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A Living Legacy on How to Live in Your 100s

Saturday, August 8, 2015, Edith Ellis celebrated her 104th birthday.  She is the oldest patient of cardiologist Dr. Arash Karnama and one of the oldest patients at Oklahoma Heart Institute. Those are distinctions that don’t seem to get to Edith, however. In fact, she wears them with pride. She’s quick to recall the time she was recognized by an Oklahoma City publication for being the oldest realtor in the state at the age of 98. She beat out the next oldest by only a few months.

The dawn of her 80-year career actually began in health care. “When I graduated from high school, in... Read More »

The Good Life: A Plan for Clean Eating

Oklahoma Heart Institute cardiologist Dr. Mathew Good’s wife Bethany joins us on the blog to share tips for helping you and your family improve your nutrition through clean eating. The Goods have shared their motivation for cleaning up their diets and now share tips for getting started, recipes and a grocery list.

Two-and-a-half years ago we “went clean” and drastically changed our eating habits. Meal planning and yes, even snack planning, became crucial to our new lifestyle. We had always heard of the concept of “clean eating,” but honestly it just kind of ran together in our minds... Read More »

Sleep Interrupted: When Insomnia Keeps You Up at Night

Even if you are not one of the estimated 60 million Americans affected by chronic sleeplessness, it is likely you have experienced times in your life when sleep was disrupted (or short-term insomnia.) Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders. For those who suffer, they have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or both. That means rarely having the opportunity for truly adequate sleep. Insomnia sufferers wake feeling tired and begin the cycle all over again the next night. Chronic insomnia takes a toll on personal relationships, work performance and most of all, health.

... Read More »

Stroke Claiming Fewer Lives

One death every four minutes. The leading cause of disability in our country. A disease that can strike at any age. Stroke affects nearly 800,000 Americans every year, yet we are making a difference when it comes to saving lives. Over the last several decades, stroke has claimed fewer Americans - the death rate from stroke dropping 21 percent over the last 10 years alone. Stroke has slid from third to fourth among the leading causes of death in the U.S. Health care experts credit several factors - many within your control - for its continued decline. Are you doing all you can to prevent a... Read More »

Benefits of Exercise for Cardiac Patients

Are you suffering from heart disease or have recently had heart surgery and want to live a healthier lifestyle? Exercise is the best course of action to take to keep your particular condition in control. Exercise is something than many Americans do not partake in, and it is estimated that 45% of Americans have ideal physical activity and 31% have noted that they have poor physical activity.  As a heart patient, you will want to partake in regular exercise to maintain your health.

Frequent aerobic exercise can result in moderate to large losses in body weight and body fat, and... Read More »

Heart Disease and Diabetes

Heart and vascular disease often go hand-in-hand with diabetes. Anyone living with diabetes is at a much greater risk for suffering from heart attacks, strokes and high blood pressure. Another vascular problem due to diabetes includes poor circulation to the legs and feet. Unfortunately, many of these cardiovascular problems can start early in life and may go undetected and untreated for years, increasing the risk of a major cardiovascular event.  Silent heart disease in young people with diabetes  Serious cardiovascular disease can begin before the age of 30 in people with both Type 1 and... Read More »

Clean Eating for Better Heart Health

Oklahoma Heart Institute cardiologist Dr. Mathew Good and wife, Bethany, join us on the blog to share their tips for better nutrition for the entire family.

For many people the idea of eating healthy sounds completely boring. Images of tiny portions of tofu and steamed, slimy  kale parade through their minds. For others, the idea just seems overwhelming. Planning meals, researching recipes, grocery shopping, balancing nutrients, counting calories - it can all get downright intimidating. 

Perhaps you are one of these people. Or perhaps your doctor has suggested that you start... Read More »

Deep Vein Thrombosis

March is National Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Awareness Month. DVT affects as many as 600,000 Americans each year and can be deadly. DVT occurs when a blood clot develops in a vein deep in the body. Deep veins are found within groups of muscles. These are different from the veins close to the skin, which are called superficial veins.

While these clots most often develop in the lower legs or thighs, they may appear in the upper body, such as the arms or other locations in the body. DVT is a risk after any major surgery, but patients who have surgery of the legs or hips are at greater... Read More »

Excited to Exercise Again - Cardiac Rehab After Massive Heart Attack

Fortunately John’s wife, Kathy, was home when he suffered a massive heart attack on December 6, 2014 while putting up the Christmas tree. “I felt really clammy,” he says of taking a break to sit down on the couch. That is the last thing he remembers before being transported in the ambulance to Oklahoma Heart Institute. “My wife called 911, performed CPR and brought me back to life.”

Cardiologist Dr. Robert Smith and the cardiac catheterization lab team where ready for John’s arrival. “By the time paramedics got me into the elevator, they said I sat up, said I didn’t feel well and went... Read More »

Will a new heart failure drug help patients?

 

Heart failure chips away at quality of life slowly overtime. What may begin as fatigue or less of an appetite, becomes something more that makes it difficult to enjoy staying active with family and friends. Difficulty breathing when sleeping and waking exhausted or even a persistent cough begin to consume each day and night. Not only is it becoming more difficult to walk out to the car, it's uncomfortable - as swelling in the legs and feet make socks and shoes feel tight. It is a condition more than 6 million Americans are living with today and one of the top reasons people over... Read More »