Ask a Health Advocate: How can quitting tobacco help my heart?

What is the leading cause of death of smokers aged 35 or older?  If you answered lung cancer, you’d be wrong.  Heart disease claims more smokers’ lives every year than lung cancer.  

Cigarette smoking is the main preventable cause of death and illness in the U.S.

To reduce your risk of heart disease and other health conditions, it’s important to quit tobacco as well as aim to reduce your exposure to secondhand smoke.

Smoking harms your heart

The chemicals in tobacco smoke hurt your heart and blood vessels in many ways.  Here are a few examples:

·     Stresses your heart. Smoking raises your blood pressure and heart rate, making your heart work harder than normal.  Over time, this stress can weaken your heart, making it less able to pump blood to other parts of the body. This increases risk of heart disease, including heart attacks.

·     Thickens your blood. Smoking makes your blood thicker, making it more difficult for your blood to carry oxygen. It can also increase your chance of forming blood clots that block blood flow to your heart and brain. Over time, thick blood can damage blood vessel walls, increasing your risk of heart attack or stroke.

·     Increase fatty deposits. Smoking lowers your HDL cholesterol (sometimes called "good" cholesterol) and raises your LDL cholesterol (sometimes called "bad" cholesterol). Smoking also increases your triglyceride level. Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the blood. Over time, these fats narrow the arteries and block normal blood flow to the heart and brain, which may cause a heart attack or stroke. 

How you can reduce your heart disease risk

Quitting smoking reduces your heart disease risk immediately, and your risk continues to decrease over time.

·     Your risk is cut in half 1 year after quitting. If you have not developed heart disease within 15 years of quitting, your risk is nearly the same as the risk in someone who has never smoked.

·     Deaths from heart disease are reduced by one-third in people who quit smoking compared with people who continue smoking. Repeat heart attacks are reduced by about the same amount.

·     Lower risk of sudden cardiac death, second heart attacks, and death from other chronic diseases for those who already have heart disease

·     Your risk of atherosclerosis and blood clots declines over time after you quit smoking. Atherosclerosis is a condition where plaque builds up in the arteries, which can lead to heart attack or stroke.

Quitting tobacco isn’t easy, but it can be done with the right resources and support. In fact, there are more former smokers – nearly 50 million -- than current smokers in the U.S.  Are you ready to put out that last cigarette? If you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, call your Wellness Coach and ask how you can quit. If you are not a Health Advocate member, we encourage you to check out the free tobacco cessation resources available on smokefree.gov. 

Have a question for a Health Advocate? Email nhess@healthadvocate.com, and your question may be the topic of an upcoming “Ask a Health Advocate” column!

Ask a Health Advocate: What are some healthy activities to do with a loved one this Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Day is a holiday designed to show your loved ones how much you care about them. But is sending your significant other a box of sugary sweets or taking them out to eat an unhealthy meal the best way to say “I love you”? This year, be heart-healthy and switch things up by trying one of these good-for-you Valentine’s Day ideas:

·         Sweet doesn’t only mean chocolate. Rather than tempting your loved one with a box of chocolates, give them a healthy, refreshing snack like an edible fruit arrangement.

·         Go on an active date. The whole purpose of Valentine’s Day is spending time together, so why not do something active like ice skating, a trial yoga class, bowling, or dancing? The possibilities are endless!

·         Cook a romantic candle-lit dinner or a healthy dessert. Find a heart-healthy recipe online that you want to cook for your valentine. Check out these recipes from the American Heart Association.

·         Look for healthy menu options. If you do decide to go out to eat, make an effort to order healthy choices like these.

·         Go for a romantic walk. Whether it’s strolling through the local park at sunset, visiting a local arboretum, or going for an after-dinner walk around the lit-up city, walking is a great way to spend quality time together as well as burn a few extra calories.

·         Organize a Valentine’s Day scavenger hunt. This activity gives you an opportunity to not only be creative and walk around, but can impress your significant other with the time and effort you put into it.

Use this Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to tell your loved ones how much you care, and do activities that support each other’s health and wellness. Remember, if you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, you can call your Wellness Coach for more healthy activity ideas!

Have a question for a Health Advocate? Email nhess@healthadvocate.com, and your question may be answered in an upcoming column!

Ask a Health Advocate: How can I stay motivated to meet my health goals?

Every year, millions of people make New Year’s resolutions to get in shape, promising themselves they will eat less and exercise more. But by the third or fourth week of their weight loss journey, their motivation begins to dwindle and those new, healthy habits begin to fade. Staying motivated isn’t easy, and losing weight takes hard work—but there is plenty you can do to stay dedicated to your goals. Try these tips to keep your motivation up year-round:

Write down your goals. This may sound like a simple tip, but writing down your goals can give you a point of reference. Make a list of specific goals you want to achieve this year as well as ways you plan on achieving them. Make several copies of this list and keep them in places where you will see them every day—for example, in your bedroom, tacked to your refrigerator and bathroom mirror, or on your desk at work. Keeping a calendar or journal, whether online or on paper, can also help you log your progress and stay committed.

Make your goals fun. Find sports and activities that you enjoy, then vary your routine to keep yourself from getting bored. If you’re not enjoying your workout, try something different. There are many ways to get a lot of exercise other than hitting the weights at the gym or running 2 miles on a treadmill. Try checking out a local health club or martial arts center, or sign up for a yoga or ballroom dancing class. You may find a new activity you didn’t know you liked before!

Get support. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Having someone in your corner supporting you could be all you need to stay motivated. Find a friend, family member, or co-worker with similar healthy goals and make a pact to stick together. You can rely on each other during any moments of weakness. However, be sure to pick the right person to keep you on task. Don’t pick someone who will easily distract you or is unreliable. 

Treat yourself. A great way to get motivated is to work towards a reward. It could be something small like a new pair of shoes or outfit, or something big like a vacation at the end of the year. You don’t always have to celebrate your accomplishments by buying something, either.  Positive thinking and reinforcement can go a long way. Avoid only focusing on your failures and shortcomings—this can hurt your progress.

Staying motivated towards losing weight and being healthy isn’t easy, but if you focus and work hard, you can succeed. Remember, if you’re a Health Advocate member with access to our Wellness Coaching service, you can always call a Wellness Coach to help you with your goals. Your Coach can give advice, cheer you on, and provide valuable help and support along the way!

How do you stay motivated? Share your motivation tips with us by tweeting to @HealthAdvocate using #Motivation, and we will share your tips with people who need an extra boost!

Ask a Health Advocate: What's the value of a second opinion?

That's a great question--and one that's been in the news lately, too.

For example, a recent New York Times article touched on the case of Andrew Schorr, showing exactly why second opinions are so important. In 1996, Schorr, a specialist in health communications, had been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which is incurable. His cancer doctors recommended that he immediately undergo chemotherapy.

But Schorr turned to the internet, scouring forums for more information on his disease and how it can be treated. Other chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients spoke highly of a Dr. Michael J. Keating, and soon Schorr hopped a plane from Seattle to Houston to get advice from Dr. Keating. Dr. Keating didn't recommend aggressive treatment like chemotherapy--instead, he recommended no treatment until and unless Schorr's condition worsened. After 4 years, Schorr's condition did indeed worsen, and Dr. Keating treated him with 6 months of standard chemotherapy for leukemia as well as an experimental medicine called Rituxan. This treatment has kept him alive and well, and had he undergone the immediate chemotherapy that his cancer doctors were calling for, he would not have been eligible for Dr. Keating's treatment--and he also may not have been able to father his third child, a son who is now 14 years old.

Getting a second opinion regarding recommended medical care can be beneficial in so many ways. It can:

* Help you save money--the provider who gives you their second opinion may recommend less costly treatment

* Help you be more comfortable--your "second opinion" provider could suggest treatment options that are less invasive, less aggressive, and with fewer side effects

* Verify that treatment is even necessary--sometimes a provider will instead recommend a period of "watchful waiting" before having you undergo any treatment

* Confirm your original medical diagnosis to verify that it is correct

* Recommend an experimental treatment that your previous provider may not have been aware of

Your health advocate (which can be a friend, family member, other person who's close to you, or a representative from an advocacy service) can help you obtain a second opinion from a reputable medical professional. By handing this task over to a health advocate, you can focus on resting and feeling as well as possible. Let your health advocate:

* Research other medical providers to verify that they are in-network with your insurance and are properly certified

* Find out if your insurance plan requires you to have referrals--if so, an advocate can help secure those references for you

* Call those medical providers to set up appointments for you

* Talk with the medical provider about any pre-visit testing or lab work

* Take you to and from those appointments and keep you company in the waiting room

* Take notes during your appointments

* Help you gather your medical records and information so that you're giving each doctor the most up-to-date information

* Help you clarify your health plan details so you can understand what procedures and tests are covered, and help you estimate any out-of-pocket costs you may incur

* Look over any Explanation of Benefits forms and/or medical bills to ensure that they don't contain any erroneous charges

Clearly a second opinion can be quite valuable, and having a reliable health advocate at your side can help you simplify and streamline the process of getting a second opinion.

Have a question about how health advocacy can benefit you? Send your questions to nhess@healthadvocate.com!