The Mended Hearts, Inc.
Hearts of Jersey Chapter #179

March 2009

Message from the President

I have just returned from a 35-minute walk and find it hard to believe this is the end of February. Perhaps if Al Gore is correct we can blame it on global warming, I love it. Of course, I am referring to 65° temperature. I began to think about the environmental conditions that might be causing this unusual temperature. We’re hearing about all kinds of environmental factors, from industrial pollution and cars exhaust to cows burping. I wonder what caused the glaciers to melt? There were no factories, no cars, no cows and no Al Gore. Long, long ago, a glacier covered most of New York State and parts of New Jersey. Long Island is technically a terminal moraine, leftover soil, sand and stones from the receding glacier. What caused it to melt? Think about it when you hear some of the current environmental discussions. That’s enough Geology for today, don’t take notes, we are not having a test. Once a teacher, always a teacher.

I spent a good deal of time during February, American Heart Month, reading article upon article covering topics such as the best heart healthy foods and the best exercise routine for heart patients. Most of the materials that the newspapers like to publish you have already read in the Mended Hearts Newsletter. I tried to find new information and there it is a quite a bit out there. I read one report of a yearlong study of people following the Mediterranean-style diet. It seems the patients benefited from a small handful of nuts, no specific kind mentioned but I assume they mean walnuts. I have been using diced walnuts as an additive to breakfast cereal for several years; it’s good with raisin bran. You know what I mean.

The best was a heart related article from the Health Smart column in USA Weekend February 6-8. The author, Dr. Tedd Mitchell writes a weekly column that I read regularly. For Heart Month he wrote an article entitled “Keep your heart happy” that dealt with medication. Dr. Mitchell wrote about the “three Cs,” be clear, be consistent and be careful.

Be clear: By keeping a written, accurate record of the medication that you take. Identify the trade name and generic name if it applies, how often you take the medication and the strength of the dosage. Your list should also include contact phone numbers of the prescribing physicians. You should also identify any over-the-counter drugs that are regularly taken. The list should also contain information on drug allergies.

Be consistent: When taking your medications try to be consistent and take them at the same general time of each day. The doctor suggests you associate a medication with other habits for example breakfast, lunch and dinnertime. He points out a lack of consistency leads to the body having too much or too little of the medication in the system.

Be careful: Particularly when you walk through the pharmacy and look at the over-the-counter medications available. We sometimes assume that because they’re over-the-counter they may be harmless. Unfortunately mixing prescribed medication with “harmless” OTC can be very dangerous. Speak with the pharmacist about the possibility of drug interaction, (a good place to have your clear record of medications), before you purchase. This also applies to items such as nasal sprays, cough syrup and antihistamines. Always remember the golden rule of medications - don’t stop taking any prescribed medication without discussing it with the prescribing doctor.

Since this is written before March comes in, I’m not sure if it’s a lamb or a lion but with a nice weather we’ve had so far, spring is on the way. Three dates to remember, March 8, Daylight Savings Time begins and March 20 is the first day of spring. And in case you forget March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day, a fine day for a pint of Guinness, for medicinal purposes of course.