FACETS
February 2018
The magazine for women.
Knowing your numbers can impact your heart Paramedics using new technologies in critical heart situations Local organizations spread awareness for heart health FACETS | FEBRUARY 2018 | 1
FACETS 2 | FACETS | FEBRUARY 2018
The magazine for women. Editor MARGO NIEMEYER
Publisher SCOTT ANDERSON
Contributors CLARA JANZEN RONNA LAWLESS DAN MIKA GRAYSON SCHMIDT CAITLIN WARE
Tribune Editor MICHAEL CRUMB
Photographs RONNA LAWLESS DAN MIKA GRAYSON SCHMIDT FACETS IS A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF GATEHOUSE MEDIA IOWA HOLDINGS.
ADVERTISERS To advertise in Facets magazine, contact Tiffany Hilfiker at (515) 663-6973 PHONE (515) 663-6923 ADDRESS 317 Fifth St. Ames, IA, 50010 EMAIL mniemeyer@amestrib.com ONLINE www.amestrib.com/sections/ special-sections/facets
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ur hearts take the stage in so many aspects of human life: We give our hearts to the one we love; We follow our hearts to keep dreams alive; In love, we have heart breaks and our heart skips a beat! Those gut feelings are often paired with what we feel is right in our hearts. This month is American Heart Month. This issue is chock full of great information on how to work on your heart health. Our hearts are important in the way we live life, how we treat each other and in the way our bodies work. It’s good to stay informed on how to keep yourself healthy. This issue also has stories on new technologies that are being used to help save lives in critical heart health moments and on organizations that sole purpose is to raise awareness and funds for heart health.
On the cover: Cardiologist Dr. Denise Sorrentino poses in an exam room at the Iowa Heart Center, where she works as an electrophysiologist. Photo by Ronna Lawless/GateHouse Iowa
FACETS • Table of contents
Happy Valentine’s Day Valentine's Day party around the turn of the twentieth century of some of the members of the Bachelor Maids Club, a young unmarried women's social group in Ames. A tentative identification (based on other photographs of this group) of those sitting around the table, left-to-right: Nettie Richter, Mildred Graham (Wortman), Jessica Cole (Augustine), unidentified woman, Minnie Perkins, Inis Hunter (Grove), Emma Selby (Keltner), and Katherine McMichael (Cole). Photo courtesy of Farwell T. Brown Photographic Archive/Ames Public Library
heart health 4
6
Heart health by the numbers
Story County women versus their peers
Show your heart some love
Ways to be proactive with your heart health
9
Campbell’s heart attack show importance of quick intervention
Former Ames mayor encourages CPR training
14 New technologies
Helping paramedics in critical heart situations
lifestyle 16 Watch your numbers
Knowing your numbers can impact your heart
20 Heart Health
Local organizations working to fundraise and spread awareness
savor 22 Grilled tuna steaks with cilantro and basil 23 Quinoa-chicken salad
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heart health
Heart health by the numbers:
BY DAN MIKA GateHouse Iowa
STORY COUNTY WOMEN VERSUS THEIR PEERS H
ow do Story County women compare against the rest of Iowa and the U.S.? We dug into the Center for Disease Control’s data to find out. DEATHS The CDC’s most recent available data measured the rate deaths from 2013 to 2015 in women ages 35 and up per 100,000 people. In cases of death, Story County residents die far less often from heart-related disease than the rest of the country. An estimated 215.4 per 100,000 women died from heart disease during the two-year time period, compared to 246 and 258.8 per 100,000 in the rest of the state and country respectively. This divide is most evident in the rate of hypertension, where there were 46 and 47.5 fewer deaths in the county 4 | FACETS | FEBRUARY 2018
from hypertension compared to the rest of the state and the country. Terry Meek, a staffer with the Iowa Department of Public Health focusing on heart health, said awareness of the differences between heart attack symptoms in men and women is likely one reason why Iowans fare better than the rest of the country. She pointed to an outreach campaign by IDPH five years ago as one way the state’s population learned more about those differences. “In some areas of the state, probably, I don’t know, women recieved a lot more information about how their symptoms differ from what men normally experience,” she said. HOSPITALIZATIONS CDC data in this category is slightly more recent,
heart health measuring from 2014 to 2016. However, it only measures hospitalizations per thousand Medicare beneficiaries, so only women ages 65 and older are considered in this data. It’s here where Story County’s rates of incidence aren’t as low as the state or national average. There were 33.4 hospitalizations per thousand elderly in the county between 2014 and 2016 for some sort of heart disease, compared to 31 per thousand in the state and 40.4 per 1,000 nationally. Story County’s female 65 and up population is also more likely to have a heart attack. An estimated 8.4 per thousand were hospitalized for one, compared to the statewide average of seven and the national average of 7.6. However, Story County residents had fewer hospitalizations for hypertension issues in the two years. Women in the county had an estimated 1.1 hospitalizations per thousand in the time period versus 1.5 across the state and 3.3 across the country. RISK FACTORS The data on various heart risk factors are tougher to come by as some heavily rural counties in both Iowa and throughout the U.S. couldn’t report data in a specific timeframe. That makes comparing Story County to the rest of the state and country fairly difficult. As measured in 2014, 7.7 percent of Story County residents, both men and women, were diagnosed diabetics and carry negative factors, like increased blood glucose damage to blood vessels. An estimated 27.5 percent of county residents were obese, and about a fifth of the county’s population didn’t use their free time to exercise, play sports or engage in other active activities.
DEATHS* Story County Iowa Nationwide All heart disease 215.4 246 258.8 Coronary disease 117.1 152 176.8 Heart attacks 38 46.6 44.9 Hypertension 146.1 193.6 192.1 Stroke 63.2 64.6 69.7 HOSPITALIZATIONS** Story County Iowa Nationwide All heart disease 33.4 31 40.4 Coronary disease 8.2 9.3 10.2 Heart attacks 8.4 7 7.6 Hypertension 1.1 1.5 3.3 Stroke 8.2 8.2 10.9 RISK FACTORS*** Story County Diagnosed diabetics 7.70% Obesity 27.50% Leisure-time 20.30% Data: Centers for Disease Control *Deaths measure women 35 and older from 2013
to 2015, per 100,000 people **Hospitalizations measure female Medicare beneficiaries from 2014 to 2016, per 1,000 beneficiaries ***Risk factors measure all residents 20 and older in 2014
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heart health
Show your heart some
BY CAITLIN WARE GateHouse Iowa
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or both men and women, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, topping the rates of diseases like cancer and diabetes that tend to be thought of as the most dangerous. The good news? There are many outside factors that contribute to the risk of developing heart disease, and lifestyle changes that can reduce that risk. And since February is American Heart Month, there is no better time than the present to take proactive steps for improved heart health. Even better, the few tips below make taking the path toward better heart health easy, to keep your heart pumping for years to come. 1. Be aware When it comes to prevention of heart disease — which can include coronary artery disease, heart attack and irregular heart rhythm, among other conditions — cardiologist with Ames McFarland Clinic Dr. Jason Rasmussen said the first step is being informed. Despite not necessarily being things that can be completely controlled, characteristics like age, gender, family history, body composition, blood pressure and cholesterol can all contribute to the risk of developing heart conditions. So taking stock of your health as a whole, and getting informed about any family history related to heart disease is a good place to start. According to the American Heart Association, age and gender are some of the most important factors to be aware of. The majority of people who die from coronary heart disease are 65 or older, and at older ages, women who have heart attacks are more likely than men to die from them within a few weeks. Children of parents with heart disease are also more likely to develop it themselves. “Those are the things you really can’t control, things that you can’t control that can contribute to your risk of 6 | FACETS | FEBRUARY 2018
heart disease,” Rasmussen said. Rasmussen recommends consulting with a physician to assess if your blood pressure, cholesterol and body composition are at healthy levels to begin with, and adds that working hand-in-hand with a doctor will help guide you in the right direction for heart disease prevention. 2. Get moving Between work, family obligations, social activities and finding time to sleep, squeezing in time to exercise on a daily, or sometimes even a weekly basis can be difficult. But when it comes to overall cardiovascular health, finding windows for exercise is crucial. The American Heart Association recommends getting 150 minutes of moderate exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week, or a combination of both. Fortunately, exercise does not have to include dragging yourself out for a five-mile run, or breaking a serious sweat for hours at the gym every day in order to count. An easy goal to remember is working 30 minutes of exercise into your schedule every day, five days a week. Even dividing the time into two or three 10-15 minute segments per day works. And because physical activity means anything that gets you up and burning calories, just walking is a great way to get moving. Rasmussen says joining a community walking group can help motivate people and keep them on a regular schedule of physical activity. Even opting to take the stairs instead of an elevator, taking periodic breaks at work to stand up and walk a lap, or parking farther away from destinations can help increase daily activity. “Some people even try to do a lot of their work standing or walking around,” Rasmussen said.
heart health Fitness trackers, like Fitbits, are a good option for anyone looking to monitor the number of steps they are taking on a daily basis. Many trackers come equipped with options to remind users to walk around if they have been “You can find all sitting for too long, and record rate. kinds of evidence heart For more motivated exerto support any kind cisers, jogging, swimming, dancing, playing tennis or of diet you want. soccer, or biking are good examBut I think living in ples of aerobic exercises that benefit your heart.
the Midwest, the traditional meal tends to focus on meats as the bulk of the meal. And I think to make it healthier, we could make the vegetables and fruits more the star of the meal, and have the meat be more of a smaller portion.”
3. Eat right When it comes to dieting, there are dozens of fad diets on the market claiming to be the fastest way to shed pounds and improve overall health in record time. But they typically include arbitrary rules and methods that are difficult to stick with longterm in order to spur just shortterm weight loss. So when it comes to eating right for your heart, as a general rule of thumb, Rasmussen said that maintaining a diet high in fruits and vegetables is the best way to be proactive about heart health through diet. In the meat department, lean proteins like fish and poultry in small portions are the best accompaniments to meals. Although there are theories that red meats should be eliminated entirely, Rasmussen says the best plan is to stick to leaner cuts of red meat, and to enjoy them in small portions. “You can find all kinds of evidence to support any kind of diet you want,” Rasmussen said. “But I think living in the Midwest, the traditional meal tends to focus on meats as the bulk of the meal. And I think to make it healthier, we could make the vegetables and fruits more the star of the meal, and have the meat be more of a smaller portion.” Finding other sources of protein to incorporate into meals — like nuts, tofu and beans — is also encouraged. “The diet gets challenging, because we’re bombarded with a lot of information about diet, and some of it is conflicting,” Rasmussen said. “I think it’s hard to follow extreme diets for the long term. So even things that people enjoy that might not be the most healthy are not the worst things, so long as they keep them in small portions.”
4. Drink smart When it comes to deciding whether or not to have an alcoholic drink while looking out for your overall heart health, the name of the game is moderation. Moderation equates to one drink per day for women, which can include one 12 ounce beer, a four ounce glass of wine, 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits or one ounce of 100-proof spirits, according to the American Heart Association. Rasmussen said that the type of alcohol consumed is not typically where heart health concern lies, but rather with the ingredients it is mixed with. Sparkling water, lemon juice, lime juice and fresh fruit are drink additives that can be swapped out in lieu of sodas or syrups that tend to be high-calorie and high-sugar. “Clearly, what you mix with the alcohol can be either healthy or not healthy,” Rasmussen said. “The actual alcohol that’s used probably doesn’t make a huge difference, it’s more of the stuff you put with it that can really sabotage your diet or keep it somewhat intact.” 5. Put out the smoke Smoking is a proven risk factor for heart attack PROACTIVE, page 8
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heart health PROACTIVE continued from page 7
and stroke, and both smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk for the buildup of plaque inside the arteries — a process that high blood pressure is known to accelerate, according to the American Heart Association. And every time you smoke, it causes a temporary increase in blood pressure. For women specificallty, those who smoke have a 25 percent higher risk of developing heart disease as compared to men who smoke. So to best look out for your heart health, if you • About 610,000 smoke, now is the time to find a way to quit. And to people d heart dis reduce your risk for heart attack and stroke, avoid all ie of e a s e in the Un forms of tobacco, as well as secondhand smoke. every ye it ed State ar – that’s “Any form of tobacco has its own set of problems s 1 in d eaths. every 4 related to blood vessel disease, the best practice is just to completely avoid tobacco,” Rasmussen said. •C 6. Calm down Rasmussen said that while the affects of stress on the human body are not yet completely understood within the medical industry, actively working to lower stress levels is important for overall health, specifically when it comes to the heart. According to the American Heart Association, women are generally more likely than men to develop what’s known as myocardial ischemia – or an abnormal restriction of blood supply to the heart muscle – after carrying out mentally stressful tasks, according to past studies. Whether it’s a quick 10-minute workout, squeezing a stress-relief ball, meditating or knitting, what’s important is finding something that works for you to help yourself calm down. Employing positive self-talk, deep breathing and brief meditation are a few quick-fix ways to address immediate stressors, while finding positive, enjoyable, relaxing activities like making art and practicing yoga look to handle chronic stress more long-term. “I think stress plays a big role in how your body functions, so I think stress relief is definitely a good thing when it comes to protecting the heart,” Rasmussen said. “I think anything that can reduce stress levels can probably be helpful for your heart health, and for your overall well being.”
oronary h eart dise is the mo ase (CHD st comm ) on type o disease, f heart killing ov er 370,00 ple annu 0 peoally. • Heart d isease is the leadin cause of g death for women in United S the tates, kil ling 289, women in 758 2013 — t h at’s abou every 4 f emale de t 1 in a ths. • Almost two-third s, or 64 p of wome ercent, n who die suddenly onary he of corart disea se have ous sym n o previptoms. • Althoug h heart d isease is times tho someught of a s a “man ease,” ar ’s disound the same nu women a mber of nd men d ie each yea heart dis ease in t r of he Unite d States .
7. Know the signs Although symptoms of heart disease vary significantly depending on the person, Rasmussen says there are certain signs to watch out for that can indicate a trip to the doctor is needed. Chest pain or pressure that worsens with exertion, jaw pain, arm or stomach pain, shortness of breath and nausea or vomitting are just a few symptoms of heart attack that are more common among women than men. If you notice anything abnormal about your heart health, it is important to see a doctor immediately. “Nobody is immune from heart and blood vessel disease,” Rasmussen said. “I think it’s important for women to be aware of that, and make sure they take good care of their heart.” 8 | FACETS | FEBRUARY 2018
heart health
ANN CAMPBELL’S HEART ATTACK SHOWS IMPORTANCE OF QUICK INTERVENTION
BY RONNA LAWLESS GateHouse Iowa
Former Ames mayor encourages CPR training
I
f one person had been missing from the events of Ann Campbell’s day on April 22, 2014, she might not be here today. Campbell herself has no memory of what happened that day, but she has been able to piece it together from other people’s descriptions of what happened before, during and after her heart attack. Earlier that day, Campbell went to physical therapy for training to help her artificial hip. She was tired, which was out of character for the active 73-year-old, who had served as Ames’ mayor since 2006 and 16 years as a city council member prior to that. Campbell’s physical therapist suggested that she should call her doctor about it. “I called and talked to the nurse, but I don’t think I was dramatic enough in describing my situation, so I didn’t end up going in for an appointment,” Campbell said. CAMPBELL, page 10
Former Ames mayor Ann Campbell relaxes at home in 2014 after picking flowers with granddaughter Emma Belalcazar, 2, in her side yard. Tribune file photo
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heart health
Former Ames mayor Ann Campbell reads a children’s book to preschoolers during a proclamation ceremony of “Month of the Young Child” at Ames Community Pre-School Center on April 6. Tribune file photo by Nirmalendu Majumdar CAMPBELL continued from page 9
Fatigue is one of the signs of heart problems in women, who often present with different symptoms than the chest-clutching and arm pain men tend to experience. Fortunately for Campbell, even though she didn’t end up with a doctor’s appointment, she did have an appointment to take her car to Wilson Toyota Scion for servicing. Fortunate because she wasn’t home alone when her heart attack hit. Campbell was being assisted by Jos Chohan, a service advisor at Wilson, when she froze up, her eyes rolled back and she started to collapse. Chohan immediately began yelling Ann’s name, trying to keep her conscious and breathing. When Campbell quit breathing a second time, Chohan began chest compressions. Another customer waiting at the dealership took note of what was going on and jumped in to help with mouth-to-mouth breathing while Chohan continued compressions. Irmi Miller has lived in the United States for about 25 years, Campbell said, 10 | FACETS | FEBRUARY 2018
but she was raised in Germany, which requires CPR training prior to issuing drivers’ licenses to its citizens. Miller had the skills needed to help Campbell during those crucial first moments after her heart attack. Miller and Campbell have become friends since that fateful day. “If somebody’s sitting in their office or at home, nobody’s going to find them until — the fastest is 5 to10 minutes, and at that point, if they start CPR, start calling people, I would say 90-plus percent of them would not make it,” Dr. Imran Dotani, who treated Campbell, told the Tribune after her recovery. “I would say most of the outside cardiac arrests do not make it to the hospital, and the only reason she made it was because she was in a public place,” he said. “I think (Miller) probably did more in helping the patient than even I could because you have to get some CPR, initial blood flow, oxygenation — those are the critical times.” “If it had been a little earlier, I would have been home, and I live alone, so there would have been no chance for me to get
heart health Former Ames mayor Ann Campbell, surrounded by other officials involved with the new Ames Municipal Airport terminal, prepares to cut a ribbon during an open house at the terminal in October of 2017. Tribune file photo by Caitlin Ware
help,” Campbell said. “And if it had been a little later, I would have been driving in my car, and I could have injured someone else, which would have been terrible.” Ames police officers arrived on the scene at Wilson with a defibrillator to help treat her. “All of the police vehicles in Ames have defibrillators, and now Wilson’s has one too,” Campbell said. Paramedics arrived to transport Campbell to Mary Greeley Medical Center, where Dotani performed a two-hour angioplasty using a stent. While she was in the ambulance, a device called a LUCAS 2, performed compressions on Campbell. After her procedure, Campbell underwent therapeutic hypothermia to help prevent injury to her brain. Brain damage begins to occur in patients who survive cardiac arrest if they go untreated for as little as five minutes. The therapy decreased her body temperature by about 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) to prevent inflammation to the brain. Campbell was under heavy sedation while she was “on ice,” as she describes it, for about 40 hours.
Campbell quickly showed that her brain had not been damaged after she woke from sedation. “City manager Steve Schainker was visiting me and pointed out the window to the power plant, asking me how many megawatts it could produce,” Campbell said with a little laugh. “When I told him the answer, he and my son said they thought I was going to be OK.” Campbell said that in the four years since her heart attack she hasn’t made any dramatic lifestyle changes. She already ate healthy and had an active routine, especially swimming nearly every day. “I’ve never been someone who sat on the couch eating bonbons,” she said. But she does monitor her condition with regular doctor’s appointments and blood tests. Campbell, who retired as mayor in December, said she is grateful for the many people who had a hand in helping her when she was in need. “Professionals and friends and family members — they were all important to saving my life and helping with my recovery,” she said. “This experience taught me
that everyone should be trained in CPR,” she said, “because it’s those crucial first minutes after a heart attack that can make a difference between life and death.”
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heart health
BY GRAYSON SCHMIDT GateHouse Iowa
New technologies helping paramedics in critical heart situations I
Mary Greeley Medical Center Paramedic Adam Dunlap demonstrates the LUCAS Chest Compression System on a CPR dummy on Thursday Jan. 11, 2017. Photo by Grayson Schmidt/GateHouse Iowa
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n the 15 years Mary Greeley Medical Center Paramedic Adam Dunlap has been on the job, he knows just how important every second is when someone is suffering from heart issues. Through advances in training, as well as technology, Dunlap said that process has been made even smoother and shorter for paramedics. “The research is always evolving on what’s going to help survival,” Dunlap said. “The technology has just made (my job) more efficient.” According to Dunlap, chest pains are a common call for paramedics, and the most common age range is men and women between 40 and 50 years old. Dunlap said other risk factors that can be included in that demographic include whether the person was a smoker or obese. And though he said that each situation varies, Dunlap said that as far as procedures used by paramedics, each situation is approached like a worst-case scenario. “We never downplay anybody’s complaint of chest pain that’s for sure, because chest pain leads to cardiac arrest if it’s not treated,” Dunlap said. As far as gender specific symptoms, Dunlap said that women usually do not show the same signs as men, such as pain from the jaw down through the arm. According to Dunlap, cardiac issues for women generally have subtle symptoms such as nausea or slight discomfort, causing paramedics to usually have to investigate further. “From across the room we can tell pretty quickly if you’re sick or not sick,” Dunlap said. It all comes down to airway breathing circulation, AVCs. Is air going in and out, and is blood going round and round? That’s what we care about.”
heart health The LUCAS Chest Compression System is demonstrated on a CPR dummy. Photo by Grayson Schmidt/GateHouse Iowa
When encountering a patient suffering from a heart attack, Dunlap said that one of the front-end medications given to patients is aspirin, which he said can help prohibit clots by slicking the walls of the arteries. “Anytime you can make the heart work less hard, the better,” Dunlap said. Dunlap said that paramedics will run through a checklist of questions upon arrival to get a better picture of what is going on. Once a patient is loaded into an ambulance, Dunlap said that now paramedics are able to attach EKG stickers to the patient that not only allow the paramedics to monitor the heart from multiple angles, but can also be sent directly to the doctor’s phone, and allows the diagnosis process to begin before even reaching the hospital. “We can get that ball rolling really quickly, so that activates the cath lab (catheterization laboratory) team, the ER doctors are notified, and it helped expedite that process from their house all the way to that cath lab table,” Dunlap said. Another key advancement
in equipment comes from the LUCAS Chest Compression Machine, which Dunlap said has been instrumental for CPR, and the standard for at least five years. Now rather than paramedics performing CPR in two-minute rotations, and being careful to not allow more than 10 seconds without compressions, the Lucas machine can keep compressions going for around 45 minutes straight. This especially proves useful when removing a patient up or down a flight of stairs. “Cardiac arrest is all about good chest compressions, high-quality, effective, continuous chest compressions,” Dunlap said. “Humans tend to get tired, therefore the quality of their compressions goes down. This provides a constant, perfect, 100 per minute, two-inch depth continuous compressions.” And though these devices can help ease and speed up the process, Dunlap said the bottom line is that in a situation where someone is experiencing chest pains, call 911 and let paramedics get that process started much quicker than driving your own vehicle to the hospital.
“It’s all about getting there as soon as possible,” Dunlap said. “Don’t order Uber, call us.”
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lifestyle Cardiologist Dr. Denise Sorrentino poses in an exam room at the Iowa Heart Center, where she works as an electrophysiologist. Photo by Ronna Lawless/GateHouse Iowa
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Knowing your numbers can impact your heart D
r. Denise Sorrentino always wanted to have a career that would impact the lives of others. She has been a physician for 28 years and has been with the Iowa Heart Center for 21 years, but she started her undergrad with thoughts of joining the Peace Corps. She was studying French and German as a modern language major then, but after meeting many people and discussing the possibilities, she chose a different path. “Potentially I could make a bigger impact by becoming a physician, so I changed course and went that way,” Sorrentino said. She didn’t have a pre-chosen specialty, but in medical school she decided she wanted to pursue a field where she could “do procedures that would directly impact patients.”
lifestyle
BY RONNA LAWLESS GateHouse Iowa
Her initial thought was ophthalmology, which is the treatment of eye disease. “I decided that I still wanted to wear my stethoscope, so I went into internal medicine; and then from internal medicine did cardiology,” Sorrentino said. “Then as I was finishing my cardiology fellowship at Emory in Atlanta, Ga., electrophysiology was just becoming an area where we could do new procedures, so I ventured out in that direction.” She is an electrophysiologist, which is a subspecialty in the cardiac field. It’s the study and treatment of the heart’s electrical system. “Back when I first started medical school, electrophysiology wasn’t even a specialty,” Sorrentino said. “It’s really relatively new. It’s been an available specialty for about 22 years
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lifestyle The Iowa Heart Center is located at One Heart Way, 1816 Philadelphia St., in Ames. Contributed photo
now, which isn’t nearly as long as the many decades other specialties have been around.” Sorrentino’s patients range from 12 years old to elderly. Many of her procedures involve the insertion of wires into the veins at the top of both legs to fix cardiac rhythm problems. “I can look for, find and eliminate arrhythmia circuits in patients. … This can be treated, eliminated and they can go on to lead very fruitful lives where they don’t even have to see me again,” she said. Of course, many patients with other needs have ongoing checkups with Sorrentino or another cardiologist, but she finds her specialty interesting. “The heart is a pretty amazing structure that keeps us all alive. Everyone is always very aware of the blood supply. A blockage to the blood supply in the heart leads to a heart attack. People are pretty aware of that. But the amazing thing is that tens of thousands of Americans are affected by arrhythmia, irregular or erratic heart rhythm,” she said.
Know Your Numbers “When it comes to heart health, a lot of people look at family history or genetics, but we can have such an impact on it ourselves,” Sorrentino said. “So much of heart health we can really take into our own hands.” Sorrentino’s slogan is “Know your numbers.” There are several numbers each person should know. “You can save them to a device or in a paper folder or a digital folder on your computer,” Sorrentino said. “But you should know them and have easy access to them.” One of these key numbers is blood pressure. Young people should be checked at least yearly. For people 40 and over, blood pressure should be checked at least twice a year. If you do have high blood pressure, it should be checked regularly, which means every few months or at home with a blood pressure monitor every week, Sorrentino said. 18 | FACETS | FEBRUARY 2018
“The next number you should know is your lipid profile, also known as a cholesterol count. From about age 16 on, patients should know what their total cholesterol is — their good cholesterol, which is the HDL, and their bad cholesterol, or LDL,” she said. Another number to obtain is for triglyceride level. “If it’s been so long that you don’t have access to that, you probably need to have it checked again,” she said. The next number people need to know, especially if they have a personal or family history of diabetes, is their fasting blood sugar.
Making an Impact Once you know your numbers, you can influence changing them for the better. “By what we eat and our activity, we can have a huge impact on that,” Sorrentino said. If blood pressure is high, sodium consumption should be monitored. “The recommended sodium for all adults is 1,500 mg daily. Due to the heavily processed diets that we have in the United States, the average American eats 8,000 mg daily,” she said. A lot of Sorrentino’s patients tell her that they don’t even use the salt shaker. “But this isn’t the salt shaker we’re talking about here,” she said. “It’s everything that’s in our processed foods. Bagged foods, boxed foods, frozen foods, canned foods, prepared foods, restaurant foods, fast foods are really full of sodium.” Too much sodium can affect blood pressure, but it can also affect how you feel and how you function. “Even if your blood pressure is great. Even if you’re otherwise healthy, you really should be turning around the labels and reading them — even foods that are packaged
lifestyle as healthy. You might be shocked to learn how much sodium can be in a slice of whole wheat bread. One slice can have several hundred milligrams of sodium. It doesn’t even taste salty, but it’s part of the way we preserve our foods, and we keep so many packaged foods in our grocery stores,” she said. Sorrentino recommends shopping the outer perimeter of the store, filling your cart heavily with fresh fruits and fresh veggies. If you eat meat, purchase fresh meat and fresh fish. You can include some dairy if it’s not a lot of processed cheese. “And try to stay out of those center aisles because that’s where the food with the heavy sodium is,” she said. If your cholesterol, blood sugar or blood pressure isn’t where it should be, exercise is also key. “During our cold months, it’s easy to drop off regular activities,” Sorrentino said. She suggested walking at large grocery stores, big department stores, the mall — walking the inside perimeter of the building. “I recommend at least five days a week, 30 minutes of walking,” she said. “We need to encourage people to embrace some kind of daily activity.” Sorrentino doesn’t just talk the talk, she walks the walk. Literally. The first Friday of every month, she leads Walk with a Doc, which involves a group walking at North Grand Mall during the cold months and River Valley Park during the warm weather months. The 30-minute walk includes Sorrentino, her partners, nurses, neighboring staff, patients and even non-patients. “Everyone is welcome to join us,” she said. “Walking one day a month isn’t going to make somebody healthy, but it shows how exercise can be really easy and invigorating to walk for 30 minutes,” Sorrentino said. “It will invigorate your entire day. And it will make your good cholesterol go up, bad cholesterol go down, blood sugar go down, blood pressure go down, help you feel better.”
Women’s Hearts Women are still often the victim of stereotypes, where they can be disregarded by medical professionals who don’t take their symptoms seriously. “If you feel like your doctor’s not listening to you, find someone else. Get a second opinion,” Sorrentino said. She shared the recent story of a nurse friend who was having cardiac symptoms. She sought the advice of a physician, who told her there was nothing wrong and she was probably fine.
And not long after, that nurse died of a heart attack. “It increases my awareness that even a nurse who is middle-aged and a strong person teaching other nurses can be convinced that there’s nothing wrong,” Sorrentino said. Empowering female patients to know their numbers and see their health care as a primary focus is serious business. “They will be better mothers, sisters, wives, daughters if they’re healthy. It’s hard because women are often in the role where they put everyone else first. I really have to say, when it comes to your health, put yourself first and you’ll be better at all those other roles,” Sorrentino said. Women often present with coronary disease showing symptoms that are different that men might experience. “I call it the ‘Hollywood heart attack’ where there’s a man in the emergency room, clutching his heart and complaining of pain,” she said. “But that rarely happens for a woman. Often women have severe general fatigue — like fatigue they’ve never had before.” Sometime women’s symptoms include neck or jaw pain. Sometimes they experience abdominal pain or nausea as their only symptoms. “So often it’s not their chest at all,” Sorrentino said. As women age, their blood pressure and other numbers can get worse, even if they’ve had great numbers in the past. So knowing current scores is crucial. “It’s not something that is one and done. Those numbers can turn upside down, especially with menopause. Be aware that things change and don’t rely on your 25-year-old numbers,” she said. Often women put off their health concerns, put off their walking, because they are taking care of children or taking care of elderly parents. When women do present with cardiac issues, they tend to have poorer outcomes, less survival, less longevity. Part of that can be because they are in more serious situations due to putting off getting care.
“The more education and motivation we give people, the better,” Sorrentino said. That’s why she started the annual Go-Red event in Ames and is active with the Iowa Heart Foundation. So many women still think breast cancer, or cancer in general, is the biggest killer of women. “I am very supportive of cancer awareness and screening, but heart disease is still the No. 1 killer. By and large, greater than the next three diseases in line,” Sorrentino said. “Somehow heart disease has not gotten the awareness, and I am working to change that.”
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lifestyle
Staff and patients outside the Ames location of the Iowa Heart Center participate in “Walk with a Doc.” Photo courtesy of the Iowa Heart Center Ames location BY CLARA JANZEN GateHouse Iowa
Local organizations working to fundraise, spread awareness for heart health
W
omen have historically been underrepresented in medical studies, with white males serving as the prototype for a human research subject. This has led to a lack of understanding of women’s health issues, and how they differ from their male counterparts suffering from the same afflictions. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States, with the CDC reporting 610,000 annual deaths. That’s 1 in 4 deaths that occur each year. Dr. Denise Sorrentino, a cardiologist at the Ames Heart Center, said many women wait to go to the doctor because they don’t recognize their symptoms. Men’s heart attacks are portrayed as what Sorrentino described as a ‘Hollywood heart attack,’ where they clutch their chests in pain. However, many women present with severe general fatigue, or maybe only neck or jaw pain, and sometimes abdominal pain, none of which the common person associates with a heart attack. “This leads to women putting off going to the doctor, and 20 | FACETS | FEBRUARY 2018
they end up with different outcomes from bypass surgeries by having a later surgery,” Sorrentino said. She said she believes if women were more aware of the symptoms of heart issues that affect them, a lot more women would address the issue earlier on, saving lives and recovery time. The disparity of knowledge between men and women’s heart health created the necessity for women’s specific heart health organizations.
Go-Red for Women
Sorrentino started the first Go-Red for Women event in Ames. She said she attended multiple around the state, and wondered why there wasn’t one here. Go-Red for Women is a national movement led by the American Heart Association to fundraise and bring awareness to women’s heart health. Sorrentino said last year’s crowd at the Ames Go-Red Gala was the largest crowd they have ever had, and the fundraising had nearly doubled, raising more than $65,000.
lifestyle
someone automatically healthy,” Sorrentino said. “A lot of people hear exercise and think of rigorous work, but the event is meant to show people how easy it is to walk for 30 minutes.”
Alpha Phi
Members of the This year’s Ames Go-Red event will be held on ThursAlpha Phi sororday, April 26 at 5 p.m. ity at Iowa State at their annual Red Dress Gala. In addition to the Go-Red event, Sorrentino started the Photo courtesy of Alpha Phi sorority ‘Walk With a Doc’ event at the Ames Heart Center. On
Walk With a Doc
the first Friday of every month, Sorrentino, other doctors and staff at the Heart Center walk 30 minutes with anyone willing to show up. 30 minutes of walking a day has been shown to improve overall health, especially by reducing the risk of heart related issues. “Of course just walking 30 minutes isn’t going to make
The Alpha Phi sorority’s nationwide philanthropy is women’s heart health. The chapter at Iowa State, which re-opened in 2015, works to raise money for the Alpha Phi Foundation. Sorrentino said the Alpha Phi Foundation reached out to the Iowa Heart Foundation, which she works with, and asked to do an event with them to celebrate the opening of the sorority. Funds raised by the Alpha Phi chapter at Iowa State for the Alpha Phi Foundation are in turn given to the Iowa Heart Foundation. “It was a great event, we taught CPR and certified all of the girls (in the chapter,)” Sorrentino said of the opening event. “It’s great to start teaching these girls while they’re young.” Annie Burns, a junior at Iowa State studying political science, and Chapter President of Alpha Phi, said that the sorority mainly raises funds for the Iowa Heart Foundation at their annual Red Dress Gala. “It’s really cool, because most Alpha Phi chapters across the country have a Red Dress Gala,” Burns said. “It is our biggest fundraising event.” The Iowa State Alpha Phi chapter raised $26,700 for the Iowa Heart Foundation for women’s heart health at their November 2017 Red Dress Gala. Additionally, the chapter holds events throughout the semesters to raise awareness and funds around Iowa State’s campus. There are 172 members of the sorority right now. FACETS | FEBRUARY 2018 | 21
savor
Grilled tuna steaks with cilantro and basil. Photo by recipies.heart.org.
Grilled tuna steaks with cilantro and basil T
una is a very lean fish and will dry out if overcooked. Cook to an internal temperature of 145 degrees
Ingredients 6 Servings 3 tablespoons light soy sauce 3 tablespoons canola oil 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 6, 6 oz tuna steaks (rinsed, patted dry) canola oil cooking spray 1/2 cup chopped, fresh cilantro leaves 22 | FACETS | FEBRUARY 2018
1/4 cup chopped, fresh basil leaves 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic Directions 1 In small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, canola oil and pepper flakes. Place tuna steaks and 2 Tbsp of soy sauce mixture in a large, resealable plastic bag. Turn bag several times to coat tuna steaks. Refrigerate no longer than 30 minutes. 2 Preheat grill coated with cooking spray
over high heat. Meanwhile, in another small bowl, combine cilantro, basil, lime juice, vinegar and garlic. 3 Remove tuna from bag, discarding any leftover marinade, and grill tuna for 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until very pink in center (internal temperature of 145 °F). Do not overcook tuna or it will become tough. Serve with remaining soy sauce mixture and top with equal amounts of cilantro mixture. This Heart-Check Certified recipe is brought to you by CanolaInfo.
savor QUINOA-CHICKEN SALAD with toasted walnuts, grapes and arugula
T
he combination of toasted walnuts, sweet grapes, and peppery arugula give this quinoa salad loads of flavor though it only takes minutes to pull together. It’s the perfect recipe to turn to for easy entertaining or for a light lunch. Ingredients 8 Servings Chicken Ingredients 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken 1 teaspoon Kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon peppercorns Salad Ingredients 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided) 1 yellow onion, medium, small dice, about ¾ cup 1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa 2 tablespoons fresh, minced thyme leaves 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth, low-sodium, chicken broth, or water 2 cups grapes (halved) 1 cup walnut halves (finely chopped, toasted) 4 stalks celery, small dice, about 1 ½ cups 5 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar 3 oz. baby arugula, wild DIRECTIONS Chicken Directions 1. Fill a medium pot with water then add in the chicken, kosher salt, and peppercorns and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until juices run clear and the chicken is fully cooked through. 2. Remove from heat and set aside until the chicken is cool
enough to handle. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa. (Chicken can be made up to 4 days ahead of time; store refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to use.) Salad Directions 1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, stir to coat in the oil and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the quinoa and thyme and cook until the quinoa is toasted and makes a popping noise, about 2 minutes. 2. Add the broth, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook the Quinoa-chicken salad with toasted walnuts, grapes and arugula. quinoa (uncovered) until it is al Photo by recipes.heart.org dente (the little tails will come off the end of each grain), about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove quinoa from heat, spread in a thin layer on a rimmed baking sheet and set aside to cool briefly, at least 5 minutes. Meanwhile, shred the chicken. (Quinoa can be made up to 4 days ahead of time; store refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to use.) 3. Shred the chicken into bitesized pieces and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Once the quinoa is cool, combine quinoa, shredded chicken, grapes, walnuts, celery and vinegar and stir to combine and thoroughly coat. Just before serving, fold in the arugula, taste, adjust seasoning as desired, and serve. This Heart-Check Certified recipe is brought to you by California Walnuts.
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