What You Need To Know About Preserving Heart Health

As temperatures soar our systems need to work a little harder to carry out our daily routines. For the young and fit, that may not be a tall order, but for anyone who is getting on in years or carrying a few extra kilos it can present a major challenge. For anyone with a heart condition the risks can be severe. Cairo to Sa7el Magazine caught up with Dr. Amr Hassan Mostafa from Oasis Clinics to learn more about how to stay heart-healthy in summer. 

What are the key dangers in summer for heart patients?

Summer lifestyles in Sahel vary for most vacationers.  Many pick up unhealthy patterns that are dangerous to their health, particularly for those known to suffer from heart and vascular ailments. Exposure to hot weather coupled with inadequate water intake, consumption of a high sugar diet and alcoholic beverages result in a state of dehydration. This can trigger blood clots inside blood vessels in those with known or undiagnosed blood vessel problems in the heart, brain or peripheral arteries.  A high salt diet is common in summer and quite harmful for those who have high blood pressure or are under treatment for weakness of heart performance or heart failure. Overeating, a high calorie diet and lack of exercise result in weight gain, which is quite harmful for all heart patients. Evenings spent in cafés, restaurants and bars that are packed with vacationers smoking cigarettes, cigars and shisha are all harmful to heart patients and individuals at risk.

Who else is at risk, even if not diagnosed with a heart condition?

Patients with heart and blood vessel disease are at risk of various illnesses and complications. Particularly patients with hypertension, heart failure and atherosclerotic vascular problems, such as angina, heart attacks, or those after stent or bypass surgery, as well as stroke patients.

Diabetics and patients with elevated cholesterol and elevated body fat are prone to develop vascular problems and complications. Frequently, people may not be aware of their blood vessel disease due to minimal or no symptoms that might be interpreted as age-related or obesity symptoms.  Patients with kidney failure are also adversely affected by any unhealthy habits during the summer.

What steps can be taken to avoid problems?

Moderation is the key word.  Avoid over eating and indulging in sweets and fast-food, which are usually loaded with calories and fats and are fried. Be mindful, with a low sodium diet.

Patients with hypertension and heart failure or kidney failure must eat a low sodium diet.  Salt is not the only sodium-containing food item.  All preserved, processed and canned foods are high in hidden salt. Sea salt, frequently marketed as a healthy alternative, is actually not safe for heart patients. It contains the same amount of sodium per unit weight. Whatever salt you decide to use, a low sodium diet is necessary for the above patients. Potassium salt may be a viable alternative. When ordering seafood, which is generally healthy, ask for low salt during cooking.

Indiscriminate use of alcoholic beverages is harmful to due to its contribution to dehydration, and increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Important Tips:

• Remember to hydrate by drinking enough water. Three hundred cc of water for every ten kg body weight daily is advisable for most.  Some special cases with renal patients and heart failure may require different amounts, so check with your doctor.

• Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits and home-prepared meals. Minimize eating out and ordering ready-made, fast food meals.
• Exercise frequently in order to burn any excess consumed calories while maintaining the health and viability of your cardiovascular system.
• Heart patients should get enough rest at night and in the middle of the day.

Apart from prescribed medications, what else can a person do to minimize heart problems in the summer?

• Minimize intake of calories in sweets, fats and carbohydrates, especially those from processed food sources.
• Eat plenty of vegetables and low sugar fruits like apples, guavas and pears.
• Low sodium diet.
• Adequate hydration.
• Avoid smoking.
• Daily exercise.

Many of us know that stress, lack of sleep, diet and even exercise can trigger headaches, but did you know that the weather can also cause them?

Some research studies have shown that the rise in temperature and humidity increases the risk of headaches and migraines in some people who are prone to these conditions.  Everyone’s headache and migraine triggers are different, and weather may play a role for some.

Weather-related triggers of headache and migraine include:

• Sun glare
• High humidity
• Bright light
• Sudden dips in barometric pressure

Weather conditions can also cause changes in your serotonin levels. These hormonal fluctuations are a common migraine trigger, and can cause a headache too.

Prolonged exposure to high temperatures also puts you at risk for heat exhaustion, one of the stages of heat stroke.

Dehydration Headaches

Heat-induced headaches can also be caused by dehydration. When you’re exposed to higher temperatures, your body needs more water to make up for what’s being lost as your body sweats. So, it is important to drink extra water as temperatures start to rise.

Preventative Measures

If heat tends to trigger your headache or migraine, you can be proactive about prevention:

• Limit your time outside on hot days.
• Protect your eyes with sunglasses and a hat with a brim when you venture out.
• Exercise indoors in an air-conditioned environment if possible.
• Avoid foods that can trigger your headache or migraine. Aged cheese, alcohol, chocolate, citrus fruits and coffee are among the most commonly reported food triggers.

Ice-cream Headaches

Ice cream headaches are no myth – you really can get them from eating ice-cream or other frosty items, such as ice pops and frozen slushy drinks. This intense cold causes blood vessel spasms to prevent the loss of body heat, which then relax again to let blood flow rise, resulting in a burst of pain.

Officially known as cold stimulus headaches, they can also occur when you suddenly expose your unprotected head to cold temperatures, such as by diving into cold water.

The good news is that most ice cream headaches are gone as quickly as they develop.

If you already have a headache, consider home remedies like:

• Lavender or peppermint essential oils
• Cold compresses, made by filling a waterproof bag with ice and wrapping it in a soft towel. Apply the compress to the back of the neck, head or temples.
• Over-the-counter (OTC) Aspirin, Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) and Ibuprofen can also be used as needed for pain relief. Wise use of pain-killers is important to avoid medication–related problems.

Killing the Pain

If you will face your headache head-on with pain-killers, then take into consideration the below:

• Do not exceed the recommended dosages for faster headache relief!
• Limit the dose of Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) to no more than 4 g/day to avoid possible liver damage. Totally avoid it if you have liver failure.
• Restrict the use of OTC pain killers to treat headaches to 3 days per week to avoid medication overuse headaches.
• To avoid stomach upset, take aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication with food or milk.
• Do NOT take Aspirin if you are allergic to salicylates or have asthma or nasal polyps; take Acetaminophen (Paracetamol), if appropriate.
• Patients who are pregnant, breast-feeding, or taking any other medications (especially blood-thinners) or have a pre-existing medical condition should be encouraged to consult their primary healthcare provider prior to self-medicating headaches.
• Do NOT take Aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatories if there is a history of stomach disorders, ulcers, liver or kidney disease, stroke or heart failure unless under the supervision of a physician.

There’s no place to hide when summer rolls around. All those extra kilos that were disguised under layers of baggy winter sweaters are now grabbing unforgiving attention as we hit the beach. Despair not! We found some effective solutions are at hand when we posed some questions to Dr. Hatem Amr of Cosmoderma Clinics.

CWM: What services and treatments are available for getting back into shape quickly?
Dr.H.A.:   An important service we offer is slimming, firming and lifting. Slimming treatments are carried out by using various technologies that break down the fat. These are Ultrasound, Laser, Radiofrequency and Infrared, which firm and lift areas by stimulating target muscles.

How do body toning machines work?
The treatment utilizes highly focused muscle contractions (approximately 20,000 muscle contractions during the session) allowing muscles to contract in a way that’s not possible through exercise. The contractions result in a rapid metabolic reaction in cells to not only strengthen and firm your muscles but to also break down fat. It’s best suited for individuals with a lower BMI who want to improve muscle definition and fat reduction in hard to target areas.

Are there different types of machines for various parts of the body?
There are different pieces of equipment with different technologies; most of them work on several areas of the body.

What are the main areas that people tend to work on?
The most common problem areas are the abdomen, thighs and buttocks but we also carry out treatment on the back and the arms.

How safe is this type of therapy?
These are beneficial procedures, which lead to loss of fat, strengthening and firming of muscles, treatment of sagging skin, and increasing blood circulation in treated areas.

Should we consult a physician before using this toning therapy?
The doctor should review the history of the patient before the procedure to check that there are no major health problems.

Should a body toning program be used in conjunction with a restricted diet?

One should eat healthy food during this treatment. We want the equipment to work on the body fat not on the fat intake.

How long does it usually take to see results?
Each and every session you lose size and weight from localized areas.

How long does a body toning program usually last for?
The weight and size you’ve lost at the end of the course of 10 sessions is not there anymore! It’s up to you to keep these results by sticking to healthy food at least 5 days per week. You will be used to eating healthy food by the end of the sessions.

Are there any risks involved?
There are some contraindications in which any slimming procedure should not be done, as in life-threatening conditions such as cancer patients on radio or chemotherapy, liver failure, kidney failure or acute heart failure, where the patient is weak and restricted from daily exercise. Any treatment should be aborted during pregnancy and lactation, even fillers and laser hair removal, since there are no tests done on pregnant or lactating women.

Is this type of body toning suitable for everyone?
It’s suitable for any individual of any age starting from puberty, male or female, who doesn’t have any life threatening medical condition like the ones listed above. For females, body toning is not suitable for pregnant or breast-feeding women.

Contact Information

Dr. Hatem Amr

Cosmoderma Clinics
Fellowship in Cosmetic Dermatology NYU
Dokki Clinic: 0100 942 1939, 02 37625551
Mohandeseen Clinic: 0115 979 1000, 02 33356645
Facebook: @cosmodermaclinicdrhatemamr
Instagram: @cosmo.derma