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Heart-Healthy Holidays: How to Celebrate Without Going Overboard

The holiday season can often be summed up in one word: indulgent. Offices are filled with gift baskets full of treats and parties are heavy on the seasonal sweets and hearty dips. While partaking in these dishes isn’t something you are doing on a daily basis, it can set you back in your diet when you are consuming more than usual.

Brook Hinton, health educator with the Weight Loss & Wellness Center at Oklahoma Heart Institute, and Susannah McCabe, registered dietitian with the Center for Diabetes Management at Hillcrest Medical Center, are sharing some helpful control strategies... Read More »

The Fish Oil Debate

Information provided by Dr. Wayne Leimbach, medical director at Oklahoma Heart Institute.

 

There always seems to be questions surrounding vitamins. Are they really beneficial to take and if so, which ones and at what dosage? Recently, fish oil has been the topic of conversation and in fact, the REDUCE-IT trial that Oklahoma Heart Institute was involved in just uncovered some interesting findings.

The REDUCE-IT trial randomized 8,179 cardiovascular (CV) risk patients with known CV disease or high risk patients with diabetes and other CV risk factors who were already on... Read More »

Tulsa Woman Celebrates Second Chance at Life After Pulmonary Hypertension Diagnosis

In September of 2017, Missy Storm and her husband were in New Orleans celebrating his birthday. At the time, Missy was struggling with walking long distances, but she thought it had something to do with getting older and being out of shape. Storm had recently retired after a 40-year career in education, but the stress her body was experiencing was different than any she had felt before.

“When we were in New Orleans, I would be walking down the street and every 30 yards or so I would have to stop to catch my breath and let my heart slow down,” said Storm. “During our travels back to... Read More »

Family Finds a Silver Lining in the Midst of Loss

Tulsa resident Glenn Harris started experiencing heart problems when visiting Australia, which led to him needing a pacemaker and defibrillator installed immediately. Upon returning to Tulsa, Harris needed to find continuing care, which is when he contacted Oklahoma Heart Institute and started seeing Dr. Wayne Leimbach, medical director, and Dr. David Sandler, director of electrophysiology.

Harris’ youngest daughter, Lauren, took him to many of his follow up appointments and rehab sessions when he first started visiting Oklahoma Heart Institute, becoming familiar with the faces... Read More »

Arkansas Man Amazed at Care Received at Oklahoma Heart Institute

David Engle, 76, had heart complications in his 60s. Years later, after being involved in a car accident, Engle experienced another life-changing cardiovascular event that lead him to Oklahoma Heart Institute.

“I had a triple bypass and valve replacement nine years ago,” said Engle. “In September of 2016, I was hit head on in a car accident in Arkansas. Following the accident, the EMC workers told me that I needed to be checked out because I was in such bad pain. When I was taken to the hospital, the doctors told me I had contusions and that muscle relaxants would take care of the... Read More »

Yoga and Atrial Fibrillation: What’s the connection?

Leading an active, healthy lifestyle has great benefits when it comes to cardiovascular issues, but what about the practice of yoga in relation to atrial fibrillation, or AFib? We talked to Dr. David Sandler, director of electrophysiology at Oklahoma Heart Institute, to learn more.

“When it comes to yoga, the main message is that the lifestyle helps prevent heart disease, including atrial fibrillation,” said Dr. Sandler. “80 percent of heart disease cases are preventable, AFib included. Yoga is basically a paradigm for healthy living. Yoga specifically has been shown to reduce a... Read More »

Oklahoma Man Experiences Great Progress Following Procedure

Randall Hargrove was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, or AFib, in mid-2017. After being referred to Oklahoma Heart Institute, his problems were soon resolved.

“I was originally seeing another physician when I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation,” said Hargrove. “Soon after, I was referred to Dr. David Sandler, electrophysiologist at Oklahoma Heart Institute, by my primary care physician. For a while, my AFib was under control while I was taking medication, but in May of 2018 I started having arrhythmic problems again. I went back in and found out that I had atypical flutter... Read More »

Oklahoma State Trooper Overcomes Atrial Fibrillation

Rick Humdy has been an Oklahoma State Trooper for 20 years. After working as a helicopter crew chief in the National Guard, Humdy applied for patrol school. When going through health screenings in 2016 for his new position, Humdy learned that he had atrial fibrillation, or AFib. Shortly after, he started seeing , director of electrophysiology at Oklahoma Heart Institute. 

“When I met Dr. Sandler in July of 2016, he told me he could fix my atrial fibrillation,” said Humdy. “I had 100 percent faith in him because he really portrayed confidence when he told me he could fix my AFib.... Read More »

Hillcrest Doctor Experiences Great Success with HMR Program

Dr. Kelly Shuler, a family medicine physician at Utica Park Clinic in Sapulpa, knew she wanted to make changes to her health but was unsure of the route she should take. It wasn’t until learning about the Health Management Resources (HMR) program offered through the Weight Loss & Wellness Center at Oklahoma Heart Institute that she felt like she had found a program that would cater to her needs. 

“I decided I needed to lose weight when I was talking to a patient about how obesity was affecting their health,” said Shuler. “The patient blatantly called me out and said ‘you talking... Read More »

Weight Loss Testimonial - Mark F.

At 46 years old I was on a path I didn’t want to be on. I weighed 320 pounds, had high blood pressure as well as sleep apnea and couldn’t walk down the block without getting shin splints. I asked my doctor about gastric bypass surgery and he refused. He said that I am an athlete and a performer who is disciplined enough to do it the old-fashioned way with some help. That help was Health Management Resources (HMR). This program took all the guesswork out because there weren’t points or calorie counting. What makes this program stand out is the staff. The level of accountability and support... Read More »