Show Focus The Herald Journal Logan Utah Thursday January 14 1988 Living a'? By Dan Pambianco staff writer “If you really want to become an aerobically fit person and that you’re already a relatively healthy individual you might choose to go to a spa which is an excellent place to accomplish that" says Tracy “If you’re a person that realizes that you need more information and education then you might select another type of approach to your wellness" One option that she recommends to those seeking information is enrollment in a course that teaches lifestyle changes Such courses can be found at hospitals universities and through the American Heart Association For those that feel ready to begin to exercise immediately you feel those Christmas calories are showing and your waistline the size of your new clothes now may be the time carry out that New Year’s resolution to get back into to begin that journey towards a new you says Diane shape Tracy director of health education at Logan Regional Hospital The hospital's wellness education program offers classes designed to help you find an easier way to shed weight quit smoking or return to the level of fitness that you enjoyed during the more active summer months One of the more popular classes behavior modification is just beginning a new session need however : Before starting anyjitness program totake some preliminarysteps Tracy says "In our intervention Class W6ask the people why they’re there" she says “and some of them say Tm here to lose weight I’m here because my wife made me I’m here to prevent a heart attack’ And sometimes that can be negative It’s not you who wants to make the change and the commitment you’re actually being pushed in a negative way to make that change" With that in mind your first move is to take the to set a realistic goal she says While losing 100 pounds may be what you want to do you're better off giving yourself a more reasonable challenge For instance you might decide on a set number of exercise sessions for the month and use that as your primary motivation For the person who has practiced a sedentary lifestyle for a number of years the place to start is with a risk assessment that will help determine the tendency towards heart disease stroke cancer or osteoporosis Under the advisement of health care professionals an exercise program that is both enjoyable and appropriate can then be specifically designed according to personal needs If you-ma- ‘ y - ‘Studies have shown tried and failed the chances of succeeding next time are increased —Diane Tracy health expert there are several different types of programs that can be y undertaken in the winter Although skiing has been proven to be one of the best cardiovascular exercises those who prefer to avoid venturing out in cold weather may choose from a variety of warmer alternatives The If all Walkers Program is a popular one locally with over 100 participants striding along a mapped and measured route in the Cache Valley Mall each morning The mall is open from 7 to 10 am weekdays and from 8 to 10 am on Saturday for the walkers Prizes are awarded when various mileage plateaus are reached cross-countr- the patient needs to be totally ambulatory’’ he permanent implantable said developing The heart which will weigh about 2 pounds battery-operate- d artificial heart and it is hoped the device will allow patients to lead more and be made from advanced plastics and metals will be implanted into the cavity where the normal lives than earlier artificial hearts The new heart is designed to give patients natural heart had been located A battery the size of about two packs of reater freedom than previous artificial hearts ecause it will be powered by an internal cigarettes and a miniature computer to control rechargeable battery rather than attached to a the heart will be implanted in the patient's abdominal area and attached to the heart with bulky external power source “The other artificial hearts in particular those an internal wire The patient will wear another battery about that have been used in human experiments are systems where the blood pump is inside the body four times the size of a pack of cigarettes on a said David M belt or a shoulder bag attached to a device but the drive is outside of known as a “skin transformer” officer chief executive Lederman The transformer will sit against the outside of Inc a Danvers Mass biotechnology the patient’s abdominal area and send power company developing the heart “An artificial heart as a therapy makes sense through the skin without piercing it to keep the internal battery charged The external battery only if one can provide reasonable quality of life And reasonable quality of life means the patient will be able to keep the heart running at normal activities To do so capacity for about 10 hours without being needs to resume — A (UPI) a new near-norm- ’ The more competitive person may choose to take advantage of the basketball racquetball and handball facilities at the Logan Community Recreation Center The center also offers a weight and exercise area and an indoor running track as does the fieldhouse on the campus of Utah State University For water lovers the city’s Municipool is reserved from 5 to 7 to 10 pm on Monday Wednesday and Friday for adult lap swimming A key to sticking with a fitness program according to Tracy may be combining a variety of these activities “Skip a day of running and go on a backpacking outing or skip a day of cycling and go for a swim" she advises "One of the things that often makes people quit exercising is being involved in a program that is too regimented” A prior failure in achieving a health goal is no reason to believe that the goal is unattainable she adds “Maybe you've had an exercise regimen where you’ve lost your weight and started decreasing your exercise and some of that weight came back’’ she says “You may already have so much information that you feel you could teach an exercise class but need the support of others who are going through the same thing” The hospital's Fight Back program provides the support for those fitting into that category When a person feels that he or she might be missed by peers there is less tendency to skip a session Tracy points out Smokers in particular should not dismay at repeated failures to quit “Studies have shown that if you’ve tried and failed the chances of succeeding next time are increased" Tracy says “If you’ve already tried a class you may just need to give it am on weekdays and 9 another chance" For more information on the programs offered by Logan Regional Hospital interested persons should call the Education extension 119 Department at 752-20- artificial heart being developed Battery-powere- d BOSTON that if you’ve v biotechnology company is al recharged Lederman said Previous hearts that have been implanted in humans have had tubes coming through the skin to air pumps that provided power The tubes have been the source of infections The new heart is also being designed to reduce the chances that potentially deadly blood clots will form causing strokes and organ damage Lederman said All the parts of the heart that come in contact with blood will be made of a material known as Angioflex a plastic that minimizes the chances of blood clots developing said Lederman “One of the main features of our system is the entire blood pump including the valves is made from a single material so from the time the blood enters the heart it does not see any other material" he said The technology was initially developed for the company's permanetly implantable left ventricular assist system a device that works in parallel with the patient's heart rather than as a replacement That device is being tested at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston The company recently received a $56 million from the National Heart Lung and Blood frant to pay for five years of development and initial testing on the new heart at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston It will probably take several years of additional work before the device is ready to be tested on humans Lederman said “I am optimistic I am convinced we will have artificial hearts that provide reasonable quality of life But I am realistic and I know it will take time" he said Between 17000 and 35000 patients in the United States each year are estimated to need permanent heart replacements But there are only several thousand human hearts available each year for transplantation ‘Type A’ men more likely to survive heart attacks - A BOSTON (UPI) vocative new study found pro- men no more likely to in the first days of a heart ie attack than their laid-bac- k needs confirmation” the researchers from the University of California at Berkely wrote in reporting their findings released Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine The findings do not contradict the thecry that uptight men are more likely to develop heart disease but suggest it may be counterproductive to try to counterparts but in the long' run the competitive "Type A 4 personality has a far better chance of surviving his seizure "Type A" refers to those who are compulsive and highly competitive in work and play change Type A men to more while those with “Type B“ relaxed Type B men after they personalities are less competi- develop the disease the researchers said tive and deadline-orienteThe researchers were uncer“This apparent advantage associated with Type A tain why having an intense behavior is surprising and impatient personality would d help someone survive a heart attack But they speculated Type A heart disease patients may be more aggressive about seeking and complying with medical care They may also be more likely to make beneficial changes in their behavior such as quitting smoking or getting more exercise “The prevailing theory is that individuals who have this risk would continue after a person has had an initial coronary event What we found here is exactly the reverse” Ragland's study involved 257 men with heart disease who were in the Western Collaborative Group Study the study that Dr Ray Rosenman associate chief of medicine at Mount Zion Hospital and Medical Center in San Francisco behavior called Type A conducted to originally define behavior are at increased risk the Type A concept for coronary heart disease” of the men died Twenty-sisaid David R Ragland an within 24 hours of suffering a epidemiologist who headed the heart attack But the Type A study “One would expect this men died at about the same rate x as the Type B men Meyer Friedman of Mount Zion The surviving men were who also helped define the followed for an average of about original Type A concept 12 years The death rate among Friedman maintained in a telethe 160 Type A men from causes phone interview that the subrelated to heart disease was jects had been misclassified about 58 percent lower than the But Rosenman who was a rate among the 71 Type B men consultant on the new study the researchers said dismissed Friedman's criticism While Dr Joel E Dimsdale of and called the findings “comthe University of California in valid" pletely San Diego called the new findDr William Kannel of the ings "startling” in an editorial accompanying the study other Framingham Heart Study researchers questioned the find- meanwhile said the findings ings r'Their findings are essentially valueless" said Dr indicate more study is needed to clarify the relationship between behavior and heart disease |