Tending the horse that's out of the barn
I wrote to you yesterday about ways to prevent the onset of cancer. There's another matter that I work with many of my patients on, and that's fighting what's already here that they're living with.
The Mayo Clinic did a study on patients and their follow-up treatment after having had at least one heart attack. The results were troubling, to say the least: More than half of these patients had stopped taking their medications within three years. Those medications include ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers, with patients starting out somewhat strong in adhering to their doctor-prescribed regimens, and then dropping off as time passed.
The smokers were the most rebellious of all. They were the most likely to stop their meds in the shortest amount of time from their heart event. I guess with the ever-rising cost of tobacco, they make the decision to toss caution to the wind in favor of the immediate gratification of a smoke.
However, this non-compliance with treatment recommendations only serves to place them at greater risk for more heart attacks. (Not to mention the continuation of their self-designed tobacco regimen.)
Patients who fared the best when it came to sticking with their medications were those who had taken part in a cardiac rehabilitation program. These are medically supervised programs that offer individual counseling on nutrition and exercise, and help patients understand and manage their disease. The idea is to help patients recover more quickly, prevent progression of disease, and even reverse it if possible.
The researchers' recommendation is that patients be actively encouraged to enroll in this type of program, and special attention be paid to the smokers.
Overall, the study goes to prove that old adage true: You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink.
If you've had a heart attack, this is no time to be a stubborn mule. Now, more than ever, is the time to throw everything into the ring to prevent further damage to your precious heart muscle. But taking your meds is only part of the solution to healing—not even the major piece. Just because you're taking a few pills every day doesn't mean you can stop paying attention to the fundamentals, such as your diet, frequency of exercise, sleep habits, stress level, relationships, and spiritual well being. Together these all play the bigger role in your recovery, health and well being. Take your meds until such a time that, with the help of a multi-pronged, lifestyle approach, you may need fewer meds, or lower doses, or even be able to come off some of them.
And by all means, take advantage of any program that is being offered to help you recover. Don't ignore anything that can improve your quality of life. Heart disease doesn't have to be a sentence where the bars slam shut behind you, but it's up to you to exercise your right of choice and manage it.
