ARISE Nursing Newsletter February 2018

ARISE NEWSLETTER ISSUE 11 | FEBRUARY 2018

Valentine’s D AY S P E C I A L

BE HEART HEALTHY INSIDE THIS ISSUE

INTRODUCTION

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

HEART HEALTH AWARENESS

ROLE OF NURSES

INTRODUCTION

This Valentine’s Day, make a date with your heart and give yourself or someone you love the greatest gift – the gift of health. Your loved ones may have the key to your heart, but being physically fit and eating healthy can be the key to a healthier heart. As we celebrate this February the Heart Health Month, indulge yourself and your special someone with a heart- healthy present.

The month of February is not just about giving chocolates, teddy bears and flowers. It is also the best month to take on strategies to encourage people to live a heart- healthy life.

ARISE Nursing Newsletter from University Hospital Sharjah

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ARISE Newsletter | February 2018

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Cardiovascular disease is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality for both men and women worldwide.

The good news is when people choose to live healthy and appropriately manage their health conditions, heart diseases can be prevented. Health professionals in collaboration with their patients, patient’s families and communities can create opportunities to live a healthier lifestyle.

The World Health organization (WHO) and The American Heart Association (AHA) recognize the vital role that nurses and other allied members play in supporting the goal to lessen disability and death from heart disease. Health promotion and disease prevention are the key components of professional practice in the health care setting.

ARISE Nursing Newsletter from University Hospital Sharjah

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ARISE Newsletter | February 2018

HEART HEALTH AWARENESS

February is National Heart Month

a great time to make sure your ticker is tickin’ properly. We’ve all heard it: change your diet, maintain a healthy weight, be physically active, quit smoking. But why? Can this advice REALLY HELP you lower your cholesterol and improve your heart health?

YES! Making small changes in your daily routine can add up to big benefits and help you live a healthier, more balanced life.

Here are just a few ideas: Encourage families to make small changes, like using spices to season their food instead of salt.

Motivate teachers and administrators to make physical activity a part of the school day.

This can help students start good habits early.

Ask doctors and nurses to be leaders in their communities by speaking out about ways to prevent heart disease.

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ARISE Newsletter | February 2018

ROLE OF NURSES As nurses, we can make a difference through giving education to our patients, which include:

Be Heart Healthy 1. Encourage patients to avoid or quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke. Quitting smoking is the single best thing to do to maintain a healthy heart. Smokers are almost twice as likely to develop a heart attack compared with people who have never smoked.

The carbon monoxide in tobacco decreases the oxygen supply in the blood. This requires the heart to pump harder in order to deliver the amount of oxygen that the body needs.

The nicotine in cigarettes stimulates the body to produce adrenaline, which makes the heart beat faster. It also raises the blood pressure, making the heart work harder.

Shisha smoking – also called hookah, narghile, waterpipe, or hubble bubble smoking – is another way of smoking tobacco. It is sometimes mixed with fruit or molasses sugar, through a bowl and hose or tube.

Just like cigarette, shisha also contains nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide and heavy metals, such as arsenic and lead. Shisha smokers are at risk of the same kinds of diseases as cigarette smokers, like cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease and problems during pregnancy.

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ARISE Newsletter | February 2018

2.

Maintain a healthy weight.

According to research, being overweight or obese can: Raise the blood cholesterol levels Elevate blood pressure and Increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

3.

No to sedentary lifestyle and be physically active. Make exercise part of your day. Simple daily activities like using the stairs instead of lifts, walking to the grocery store rather than riding a car and doing some stretching while watching your favorite TV shows will help you feel and look great.

4.

Regular check up

Be Food Conscious Everyone should aim for a well balanced diet. Some crash diets may not supply the balance of nutrients that one needs.

Try to eat:

plenty of fruit and vegetables

plenty of starchy foods such as bread, rice, potatoes and pasta

some milk and dairy products

some meat, ďŹ sh, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein

Only a small amount of foods and drinks high in fats and/or sugar.

Choose options that are lower in fat, salt and sugar whenever you can. Excessive salt intake can increase the risk of developing high blood pressure that predisposes a person from acquiring coronary heart disease.

Avoid alcohol drinking. Drinking more than the recommended amount of alcohol can have a harmful eect on the heart and general health. It can cause abnormal heart rhythms, damage to your heart muscle, high blood pressure and other diseases such as stroke, liver problems and some cancers.

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ARISE Newsletter | February 2018

Spread Love, Not Hate Anger is a normal emotion that everyone feels.

The way we handle our emotions can make a huge difference to our heart, though.

“If you have a destructive reaction to anger, you are more likely to have heart attacks,” says Dave Montgomery, MD, a cardiologist from Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta.

Anger and hostility are emotions that ramp up the “fight or flight” response, wherein stress hormones including cortisol and adrenaline increase the heart rate and breathing. When you get a burst of energy, the blood vessels tighten causing the blood pressure to soar up.

"It’s really important that physicians start taking care of the whole person, including their moods and their lives, because it matters,” says New York cardiologist Holly S. Andersen, MD.

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ARISE Newsletter | February 2018

Avoid Stress Stress is another cause for developing cardiovascular disease. Although it is not a direct risk factor, it may contribute to the risk level, depending on one’s coping mechanisms.

Some people handle their stress with unhealthy behavior – such as smoking, excessive alcohol drinking and stress eating. All of these increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.

As nurses, we can help our patients to identify situations that make them feel stressed either at home or at work and how to manage or cope with their situations. Teach them some relaxation techniques like yoga and other physical activities that help them relax. Getting psychological help is the best way to help them decide how to deal with stress appropriately.

Keep A Healthy Heart,

So We Won’t Be Apart

References: https://www.cdc.gov/family/valentine/index.htm https://www.theheartfoundation.org/heart-disease-facts/heart-awareness-month/ https://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health

ARISE Nursing Newsletter from University Hospital Sharjah

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ARISE Newsletter | February 2018

Don’t Forget

UHS Medical Times 1

Newsletter | February 2018

To Check UHS Medical Times For

February THYROID CLINIC The World Health Organization estimates about 750 million people around the world suffer from a thyroid malfunction. Women are up to eight times more likely to experience disorders than men.

WHAT IS THYROID AND PARATHYROID GLAND? Thyroid gland is a butterfly shaped gland located in front of the neck, whereas the parathyroid glands are small glands of the endocrine system which are located in the neck behind the thyroid.

The thyroid gland regulates the body's metabolism and has no effect on calcium levels while parathyroid glands regulate calcium levels and have no effect on metabolism.

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We Would Love to Hear

This Edition of UHS - Medical Times focusses on creating Awareness on Thyroid Disorders. Many are not aware of the importance of this gland and what role it plays in our body.

This month’s issue thus provides information on the functioning of thyroid gland. The various types of disorders due to malfunction of thyroid gland and the ways of treating them.

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ARISE Nursing Newsletter from University Hospital Sharjah

Call: +971 6 505 8555 or Mail: info@uhs.ae