Heart Disease Risk Reduction

Heart Disease Risk Reduction

by Dr. Keith Barry

Alberta Health has developed an online tool to help you calculate your “heart age". This represents your risk of future heart disease and cardiovascular events. It is accompanied by information on how you can reduce your risk.

The Heart Disease Risk Calculator can be found at:  https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Alberta/Pages/Heart-Disease-Risk-Calculator.aspx

Further information on reducing your vascular risk can be found at: http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/scns/page10585.aspx

The tool does ask for your blood pressure. You can check your own blood pressure at most pharmacies or buy a home monitor. We recommend everyone check their blood pressure on a regular basis (i.e. yearly however the optimal frequency is currently unclear.) If your blood pressure is elevated persistently, write down the readings and bring them in to see your family physician for review. It is helpful to have a few different readings from a few different days as our blood pressure can fluctuate quite a bit; you cannot make much out of one single reading.  When you check your blood pressure, you should have been at rest for 5 minutes prior and should not have had any caffeine or nicotine recently. More information on measuring your blood pressure can be found at the Canadian Hypertension Education Program.

The tool also asks for your cholesterol. Not everyone needs their cholesterol checked and no one needs it checked yearly. If you are on cholesterol medication (Statin) you do not need your cholesterol checked ever again (the benefit is the same regardless of cholesterol levels or reduction.) This is often a test that is done too frequently and can drive healthcare costs. Most people should have their cholesterol checked starting at age 40 and then every 3-5 years thereafter. If you have certain risk factors (i.e obesity, diabetes, smoking, family history or many others) your cholesterol and cardiovascular risk should be assessed earlier. You can see your physician to determine if you should have your cholesterol checked or have had it checked in the past.  

November is Fall Prevention Month

Every year, 1 in 3 Alberta seniors will fall.

Take action to reduce your risk.

Falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults. The older we get, the greater the risk of falling becomes. Our bodies naturally change with age, and these changes affect the way we feel, move, and behave. 

• Older adults with muscle weakness are 4-5 times more likely to fall.
• Try to do 30 minutes or more of physical activity at least 5 days each week.
• Walking, dancing, Tai Chi, and cross-country skiing are a few great ways to be active.
  

A fall can have a devastating and lasting impact on an individual resulting in injury, chronic pain and a reduced quality of life. Even without an injury, a fall can cause a loss in confidence and a reduction in activities for older adults.

• Older adults with low vision are 2.5 times more likely to fall.
  
• A comprehensive eye exam will test your vision and look for issues like glaucoma and cataracts.
  
• Alberta Health Care covers the cost of eye exams for adults 65 and older.
  

Some medications can also put you at risk of a fall.

• Seniors taking more than 3 - 4 medications are at a higher risk of falls.
  
• Some prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements can increase your risk of falling.
  

These actions can help you prevent a fall and stay independent:

• Learn more about how to lower your fall risk to prevent yourself from falling or falling again.
• Talk with a physiotherapist to get the best walking aid for your needs.
• Exercise to improve your strength and balance.
• Talk with a physiotherapist or our PCN Exercise Specialist about exercise to improve your balance.
• Talk to your health care provider if you are worried about falling, especially if it stops you from being active.
• Do 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week strengthening your muscles can reduce your risk of falling - our PCN Exercise Specialist can provide guidance and exercise routines.
• Keep active to improve strength and balance. 
• Talk with your doctor or health care provider about managing the need to rush to the toilet. Rushing could increase your risk of a fall. 
• Talk to your podiatrist or doctor if you have numbness in your feet; numbness can cause a fall.
• Review your medications, vitamins, and supplements with your pharmacist or doctor yearly or if  your prescription changes or new medications are added. 
• Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about medication side effects or causes of light-headedness. Sometimes an adjustment of dosage or type of medication can help.
• Are you sad or have concerns about anxiety or depression? Talk to your health care provider or doctor about how you are feeling.
• Visit an eye doctor yearly to check your eye health. Poor vision or a change in vision can increase the risk of a fall.
• Wear proper shoes, especially outside. Take extra care when walking on snow or ice-covered sidewalks or parking lots. Learn the "Penguin Walk".

Take this online assessment quiz to see if you are at risk of a fall.

Health care providers can print paper copies of this quiz, here.

Learn more at https://www.fallpreventionmonth.ca/

November is Diabetes Awareness Month

November is Diabetes Awareness Month! 

Did you know that 1 in 3 Canadians are living with diabetes or prediabetes? So many lives are touched by this chronic disease, yet so few Canadians know they are at risk for developing diabetes. 

What is Diabetes?

It’s a chronic disease where the body cannot make enough insulin or cannot use insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone that helps to control blood sugars. A high amount of sugar in the blood over a long period of time can damage organs, blood vessels, and nerves.  

Are you at risk?

Not much is known about definite risk factors for Type 1 Diabetes, but there are quite a few risk factors for developing Type 2 Diabetes. Some we can have some control over, but some we cannot. 

Here’s a list of risk factors for developing Type 2 Diabetes:

• Have a parent, brother, or sister living with diabetes.

• Member of high-risk group (Indigenous, Hispanic, South Asian, Asian, African descent)

• Have given birth to a baby weighing more than 4kg or 9lb

• Have had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy)

• Prediabetes diagnosis

• Have high blood pressure

• Have high cholesterol  or high blood fats

• Have extra weight around abdomen, overweight

• Have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) diagnosis

• Have acanthosis nigricans diagnosis

• Have obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis

• Have diagnosed psychiatric disorders: schizophrenia, depression

Ask your doctor to test if you have diabetes if you are over 40 years old or if you have several risk factors after taking this risk test: https://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca/en/canrisk

Don’t have a doctor?  Find one here: www.albertafindadoctor.ca

Fight the Risk

Here are some healthy habit ideas that can help lower your risk of diabetes:

• Eat a high fibre breakfast everyday

• Eat 1 cup of vegetables at each of your meals

• Eat 2-3 servings of fruit each day (1 serving =0.5 cup or tennis ball size piece of fruit)  

• Go for a 10-15 minute walk at lunch everyday

• Try deep breathing or visualization technique to manage your stress or check out other stress management techniques at https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/tests-treatments/pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=rlxsk&

Your Team

You have a team of Registered Dietitians, Exercise Specialist, Registered Nurses, Behavioural Health Consultants and Mental Health Therapists that can support your health journey through the Team-Based Care program at the PCN.  You can access this team for support by asking for a referral from your family doctor.  

June is Stroke Awareness Month

June is Stroke Awareness Month - do you know the signs of a stroke?

For more information on stroke and to find out if you are at risk, visit the Heart & Stroke Foundation website: http://www.heartandstroke.ca/stroke/signs-of-stroke

http://www.heartandstroke.ca/stroke/signs-of-stroke

February is Heart Month!

Heart Healthy class at the PCN!

Learn about risk factors for stroke and heart disease, how to eat healthy and read nutrition fact labels for managing blood pressure and cholesterol . Also learn how medication, stress management and tobacco cessation can affect heart health.

This is a FREE class and is open to the public; a referral from your family doctor is NOT required. 

Register online or call our PCN office at 780-986-6624.

Unlocking the mystery behind type 2 diabetes

Unlocking the mystery behind type 2 diabetes

What is type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is a disease caused when the body does not make enough insulin or when the body does not use the insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone that helps control the amount of sugar (or glucose) in the body.  In diabetes, this results in sugar building up in the blood instead of being used up as energy.
Think of insulin as the key that unlocks the cells doors to allow sugar in. When there are not enough keys, or, when the keys are not able to unlock the doors, some doors remain locked and the sugar stays outside.  

Are you at risk for type 2 diabetes?

Anyone who is over the age of 40 should be tested for diabetes every 3 years.
Anyone with one or more of these risk factors below should be screened more often:

• If you are a member of a certain ethnic backgrounds :

o Aboriginal
o Asian
o South Asian
o African
o Hispanic

• Genetics – having immediate family members with diabetes
• Being overweight especially when the excess weight is around the tummy
• Giving birth to a baby over 9lbs or had gestational diabetes while pregnant
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Pre-diabetes
• Certain medical conditions  (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea)

What are the signs and symptoms of diabetes?

• Extreme thirst
• Frequent urination
• Weight change (gain or loss)
• Extreme fatigue or lack of energy
• Blurred vision
• Frequent or recurring infections
• Cuts and bruises that are slow to heal
• Tingling or numbness in hands and feet
• Trouble getting or keeping an erection

You’ve been diagnosed with Diabetes.  Now what?

Your family doctor may recommend you start a few lifestyle changes that could help to lower your blood sugar.  These may include:  increasing your level of physical activity, modifying your diet to include more fibre and less sugar, fat and salt, or starting medication.

Cherie deBoer is a Registered Nurse at the Leduc Beaumont Devon Primary Care Network.










The Leduc Beaumont Devon Primary Care Network has a has a team of healthcare professionals that help people living with various chronic conditions such as diabetes, pre-diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and other nutritional concerns. A smoking cessation program is also offered. Our team, which includes registered nurses, a registered psychologist and registered pharmacist, registered dietitians and an exercise specialist, works with patients to help them learn strategies to improve their ability to manage their health. You can access the team through a referral from your family doctor.

The PCN also offers workshops and classes that are free to the public, a referral is not needed. Check our website for upcoming classes that might interest you.

www.lbdpcn.com

Vegetables/Fruits and Reducing Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

How many vegetables and fruits do you need in a day?

According to Health Canada, adult women need 7-8 servings per day and adult men need 8-10 servings per day. Children need 4-6 servings and teens need 7-8 servings. See the chart below:

Tips on eating the daily recommended number of vegetables and fruits:

            Try having 1 fruit with each of your meals or as part of a snack:

·         Have 1-2 servings of vegetables at each meal.  1 serving is only 0.5 cup of vegetables, which is the size of a deck of playing cards or a hockey puck.

o   Add some cucumbers or tomatoes to your sandwich;

o   Add a mixture of different vegetables or fruits to your salads, such as cucumbers, peas, grapes, apples, and broccoli;

o   Add some extra vegetables into your soups;

o   Add some dried fruit to your cereal or oatmeal.

·         Cut up your vegetables ahead of time so you have them available to throw into a stir fry, as part of a meal, or as a quick snack that you can grab and go.

·         Try some vegetables you have never tasted before and look online for recipes on how you can incorporate them into a dish.  Try one new recipe a week! Click here for recipe ideas with seasonable vegetables.

Recent study: Eating more vegetables and fruits and eating smaller portions, can reduced risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes. CTV News.

S    Sally Ho is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator with the Leduc Beaumont Devon Primary Care Network.   

World Suicide Prevention Day – September 10

September 10th 2013 is World Suicide Prevention Day

Every year on September 10th, the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as other organizations around the globe, observe World Suicide Prevention Day.

The purpose of World Suicide Prevention Day is to:

• raise awareness that suicide is preventable;
• improve education about suicide;
• spread information about suicide awareness;
• decrease stigmatization around suicide.

According to Alberta Health Services data, approximately 3,500 Canadians die by suicide every year, which is only slightly below the number of people who die every year from colon and breast cancer.  Suicide is consistently a leading cause of death in Alberta, with over 500 people lost to suicide in 2011.  Suicide rates in Alberta are higher than any other province in Canada.  Suicides claim more Albertans every year than motor vehicle accidents, AIDS or homicides.  

Risk factors for suicide include:

• previous suicide attempt;
• knowing someone who has attempted or committed suicide (family, friends, school-mates, co- workers);
• family history of abuse;
• local epidemics of suicide (this is called a “contagion” effect);
• mental illness (e.g. depression, bipolar);
• history of alcohol or substance abuse;
• loss (death, job, relationship, pet, etc.);
• feelings of unremitting hopelessness.

Signs that someone might be suicidal:

• direct statements such as, “I’m going to kill myself”;
• indirect statements such as, “everyone would be better off without me”;
• preoccupation with death or dying;
• isolation or cutting oneself off from others;
• marked change in mood – this can either be someone who has been happy and who is now miserable, OR someone who has been very down but suddenly seems happy (can be a sign that they’ve made the decision to kill themselves and are now feeling relieved);
• increased use of alcohol or drugs;
• increase in reckless behaviour (e.g. doing drugs or driving recklessly);
• saying goodbye, giving away possessions (when there’s no logical reason for this);
• obtaining the means to kill oneself (e.g. guns, pills, rope, etc.).

If you or someone you love is thinking about suicide, please contact:

• 911;
• 24 hour Addiction & Mental Health Crisis Response Team: (780) 342-7777;
• Leduc Mental Health: (780) 986-2660;
• The Support Network Distress Line: (780) 482-HELP (4357).

Join the local and global communities in helping to raise awareness about this serious issue 

Crisis Support Centre Breakfast:

The Crisis Support Centre will be having a breakfast in honour of Suicide Awareness week and it will take place on September 10, 2013, which is also World Suicide Prevention day.
The CSC invites you to join them from 7:30am – 8:30am at The Westin Edmonton for a delicious hot breakfast while listening to stories of courage and hope in the face of adversity. By joining the conversation, you can lift the silence and break the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health.

This breakfast raises awareness and funds for the lifesaving services of The Support Network’s Crisis Support Centre.

“Together we can change lives, and save lives.”

Click here for more information on the Crisis Support Centre Breakfast 2013.

Join the Official World Suicide Prevention day 2013 Facebook Event Page 
(co-hosted by the World Health Organization and the International Association of Suicide Prevention)

World Suicide Prevention Day 2013 Facebook page

Suicide affects us all and it is preventable.  Reach out if you or a loved one is experiencing thoughts of suicide.  You can talk to a trusted friend, family member, clergy person, mental health professional. Help is out there if you need it.

Additional Resources:

Canadian Mental Health Association
Crisis Support Centre
International Association for Suicide Prevention
Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention

Sheila Gothjelpsen is a Registered Psychiatrist at the Leduc Beaumont Devon Primary Care Network.