“This is your life and its ending one moment at a time.” As per the reports, consuming tobacco is the second most cause of death after hypertension. The World Health Organization celebrates World No Tobacco Day on May 31^st every year to spread anti-tobacco consciousness. Florida Heart Group celebrates World No Tobacco Day every year to promote awareness about ill-effects of tobacco. Tobacco intake leads to various diseases like heart attacks, strokes, cancer, influenza, female infertility and major infections. The effects of tobacco depend upon how much a person smokes. Approximately, smokers loose 14 years of their life.

Tobacco is the most silent and lethal killer. The world health assembly created World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to voice against tobacco consumption. Celebrating World No Tobacco Day encourages moderation from tobacco intake across the world. 24 hours self denial of tobacco extends resistance from smokers, government, health organizations and tobacco industry.  Florida Heart Group enthusiastically spreads this information to everyone out there.

Prevention is better than cure. Once attacked with tobacco consumption, your survival becomes difficult. Life tears you apart. Nobody can protect you from clutches of death. Nor seclusion from world will help you to live. Life is short and meant to be enjoyed not to be endured. Capture as much happiness as you can. Florida Heart Group promotes obedience on tobacco control laid by WHO conventions. We provide an opportunity to highlight anti-tobacco messages.

"Smoking was powerfully implicated in the causation of lung cancer". Habitual smokers are prone to risk of severe diseases and death. Though, an occasional smoker survives more but the risk of loosing life still hovers over him. If you have been addicted to tobacco, it is high time to ban cigarettes forever. We promote healthy lifestyle and spread awareness about healthy eating habits. Cigarettes should be bid farewell strictly. It is the very purpose and goal of World Health Organization, which we endeavor to fulfill.

At Florida Heart Group, we are celebrating World No Tobacco Day. Meet one of our specialists to get more information about ill-effects of tobacco consumption. Learn how you and your loved ones can lead a better life. Our advanced facilities and equipments ensure cure at earliest stage.

Wish you a happy World No Tobacco Day.

You can easily avoid suffering from a heart attack if you understand the heart attack warning signs and symptoms. Symptoms of a heart attack may vary from person to person. The pain may range from severe pain to mild chest tightness. Some people even may not experience any pain. Some of the most common heart attack warning signs advised by American Heart Association are:

• Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing pain in the center of your chest for more than two minutes or fullness.
• Pain radiating to your jaw or upper back, neck, shoulders and arms.
• Vomiting, nausea, dizziness, fainting, severe pain, weakness, anxiety, profuse sweating, thoughts of dying and breathing difficulty or shortness of breath.
• The patient might have indigestion or choking feeling.

These warning signs are almost same in both women and men. However, cardiologists and doctors at Florida Heart Group have advised some heart attack warning signs that are specific to women.

• Burning sensation in the heart
• Pain or ache prolong in the abdominal
• Faint spells
• Fatigue
• Skin gets humid and unpleasantly cold
• Lightheadedness

There are possibilities of a heart attack immediately after the symptoms or warning signs. Again, it varies to person to person. Some people immediately experience the attack, while others get it after a few weeks or days. Prompt medical help and facilities can be provided by certified Florida Heart Group doctors if any of these above mentioned heart symptoms or warning signs occur.

At Florida Heart Group, we have advance facilities and the best FL cardiologists and physicians for diagnosis and treatment of heart attack. For any emergency issues concerning heart, directly contact FL doctors.

For treatment of peripheral artery diseases FL doctors use balloon angioplasty – this helps to open blocked arteries in the legs of people with severe cases of peripheral arterial disease. Besides cardiology doctors, radiologists may also perform a balloon angioplasty procedure. FL cardiology doctors are trained in balloon angioplasty for peripheral artery diseases as also for heart diseases. Interventional radiologists however, are trained to do balloon angioplasty only on vessels outside the heart.

A balloon-tipped catheter is inserted through the skin and threaded through the arteries to the site of the blockage. When the balloon is inflated, it flattens the obstructing plaque against the artery walls and, ideally, widens the passageway for blood.

As per FL doctors, balloon angioplasty proves most successful on peripheral blockages that are relatively short and well-defined, rather than the ones that are long or scattered. For peripheral arterial disease treatment, it has been safely used and is effective for appropriately selected patients. It also offers the advantage of faster recovery time than that of bypass surgery. Balloon angioplasty calls for only one to two days of hospitalization. However, in about 30 percent of peripheral arterial disease cases, the leg arteries may become reclogged (called restenosis) within a year or two, and angioplasty may eventually be necessary again. In severe cases, a bypass surgery may be recommended by FL cardiology doctors.

For bypass surgery, the patient’s own vein or a synthetic equivalent is grafted onto the blocked artery so that blood can flow around the obstructed area. The cardiology physician’s thoughtful evaluation of an individual’s profile as a surgical candidate is crucial in deciding upon the optimal treatment.

At Florida Heart Group, our doctors not only offer services for diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular and peripheral artery diseases, but also help patients to adopt healthy lifestyle and reduce the risk factors. Consult the most well known FL physicians at Florida Heart Group if you or your loved ones observe any signs of vascular diseases.

Are you a heart disease patient or have observed any heart attack warning signs in the past? In Florida, cardiology doctors at heart hospitals give useful tips to their patients to help them follow a healthy lifestyle and maintain good eating habits.

For the people who have observed heart attack warning signs or symptoms of heart attack in the past, it is important to avoid sodium. Excess of sodium increases blood pressure and your risk for a heart attack and stroke. Heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death in the United States primarily because of high intake of processed foods like chips, fries, subways and pizzas. Most of the sodium that you consume is in form of salt, and the vast amount of sodium consumed is in such processed and restaurant foods.

The body needs some sodium to function properly as it:

• Helps in maintaining the right balance of fluids in body
• Helps in transmitting nerve impulses
• Aids in the contraction and relaxation of muscles

The kidneys balance the amount of sodium stored in your body for optimal health. When the sodium levels are low in the body, the kidneys essentially hold on to the sodium. When the levels are high, the kidneys excrete excess sodium in urine. Hence the balance is maintained in a natural way.

As per the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans,  the recommended amount of sodium is less than 2,300 mg a day and less than 1,500 mg if you are 51 years of age or older. But only one teaspoon of table salt has 2,325 milligrams (mg) of sodium. This shows how much excess sodium is consumed when you go for fries, burgers, pizzas or simply a pack of chips or Pretzels. 

Besides excess sodium intake, other risk factors that can lead to heart attack warning signs include excess body weight, sedentary lifestyle, inadequate intake of vitamin rich fruits and vegetables and excess alcohol intake. A family history of heart attacks also increases a person’s chance of developing heart attack symptoms.

If you observe any heart attack warning signs and need to consult an experienced doctor, Florida Heart Group has all the facilities that you need. Feel free to discuss any heart attack concerns with cardiology physicians at Florida Heart Group!

Though obesity, metabolic syndromes and excessive intake of alcohol are some of the known risk factors for heart attack, there are some that are not very well comprehended. One of these is Sleep Apnea.

Has anyone ever told you that you snore? As per Orlando doctors, loud snoring can be a sign of sleep apnea – a sleep disorder that can increase your chances of having a heart attack. With obstructive sleep apnea, the tissue in the back of the throat relaxes and blocks airflow to your lungs. This reduces the oxygen level in your blood, which makes your heart work harder and often leads to high blood pressure. Also, these repeated pauses in breathing cause fragmented sleep, which results in daytime sleepiness. Women are more likely to sleep apnea after menopause.

Other things that may increase the risk of obstructive sleep apnea include:

• Being overweight or obese
• Smoking
• Taking alcohol or sleeping pills
• Family history of sleep apnea

If you feel that you have sleep apnea, it is good to consult a doctor in Florida heart hospital. Your doctor might suggest a sleep test to see how severe your sleep apnea is. Mild cases often can be helped by lifestyle changes, such as losing weight and not drinking alcohol before bed. If you have severe obstructive sleep apnea or another type, your doctor may suggest other treatments, such as using a machine that props open your airway during sleep or a surgical treatment.

At Florida Heart Group, we have a team of qualified and experienced cardiologists who can be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of heart and vascular problems. We also help you to avoid the risk factors for vascular diseases.

Sudden cardiac death caused by ventricular fibrillation poses a big threat for victims of heart disease and accounts for nearly half of all cardiac deaths. In ventricular fibrillation, the heartbeat becomes rapid and disordered and causes lower heart chambers or ventricles to go in a spasm. FL doctors affirm that at times a heart attack can also lead to ventricular fibrillation. It is abrupt and happens without any warning and it halts all heart functioning. The lack of oxygen throughout the body, and especially to the brain, is fatal.

FL cardiology doctors cite inadequate blood flow to the heart muscle due to coronary artery disease as the most common cause of ventricular fibrillation (VF). This can happen during a heart attack. VF may also result in cases of:

• Very low blood pressure which may result from coronary artery disease and other heart disorders.
• Electrical shock
• Drowning
• Very low levels of potassium in the blood (hypokalemia)
• Improper use of drugs that impact electrical currents in the heart (such as sodium or potassium channel blockers)

Symptoms and diagnosis of VF

VF can cause unconsciousness in seconds. In FL, doctors in heart hospitals offer immediate treatment to such patients. The victim typically has seizures and if treatment is not provided in time, he/she can have irreversible brain damage in just about 5 minutes as oxygen does not reach the brain and may lead to death.

VF is diagnosed as the cause of cardiac arrest by electrocardiography (ECG).

Treatment

VF is treated in heart hospitals as an extreme emergency. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) needs to be started by FL cardiology doctors within a few minutes. It has to be followed by defibrillation (an electrical shock delivered to the chest), as soon as the defibrillator is available. Antiarrhythmic drugs are then given to help maintain the normal heart rhythm.

Patients who are successfully resuscitated from ventricular fibrillation and survive are also at high risk of another incident. This is why if VF was caused by a reversible disorder, it must be treated. In serious cases, the patient needs to have an automatic defibrillator surgically implanted to correct the problem.

At Florida Heart Group, we have a team of highly qualified and experienced cardiology doctors for treatment of cardiovascular problems including angina treatment. We also have facilities for emergency treatment of ventricular fibrillation. Consult a FL cardiology physician today if you suspect heart problems.

For angina treatment cardiology doctors in Orlando may use appropriate medication (Nitroglycerin tablets and Beta blockers), and other procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting or stents.

A person who has had a heart attack or has been diagnosed with heart related problems also needs to incorporate some changes in lifestyle and eating habits. At times these changes need to be brought under special medical supervision. Cardiac rehabilitation is a medically supervised program through which cardiology physicians help to improve the health and well-being of people who have had heart problems. Cardiac rehabilitation services are prescribed for patients who have had a myocardial infarction, have had coronary bypass surgery, or have chronic stable angina pectoris.

It is now recognized that cardiac rehabilitation programs, in certain circumstances may also be required for those who are at high risk of coronary heart disease, and with other evidence of vascular disease.

Cardiac rehabilitation programs were originally introduced in 1950s and 1960s in Florida heart hospitals to facilitate recovery from acute cardiac events. In Orlando, doctors participating in the program counsel their patients to reduce stress and help them return to an active life. Apart from helping in quick recovery after angina treatment, cardiac rehabilitation programs function as launching pads for prevention of further cardiovascular diseases. Education, counseling and behavioral interventions to promote lifestyle change and modify risk factors are an important part of cardiac rehabilitation programs.

Cardiac rehabilitation program can help a person to:

• 1. Recover from a myocardial infarction (heart attack) and also from a surgery for heart diseases.
• 2. Prevent prolonged hospital stays, heart problems, and fatal heart problems in future.
• 3. Address risk factors that lead to coronary heart problems and other vascular diseases. These include hypertension or high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, smoking, inadequate physical exercises, depression and other emotional health concerns.
• 4. Adopt healthy lifestyle changes – heart healthy diet, effective stress management, simple exercises for a healthy lifestyle

Exercise programs at cardiac rehabilitation centers are conducted by a physiotherapist or exercise specialist and are tailored to individual needs while being conducted in groups.

At Florida Heart Group, we have a team of the most experienced Orlando doctors for diagnosis of vascular diseases and angina treatment. Our cardiologists also participate in cardiac rehabilitation programs to help patients recover completely from cardiovascular problems.

At Florida Heart Group, we have always encouraged healthy lifestyle practices and good eating habits – we are now celebrating March as the National Nutrition Month!

The themes for National Nutrition Month this year are “Get Your Plate in Shape” and “Eat Right with Color”. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly American Dietetic Association) and the cardiology physicians at Florida Heart Group want you to make healthy choices by including a colorful variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and dairy into your meals each day.

Though all individuals have their own tastes and preferences and do like to indulge in creamy and fried foods once in a while, an excess of such food can play havoc with health! Fries, burgers, cheese laden pizzas, rich cakes and creamy desserts seem tempting at their very mention but are the main culprits behind health problems such as obesity, hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

During National Heart Month, cardiology physicians, professional dieticians and nutritionists across United States are actively trying to explain how healthy foods prove to be beneficial in the long run. Also, it needs to be understood that fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy products can also be colorfully combined to enjoy visually appealing and real tasty meals – this is the purpose of “Eat Right with Color” theme!

A rainbow of fresh fruits and vegetables creates a palette of nutrients, packed with different vitamins and minerals and this also makes for a ‘heart healthy meal’. Now that spring is here, the weather has also become more pleasant and does create craving for juicy and colorful fruits. You can enjoy salads with combination of strawberry, apples, blueberries, oranges, bananas, and grapes. Such fruits can also be added to a nutritive dairy product – yogurt – to make it more delightful and healthy! Similarly, vegetables like cabbage, tomatoes, boiled potatoes, lettuce, broccoli, along with sprouted grains make for a colorful meal.

Sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, National Nutrition Month originated in 1973 as "National Nutrition Week" and expanded to the month-long observance in 1980 in response to growing public interest in nutrition. There is a different theme each year, but it always focuses on the significance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and lifestyle habits.

At Florida Heart Group, we are helping our patients to get their “plate in shape” and “Eat Right with Color”. Do you want to know more about tasteful food combinations that help you to stay heart healthy? Feel free to speak to cardiology physicians and nutritionists at Florida Heart Group!

• 1. Strengthen your heart and overall cardiovascular system
• 2. Improve your blood circulation and help your body to use oxygen more effectively
• 3. Grow your energy levels so that you can complete your daily tasks without getting tired and breathless
• 4. Improve your resistance and endurance
• 5. Lower your blood pressure
• 6. Help you reduce unnecessary body fat
• 7. mprove your muscle tone and strength
• 8. Strengthen your bones

If you are a heart patient or have suffered any symptoms of heart attack in the past, it is essential to consult your Florida cardiology doctor before starting any exercise program.

This is especially important if you are on some medications – certain drugs can greatly impact your response to exercise. Experienced FL physicians help their patients by advising suitable exercises or altering the course of medications to ensure the safety of exercises.

Raking, shoveling, mowing, scrubbing floors and lifting or pushing heavy objects are few chores that can be good exercises. The golden rule is to make sure that you do only what you can do without getting tired or breathless. A Florida cardiology physician must be consulted before beginning heavy weight lifting exercises.  Jogging and swimming are also good and safe exercises to stay healthy. If you prefer yet lighter versions of exercise, simply choose brisk walking. Daily morning and evening walks for 20 to 30 minutes along with a controlled intake of calories can help you in reaching ideal levels of fitness.

Every exercise session should ideally include a warm-up session followed by the conditioning phase and a cool-down. Warm ups are important as they reduce stress on heart and muscles and gradually increase breathing rate, circulation and body temperature. They also help to improve flexibility and reduce muscle soreness. Some of the most effective ways to warm up are stretching, simple hand and leg motion activities and beginning of any exercise at a low intensity level.

Florida Heart Group is a renowned heart hospital of Orlando. We have a team of highly qualified and richly experienced Florida cardiology doctors including female cardiologists. For any questions about suitable exercises for heart patients, feel free to consult experienced FL physicians at Florida Heart Group.

As per Orlando doctors, Raynaud's disease may be caused by some repetitive actions. Typing, playing the piano for long or continuous periods are some of the activities that may put strain on nerves in fingers and also damage muscles that control blood vessels in the hands.

A more serious cause of Raynaud's Disease is narrowing of blood vessels. Exposure to certain chemicals such as the nicotine in cigarettes makes a person prone to Raynaud’s Disease. According to experienced Orlando doctors, this problem is also linked to other diseases that damage the blood vessels or nerves. These include Rheumatoid arthritis, Atherosclerosis, Sjogren’s syndrome and Buerger’s disease.

Sudden attack of pain is a typical symptom of Raynaud’s Disease. To reduce the possibilities of same, patients need to make changes in lifestyle, take appropriate medications or get a surgical treatment for the disease. Cardiology doctors in Orlando suggest that people with this blood vessel disorder must avoid the intake of beta blockers and over-the-counter cold pills. Women with Raynaud’s Disease must avoid the use of birth control pills as these affect blood flow and can worsen the problem. Headache medicines containing ergotamine must also be avoided.

In Florida, heart hospitals do have facilities for diagnosis of Raynaud’s Disease. If signs and symptoms of this blood vessel disorder – intermittent coldness, numbness, tingling sensation or severe pain in fingers and toes- are noticed frequently, a specialist Orlando doctor must be contacted at the earliest. For treatment, the doctors need to improve the blood flow needs to be improved for the patients and medications like calcium channel blockers may be prescribed for same. In severe cases, the damaged tissues have to be cut out and so a surgery is essential.

At Florida Heart Group we have advanced facilities for diagnosis and treatment of Raynaud’s Disease and other vascular diseases. Also, if you experience any symptoms of heart attack, or heart attack warning signs, our doctors help through emergency angina treatment. Contact Florida Heart Group team for any questions on vascular diseases