Cardiac rehabilitation
For anyone who has suffered from a heart attack, has had heart surgery or suffers from any form of heart disease, cardiac rehabilitation is an important step in the recovery process. Cardiac rehabilitation offers a person support in many phases regarding the overall health of their heart. The phases of cardiac rehabilitation range from exercise, nutrition, counseling, education, lifestyle changes, and emotional support during the recovery time frame.
Before a patient has left the hospital, the cardiac rehabilitation process begins. This is extremely important in order to reduce the risk of a person suffering from further damage involving the heart. Unfortunately there are many reasons a person may fall victim to heart problems, however there are several things that one can do to strengthen their chances of preventing the heart condition from worsening.
Cardiac rehabilitation is a program that is customized for each individual and their personal case. The first step to cardiac rehabilitation is medical evaluation. This process will help the health care providers determine what condition you are in so they have a baseline for determining what progress you are making during your rehabilitation process. Once your case has been thoroughly reviewed, a cardiac rehabilitation program can be designed around your particular needs for recovery. The goal is to rehabilitate a patient at a pace that is safe and effective for them. Not everyone will go through cardiac rehabilitation at the same rate or will be able to do the same things.
Once a medical evaluation has been done, the next steps in the rehabilitation can begin. Physical activity is a very important part of recovery. By doing physical exercise you are able to recondition and strengthen the heart again. Some of the cardiovascular exercises that may be recommended include walking, swimming, bicycling or light jogging. This does not mean that you will jump out of the hospital bed and go for a run, however physical exercise will be monitored by your doctor and increasing the duration and intensity slowly will allow your heart to become stronger with time.
Lifestyle education is another crucial part in cardiac recovery. By making some very important changes in the way you live your life, you can prevent further heart damage. This includes learning to eat a healthy and nutritious diet that excludes eating foods that are hazardous for heart health. A lot of people may be unaware that some of the foods they eat are actually detrimental to their health. With the proper nutritional education, a person will be able to eat foods that allow for building the strength of the heart as well as lowering high blood pressure and cholesterol. This education process can also help a person quit smoking if this is a habit they have been partaking in that has weakened their heart. Lifestyle education can help with all aspects of a person’s life and is very beneficial to the recovering patient.
Counseling and emotional support is another phase in the cardiac rehabilitation process. This allows the person to discuss the way they are dealing with their heart problems. For some, having a heart attack is a life changing experience and the emotions that come with it are overwhelming. This can be beneficial in allowing a person to move on and regain confidence in their life. It is also beneficial in getting a person emotionally stable to go back into their personal and work environments.
Cardiac rehabilitation can help a person get back on their feet after suffering from a heart condition. With physical, emotional and lifestyle education a person can regain strength and confidence in their situation. Cardiac rehabilitation may not be for everyone or all heart related cases, but for those that qualify, cardiac rehabilitation can be very rewarding.
[quote|tags=Cardio-Klenz]
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