Cardiac Rehabilitation

How successfully someone comes back from a heart attack, or learns to live with heart disease, is up to each individual. (Read about "Heart Attack" "Coronary Heart Disease") There are certain things that everyone can do to get better and live a more fulfilling life, but the exact methods and the success is up to you and how well you work with your doctor. Your doctor may have you on one or more medications. In addition, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) says there are four lifestyle keys to cardiac rehabilitation:

• education
• counseling
• behavior change
• exercise

Together each of these can make life easier and better for heart patients but each must be tailored to the individual and their needs in consultation with their doctor.

Education

The first thing anyone should do is learn about their heart problems. What exactly are the issues? What are the causes and the treatment options available? What are the behaviors and risks that you can change to lessen problems in the future?

Counseling

Counseling will include advice from your doctor and others about exercise programs and lifestyle changes, including stress management. (Read about "Stress") The American Heart Association (AHA) also says that patients entering cardiac rehabilitation should receive mental health evaluations and support. (Read about "Mental Health") AHRQ calls a support network of family and friends vital to the rehabilitation process. Counseling can also include answers to personal questions such as physical limitations for the patient, including issues such as sex. They should be discussed openly and fully with your doctor.

Behavior changes

There are many known risk factors for heart disease. Any cardiac rehabilitation program will include changing the behaviors that you can control, and carefully monitoring the conditions that put you at risk. Risk factors include, according to AHRQ and AHA:

• smoking (Read about "Quit Smoking")
• high blood pressure (Read about "Hypertension: High Blood Pressure")
• high blood cholesterol (Read about "Cholesterol")
• physical inactivity (Read about "Exercise and Your Heart")
• excess weight (Read about "Losing Weight")
• diabetes (Read about "Diabetes")
• stress (Read about "Job Stress")

It is crucial that cardiac patients quit smoking. If you have suffered a heart attack, you didn't smoke while in the hospital, so don't start again now that you are out. If you haven't been hospitalized, your doctor can help you with a smoking cessation program.

High blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes can be controlled with dietary changes and (if needed) with drugs. Once again, consultation with your doctor is needed. Excess weight can be managed with dietary changes and with exercise. (Read about "Dietary Guidelines")

Exercise

An exercise program can help strengthen the heart and reduce stress. AHA says that moderate exercise can also help lower weight and control blood pressure and cholesterol. Once again any exercise program should be done only with careful consultation with your doctor. Some tips from AHA on exercise programs:

• wear comfortable clothes
• start slowly, building up to the recommended amount from your doctor
• hydrate with some water before you exercise
• make an appointment to exercise at the same time each day
• enlist others to exercise with you to keep you going
• join a group
• keep a log to track how you are doing
• vary what you do to keep your interest up

Be aware of how you feel while exercising and stop right away if you have any chest pain, shortness of breath or dizziness. Immediately contact your doctor if these things happen.

In addition to physical rehabilitation, your physician may also recommend continued treatment with medication. Recent guidelines from the AHA and the American College of Cardiology say continued treatment with drugs, including ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers, has been shown to reduce the risk of death in patients who have survived a heart attack. The groups also stress the importance of smoking cessation and recommend avoiding secondhand smoke as well. (Read about "Quit Smoking") Eating foods high in omega-3 fatty acids and the use of newer antiplatelet agents for patients unable to take aspirin to reduce the risk of blood clots are also among the groups' recommendations.

Once again, the success of any cardiac rehabilitation program is dependent on the patient and how well they follow their treatment plan. Many people are able to bounce back from heart problems and lead full lives.

Related Information:

    Walking for Health

    Stretching and Health

    Getting Started on Fitness

    Staying With It

    The Heart & Cardiovascular System

    Cardiovascular Tests

    Glossary Of Heart Terms