Posted by Pharmacological interventions, depression and your heart health
Pharmacological intervention may be necessary to prevent a heart attack and one of the simplest may be taking a dose aspirin a day. Before you do this discuss with your doctor the pros and cons of aspirin therapy.
Current research finds that an aspirin a day is effective at reducing heart attacks for men under 65 and reducing strokes for women. For women over 65, particularly for those with coronary risk factors, a low-dose daily aspirin could potentially prevent heart attacks and reduce their risk for strokes. For women who are under 65, they should consider an aspirin a day only if they are already at high risk for cardiovascular disease. This recommendation brings with it the caveat of some potential side effects of aspirin, notably bleeding in the gastrointestinal areas.
Even if you have successfully managed to change your habits and included all of these suggestions above you still may have high cholesterol. In that case, you may have to consider using statin drugs. Since these are prescription drugs, you will have to talk with your doctor about them.
Alcohol, self-medicated usage excluded, used in moderation of no more than one drink a day for a woman, may actually reduce the risk of having a heart attack. The definition of one drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1½ ounces of 80 proof liquor. However, alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer in women along with other cancers and some additional serious health risks. This does not mean that you can drink your way to better heart health because you can reduce your risk without drinking alcohol.
In the past, hormones such as estrogen and progestin were used because it was thought they prevented heart attacks. We now know otherwise. A study in 2002 resulting from the Women’s Health initiative that found that this type of hormone therapy actually increased the risk of heart attacks, along with stroke, blood clots, breast cancer in older women. Hormone replacement therapy is still used for women with severe hot flashes and other problems resulting from menopause however, these are normally at the lowest possible dosages and for the shortest time.
Depression and stress both have adverse effects on your heart health. You must do what you have to do if you are chronically depressed.
See your doctor, talk with a counselor; do not let it continue because it is not normal to feel miserable most of the time. The treatment of depression can be a successful and you will benefit from the success of your treatment.
If it is your job is demanding more of your life than you want to give to it, it may be time to move on, especially if you have little control and are consistently unhappy in doing it. Life is too short to be doing something you do not want to do. Find that passion and live a happier life.
One final thing you need to know is your family history. Notably so if your father or brother before they turned fifty-five or your mother or sister before they turned sixty-five had a heart attack since this increases your risk of having one too. Obviously, you won’t be able to change your pre-existing genetics, but knowing this is a part of your family history gives you a heads up and should cause you to start paying closer attention to your heart health.
It all boils down to keeping your cholesterol and blood sugar levels in the medically recommended ranges, exercising daily and watching over your diet to make sure you are eating cleanly each day.
Explosivelyfit Strength Training, LLC 