall to shake off the feeling of malaise. But I put on my earphones, cranked up early Joan Baez on my iPhone and was in the zone.� Chino Farms is located on 50 acres adjacent to Via de la Valle at 6123 Calzada Del Bosque, Rancho Santa Fe.The farm grows hundreds of varieties of produce each year, pulling from seeds from around the world, for walk-in customers and r estaurants including Mille Fleur and Market Bar & Restaurant.
cal activity, and the lingering effects of sports injuries, when a tennis-pro friend recommended Dr. Kamshad Raiszadeh. “I’m a firm believer in exercise, stretching and gaining muscle strength,â€? Pratt said, “which is why I loved the concept (of Spine Zone) ‌ I’m 100 percent behind what he’s doing there.â€? Pratt said his back “was not an easy fix,â€? and he was “open to any and all suggestionsâ€? on healing it, including surgery. “As a surgeon myself,â€? he said, “I know there are some things y ou can’t fix with rehab.â€? However, Pratt avoided surgery and was able to heal his back through the Spine Zone program. Dan Noel, Spine Zone clinic director, often sees results like Pratt’s. “That’s why I w ant my parents, my friends, people on the street to know about this,â€? Noel said.
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