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[T453]The First Heart Surgery

by Stephen Lau, Ste

According to the most recent report from Journal of the American Medical Association, at least 12,000 Americans die each year from unnecessary surgery, and tens of thousands more suffer complications as a result.

Every year in the United States, surgeons perform 1.2 million angioplasties, during which a cardiologist uses tiny balloons and implanted wire cages known as stents to unclog arteries. This Roto-Rooter-type approach is less invasive and has a shorter recovery period than bypass, which is open-heart surgery.

Nevertheless, a surgery is still a trauma, and the body responds to it with major blood loss and swelling, and all manner of nerve and pain signals that can plague the patient for months, if not years.

Research has indicated that angioplasty did not appear to prevent heart attacks or save lives among non-emergency heart subjects. If that is the case, then why the surgery?

Dr. William Boden of the University of Buffalo School of Medicine, Buffalo, New York, and author of the study also added: "If you have chest pain and are stable, you can take medicines that do the job of angioplasty." Medicines used in the study included aspirin, and blood pressure and cholesterol drugs, and they were taken along with exercise and diet changes in patients participating in the study.

Dr. Boden did have a point about not opting for surgery. But do medicines, such as aspirin, as well as blood pressure and cholesterol drugs, save lives and prevent heart attacks, or are there better alternatives? Heart health is longevity health. Conventional medicine offers no miracle cures. Healing the heart has to be wholesome because it is the "residence" of the body, the mind, and the spirit. Therefore, medicines play only a minor role, if any, in the cure of heart disease. Modern Western medicine addresses only the symptoms, not the causes, of heart disease. According to the Oriental way, your heart is the "emperor" of your whole being, and the health of your entire system depends upon the normal functioning of your heart. According to Chinese philosophy, heaven and earth merge to make a human being, and the place where they merge is in the heart, which is the "center" of the human body, hence the importance of the heart.

Disturbances in the heart affect your whole body. The movement of blood throughout your body (circulation) is managed by multiple organs, which in turn interact with one another. A failure in any one part of this system can result in pathology.

If there is a circulation issue, all the organ systems in your body will be deprived of the nourishment supplied by your blood, which include nutrients and oxygen. Your heart has a dramatic effect on everything else in your body.

The force that keeps life going is "qi" (internal vital energy), which is determined by the balance of "yin" and "yang." Poor diet, stress, and lack of exercise can cause your "yin" and "yang" to become out of balance, thereby disrupting the flow of "qi." One symptom is "thick" blood, which is the root cause of heart disease.

Severe stagnation in "qi" and in the blood may produce internal heat, which goes into your blood and steams your body, drying out your blood vessels as well as raising your blood pressure.

In Chinese medicine, the basic cause of chest pain is obstruction of the circulation of "qi" and blood. Chest pain may be due to either deficiency or excess patterns of "yin" and "yang," resulting in imbalance and discord. Accordingly, the Oriental medicine focuses on using different foods not only to nourish the body but also to clear any blockage in the flow of "qi."

Truly, foods are directly involved in many of the risk factors for heart disease. Paying attention to what you eat is one of the most important preventive measures you can take.

The foods that best protect you against heart disease include the following: oily fish, fruits and vegetables, fiber from whole-grain breads and cereals and unrefined carbohydrates, nuts and seeds, and green tea, among others.

In addition to the different types of food to protect your heart, you need to understand the importance of energy balance. You need enough calories to maintain your energy level, but no more than what you can burn off. This is energy balance.

Even when you are dieting, you should not drastically cut back your calories such that your energy needs are not met. The number of calories you need depends primarily on age, gender, and activity level.

Essentially, the Oriental medicine employs foods and acupuncture to maintain smooth flow of "qi" and blood.

It's essential to organize a Home Team before you go in for heart surgery, even if you have little time before your surgery to plan it. On the other hand, if you have just gotten home from the hospital, don't worry it's not too late. A Home Team is a group of friends and family who are willing to assist you in your recovery following your surgery. Make a list of up to fifteen people, family and friends (but not your primary caregiver) who would be glad – even honored – to be called to help out. Pick a leader among these friends and engage her or him to contact the others about the tasks ahead. Set up a revolving schedule of assignments for your first three to four weeks at home.

Your Primary Caregiver Has The Most Important Role

Who will your primary caregiver be; your spouse, your partner, a friend, or another family member? In my new book, The Open Heart Companion: Preparation and Guidance for Open-Heart Surgery Recovery the following scenario is explained to help you better understand their importance: Suddenly your caregiver, your close personal ally, has the extended responsibility for all previously shared arrangements – nursing aid, household tasks, transportation, medical and social plan coordination. It can become overwhelming and too much for one person. That is why it is essential that you line up a supportive Home Team to pitch in. Your primary caregiver needs assistance and taking care of too. Once you are home and recovering, he or she is now “on” 24/7. He or she also needs continuing acknowledgment, appreciation and love from you. Plan to regularly express your gratitude. Find out how your loved one is feeling – every day. Though sometimes you won't feel like it, remember to smile, and show you care and appreciate all that is being done for you.

Five basic tasks to assign to your Home Team

1. Dinner nightly
Some friends will like to prepare a home cooked meal for both patient and caregiver, while others can pick up a heart healthy take-out meal. Since the reality of landing back home means the primary caregiver has antenna focused on you continuously, your caregiver loved one will appreciate the sit-down break at dinner time.

2. Buddy system
During the many hours and days of convalescence, neither patient nor primary caregiver wants to feel isolated at home. Anticipate a buddy system in advance. Is there a friend who has been though open-heart surgery who will agree to check in with the patient regularly? Is there someone that the heart patient can call spontaneously? Many basic questions can be answered this way, by a friend or family member. Naturally, any substantial recovery question requires picking up the phone and calling your designated medical professional. Maybe you know, or know of, a former heart patient who also is a medical professional? Arrange chat times (perhaps twice weekly) with him or her. Primary caregiver and patient should also plan regular phone time with a best friend independently, to be free to let their hair down to tell it like it is.

3. Running errands
Who – friend or neighbor – would be willing to be counted on to run to the pharmacy or to deposit or pick up laundry or dry cleaning? How about someone who will shop for staples at the supermarket or buy a box of thank-you notes? Recruit a list of volunteers beforehand. It's critical to have this in place to enable you to focus on getting well.

4. Housekeeping
In the hospital take-home instructions, there are very specific physical directives that must be honored while the sternum (breastbone) is healing. You are not to lift more than five to ten pounds for four to six weeks. As well, you are to avoid pushing/pulling activities with your arms, and also avoid heavy one-armed lifting for three months. This eliminates carrying groceries, carrying a toddler, vacuuming, shoveling snow, mowing the lawn, raking leaves – even wiping up a kitchen counter with a sponge can be challenging in the first couple of weeks. It is best to schedule others for regular housekeeping duties for at least four to six weeks and/or consider hiring a house cleaner for the short term.

5. Chauffeuring
An open-heart patient may not resume driving for six to eight weeks – until the sternum is fully healed. Because you don't want to risk re-injuring the sternum should a passenger airbag need to be deployed, you might be advised to ride in the back seat using the shoulder seat belt. That said, you can ride in a car as soon as you're home – to a medical appointment, to the store, to eat out. However, all these outings become a lot of driving for the primary caregiver, so line up chauffeur volunteers.

Recovering from heart surgery can be challenging, but with these tips and more tips on planning ahead found in The Open Heart Companion you can ensure that your recovery will go smoothly.

Article Source : sports and fitness nutrition

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Both Stephen Lau & Maggie Lichtenberg are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Stephen Lau has sinced written about articles on various topics from Chocolate and Health, Fitness and Disease & illness. Stephen Lau is a writer and researcher, writing synopses of research of doctors and scientists. His publications include "NO MIRACLE CURES - Only Wholesome Self-Healing," "How To Teach Children To Read" and "Blueprint For Success In Affiliate Business.. Stephen Lau's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.

Maggie Lichtenberg has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness. . Maggie Lichtenberg's top article generates over 1600 views. to your Favourites.