CARDIOLOGY
Cardial Rehabilitation
Cardiac rehabilitation services are designed to help patients with heart disease recover faster and return to full and productive lives. Cardiac rehabilitation includes exercise, diet pattern, education, counseling and support, and learning new ways to live a healthier life.
You can benefit from cardiac rehabilitation if:
- You have heart disease, such as angina or heart failure, or have had a heart attack.
- You have a chronic heart problem.
- You had coronary artery bypass surgery or a valve replacement.
- You have an implanted defibrillator
- You have had a balloon catheter (angioplasty), a stent, or other cardiac procedure
You can also benefit from cardiac rehabilitation if you are at risk of heart disease. Cardiac rehabilitation can make a difference. It is a safe and effective way to help you:
- Feel better faster, emotionally and physically.
- Get stronger
- Get to know how to reduce stress
- Adjust to your condition
- Become confident to care for your health and return to former activities
- Reduce the risk of further heart problems
- Enjoy life more
Almost everyone with heart problems can benefit from some kind of cardiac rehabilitation. No one is too old or too young. Women can benefit from cardiac rehabilitation as much as men. When you have heart disease, breaking old habits and learning new ones can be difficult. Wondering about your future health can be worrying too. The support of family and friends, as well as health care providers, can make a big difference to how well you adjust to these changes. Share this information with others so they will learn about cardiac rehabilitation and how they can help you.
Keys to Heart Health:
The following information can help you how to lower your risk for future heart problems.
- EXERCISE: Regular physical activity that is tailored to your abilities, needs, interests and resources.
- EDUCATION: Learning about your heart problem, it's causes and treatments, and how can you manage it.
- COUNSELING AND SUPPORT: Advice on why and how to change your lifestyle to lower your risk of further heart problems and return to a full and productive life.
- BEHAVIOR CHANGE: Learning specific skills will enable you to make choices about changing unhealthy behavior such as smoking, or to begin heart healthy behavior such as eating a healthy diet.
Rehabilitation Team:
Cardiac rehabilitation services can involve many people. Your team may be made up of one or more of the following people:
- Doctor (a heart specialist)
- Exercise specialist/physiotherapist
- Dietician
- Psychologist
- Yoga/Meditation teacher
- Your family
How Can It Help Me?
Cardiac rehabilitation has two major parts:
- Physical activity to help you learn how to be active safely, strengthen your muscles and improve your stamina. Your physical activity plan will be based on your individual ability, needs and interests.
Types of Exercise:
Aerobic exercise raises your pulse rate and makes you perspire. It helps to improve the flow of oxygenated blood through out your body. There are different kinds of aerobic exercise, including walking and swimming Strength training, such as using weights, improves your muscle strength and your stamina. In many cases the team will recommend both types of exercise. Make a habit of the heart-healthy life style you learn in cardiac rehabilitation. Your life depends on it.
