YARD SALE A BIG SUCCESS
Our fund raiser yard sale held at the home of Bart and Phyllis Kazin on Saturday October 9th was a huge success.
Our treasury was increased significantly. Those members available to help at the sale were, Dorothy Fleischer, Marilyn Branzetti, Anne Gallagher,Marion Cooke, and ,Phyllis & Bart Kazin, Don Moberg, Ed & Judy Harris. The following members and friends of Mended Hearts Inc. insured the success by donating items:
DONATIONS
- Marilyn Branzetti – member
- Dorothy Fleischer – member
- Bob & Therese French– members
- Barbara & Ron Hawes – members
- Phyllis & Bart Kazin – members
- Bill & Judy Lipsky – members
- Mike &Ellie Brennan and the Dennis-Harwich Lions – members
- Ken & Debbie Traugot– members
- Gene & Anne Mahoney – FMHI*
- Ed & Judy Harris – members
- Don & Bev Moberg – members
If anyone was missed, it was an error of omission and please accept a heartfelt apology.
As President of the local chapter, I want to gratefully thank everyone of our members and friends who donated wonderful items, who worked the sale, and those who stopped by to buy.
Accepting the affirmation To become involved with the Mended Hearts is a great way to help yourselves and, of course, to help others. The commitment to stay committed and to get involved...as with the yard sale...is a wonderful way to stay with the program.
*FMHI = friend of Mended Hearts * R.N. = CCHC nurse
THANK YOU ALL
_________________________________________________________________________
GET WELL WISHES
Go out to our secretary, Darien Lenox. Darien has had surgical procedures and personal problems which lead her to believe she can no longer adequately perform her duties as Secretary. Members that would like to convey get well wishes can do so in the following mannert:
DARIEN LENOX
P.O. Box 932
Eastham, MA 02642
(508)255.9280
Email: fdlenox@comcast.net
_________________________________________________________________________
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
by Bart Kazin
Well, here we are in November. Having passed through Halloween, the nation’s most rapidly growing holiday, we are now getting ready for the holiday season, Thanksgiving and Christmas...what a wonderful time of the year...especially on Olde Cape Cod.
To me, this is the best time of the year; the decorations, the lights, the smells, the snow...all come together
to make a Currier and Ives picture.
Folks are in a festive mood and good will abounds. Feelings also manifest themselves in the spirit of wanting to help others. This atmosphere makes us appreciate what we have and how we can possibly make someone else’s life a little better. Monetary giving is always appreciated, but how about the giving of one’s self? I believe this type of giving is admired even more.
Mended Hearts plays an important role in the spirit of giving….giving back! Giving back the help you received during your recovery and recuperation. Thus the holiday experience can be with you the whole year through.
At this time, I want to emphasize...get involved, take part, and make the commitment to be active in our group.
I hope the start of the holiday season will be a fun time for us all.
_________________________________________________________________________
KNOW YOUR FATS
(-from the American Heart Assn.)
Knowing which fats raise LDL cholesterol and which ones don’t is the first step in reducing your lipid level. Saturated fat, trans-fatty acids, and dietary cholesterol raise blood cholesterol. Mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated don’t. Some studies suggest they might even help lower LDL cholesterol slightly as part of a low saturated-fat diet.
SATURATED FATS
Saturated fat is the main dietary cause of high blood cholesterol. The AHA recommends that you limit your saturated fat intake to 7-10% of total calories (or less) each day. If you have coronary heart disease or your LDL cholesterol level is 100 mg/dl or greater, your doctor should recommend the Therapeutic Lifestyle Change (TLC) Diet. It recommends 25-35% of calories from fat, with less than 7% coming from saturated fat. Cholesterol is limited to less than 200mgs/day. Saturated fat is found mostly in foods from animals and some plants.
FOODS FROM ANIMALS
These include beef , beef fat, veal, lamb, pork, lard, poultry fat, butter, cream, milk, cheeses, and other dietary products made from whole milk. These foods also contain dietary cholesterol.
FOODS FROM PLANTS
These include coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil (often called tropical oils), and cocoa butter.
HYDROGENATED FATS
During food processing, fats may undergo a chemical process called hydrogenation. This is common in margarine and shortening. These fats also raise blood cholesterol. Use hydrogenated fats only if they contain no more than 2gms. of saturated fat per tablespoon. The saturated fat content of most margarines and spreads is printed on the package or Nutritional Facts label.
POLYUNSATURATED & MONOUNSATURATED FATS
Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are the two unsaturated fats. They’re found primarily in oils from plants.
TRANS-FATTY ACIDS
Unsaturated fatty acids can be in one of two shapes – “cis” and “trans.” These terms refer to the physical positioning of hydrogen atoms around the carbon chain. The cis form is more common than the trans form. Trans-fatty acids (TFA) are found in small amounts in various animal products such as beef, pork, lamb, and the butterfat in butter and milk. TFA are also formed during the process of hydrogenation, making margarine, shortening, cooking oils and the foods made from them a major source of TFA in the American diet. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils provide about 3/4 of the TFA in the U.S. diet.
To make foods that will stay fresh on the shelf or to get a solid fat product, such as margarine, food manufacturers hydrogenate polyunsaturated oils. “Hydrogenate” means to add hydrogen. When unsaturated fatty acids are hydrogenated, some of the hydrogen atoms are added on the opposite sides of the molecule to the already attached hydrogen. Cis double bonds convert to trans double bonds and the fatty acids become saturated.
_________________________________________________________________________
MOMENTS IN LIFE
(-submitted by Marion Branzetti)
When you were born you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.
Live your life so at the end, you’re the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.
_________________________________________________________________________
SECRETARY’S REPORT
(-in the absence of Darien Lenox, report by P.Kazin)
The meeting on Thursday October 21st held in the Martins’ Conference Room on the second floor of the Cape Cod Hospital was called to order at 3:30 p.m. by Ken Traugot, Vice President. President Bart Kazin was unable to attend.
Twenty-five members and visitors were in attendance.
Four visitors were introduced.
A discussion of medications revealed patients could get information via the Internet. Clicking on Google and then Mayo Clinic. Also Mended Hearts has put out national treatment guidelines (“Medicines and Your Family”) which will be distributed at the November 18th meeting...free of any charge.
The 50/50 raffle was won again (two months in a row) by treasurer, Maryse Ethier.
Membership interaction followed.
The meeting’s speaker Pat Vasconcellos, Registered Dietician, offered “Ways to Eat in a Healthy Manner.”
During her presentation, Pat offered several “hand outs” pertaining to:
- delicious and nutritious heart healthy recipes
- suggestions on keeping the “heart” in your favorite recipes, i.e. on how & when to use dairy products, spices & flavorings, oils and butter, meats and poultry, sandwiches and salads, soups and stews, breads, and desserts
- an explanation of the new food labels
- an explanation of the “Dash Diet” - an eating plan from the “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension” study (DASH) It is rich in fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy foods, and low in saturated and total fat.
- the new Food Guide Pyramid and how to use it
Pat concluded with strategies to promote a healthy life- style. She also touched on
- smart eating to prevent and treat disease
- risk factors associated with CHD
- the new cholesterol numbers
- strategies to promote adherence
- the benefits of an exercise program
This was a very informative program and those there, felt very worthwhile attending.
_________________________________________________________________________
A SURVIVOR’S STORY
Introducing a Member of Our Chapter
MEET
ANNE GALLAGHGER
Anne Gallagher is a member of our chapter and also the spouse of heart patient member, Phillip. Anne brings insight to the role of spousal support.
Anne was born and brought up in Princeton, NJ. She lived there until she went to college.
After graduating from Princeton High School, she matriculated at Wheelock College receiving both Bachelor and Master degrees.
Anne taught 3rd., 5th., and 6th. grade math in Westfield, NJ for her entire teaching career of 36 years.
Upon retirement she and Phillip moved to Harwich, MA .
Four months after relocating to Harwich, Phil had his first heart attack...followed four months later by another.
In 2002, Phil was patient #5 to have bypass surgery in the new cardiac unit of the Cape Cod Hospital. “The staff in the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit (CSICU) was wonderful and very supportive in a very difficult time,”
Anne says, “Phil was the first person in the family to have heart disease so everything was totally new to her and very overwhelming.”
Anne relates she and Phil joined Mended Hearts to learn how to deal with the situation and to meet people who have had similar problems.
Anne feels Mended Hearts have been very helpful and the members have shared very worthwhile information. She’s learned a great deal from the meetings she’s attended.
Editor’s note... Anne would be an excellent member for spouses to talk with concerning spousal support. I’m sure she would be of help.
_________________________________________________________________________
A GRATIFYING VISITATION
On a regular visit to Cape Cod Hospital, Ken Ethier, Visiting Coordinator, was notified by an accredited visitor, of a patient with diabetes and kidney failure who was about to have bypass surgery.
Although the patient was upbeat, he was frightened and wanted to speak with someone who had gone through a similar experience.
Ken contacted Don Moberg, visitor in training.
Don, who is a diabetic and did have bypass surgery, but does not have kidney disease, contacted the patient. They spoke for quite
a while. Don reported that afterward the patient felt considerably better and seemed to be more at ease. The patient was delighted to have had this opportunity.
Don reported this experience made him feel wonderful.
This is what Mended Hearts is all About!
_________________________________________________________________________
FOR ALL YOU
LEXICOGRAPHERS (Lovers of Words)
“A bicycle can’t stand alone because it’s too-tired.”
“A chicken crossing the road in poultry in motion.”
_________________________________________________________________________
MASSACHUSETTS TRIVIA QUIZ
Subject: Sports & Leisure
(Answers on page 8)
1. What happened during Ted Williams’ last time at bat in Fenway Park?
2. In 1980, what Celtics player was named NBA Rookie of the year?
3. During Phil Esposito’s 1,282 games, how many points did he score (within 100 points)
4. What are Boston College football team colors?
5. What N.E. professional sports team was dubbed the “miracle team” in 1914?
6. What Red Sox center fielder was named to the All-Lefty Pro Baseball Team?
7. What professional team used to be known as the pilgrims?
8. The Peach Basket Festival held in Springfield each year celebrates what sport?
9. Cy Young’s nickname is a shortened form of what word?
10. Holyoke, MA is the birthplace of what sport?
_________________________________________________________________________
AS THE HEART AGES IT LOSES FLEXIBILITY – UNLESS YOU EXERCISE
-by Ron Winslow-Wall Street Journal-9/14/04
An aging heart isn’t just prone to blockages that lead to heart attacks – it can also become stiff and inflexible, a precursor to a common but little recognized form of heart failure.
Now a new study suggests that regular physical activity helps keep the heart young by preventing its stiffening, offering a strategy that could help millions of people avoid the devastating consequences of heart failure later in life.
The report found that a group of 12 elderly men & women, average age 68, who had trained for and participated in rigorous endurance races during much of their adult lives had hearts that were as healthy as a group of 14 sedentary younger men and women, average age 29. Meantime the hearts of a 3rd group, consisting of 12 inactive elderly men and women, showed clear signs of stiffening and a loss of cardiac function. These symptoms can progress to what doctor’s call “diastolic” heart failure.
“We’ve taken those sedentary seniors and trained them for a year, and we’re finding it’s very dramatic about how much their hearts have improved,” said Dr. Benjamin Levine, Director of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at Presbyterian Hospital, Dallas, TX and principal investigator of the study.
Dr. Levine described a well-functioning heart as “like a very flexible rubber band, so when you stretch it, it snaps back with vigor.” That snapping back, which pumps the blood from the left ventricle to the rest of the body (the diastolic function) “is the essence of good cardiac function.”
Jim Hawkins, a 71-year old retired navy flight engineer who participated in the study, said that after 3 months on an exercise regimen, he was told by the researchers that his heart was functioning as well as that of a 37-year old.
It is an outgrowth of a study Dr. Levine and his colleagues published 3 years ago showing that 3 weeks of continuous bed rest were as detrimental to heart and physical health as 30 years of aging.
That report also showed that beginning a regular exercise regimen of at least 30 minutes daily 3 times a week even after long periods of inactivity helps reverse the detrimental effects of aging.
(-material for this article was excerpted from the original)
_________________________________________________________________________
The Mended Hearts, Inc.
Presents
MEDICINES AND YOUR FAMILY
National Treatment Guidelines
This book will be handed out at no cost to
all members - at the Nov. meeting
_________________________________________________________________________
The Mechanic and the Heart Surgeon
-submitted by Christy Stusse
A mechanic was removing a cylinder head from the head of a Harley motorcycle when he spotted a well-known heart surgeon in his shop. The surgeon was waiting for the service manager to take a look at his bike.
The mechanic shouted across the garage, “Hey doc, can I ask you a question?” The surgeon, a bit surprised, walked over to the mechanic working on the motorcycle.
The mechanic straighten up, wiped his hands, and asked,
So doc, look at this engine. I open it’s “heart,” take the valves out, fix’em, put’em back in, and when I’m finished. It works just like new. So how come I get such a measly salary and you get the really big bucks when you and I are doing basically the same kind of work?”
The surgeon paused, smiled, leaned over and whispered to the mechanic, “Try doing it with the engine running.”
_________________________________________________________________________
COMMON MYTHS ABOUT CHOLESTEROL
(-from the American Heart Assn.)
1. I exercise and eat right. Heart disease is not a problem for people like me.
Being physically active and eating a well-balanced diet are two key steps to preventing heart disease. But even people who exercise and eat right can be at risk. Do you have a family history of heart disease? Are you over 55? How often do you see your doctor? The last question is important because many people – including some in good physical shape – have undiagnosed and untreated high cholesterol, high blood pressure or both. This puts them at higher risk for a heart attack or stroke.
2. As a woman, I don’t need to worry about cholesterol or heart disease. These are mainly health issues for men.
High cholesterol and heart disease can be just as deadly for women as men. More than half of the 105 million Americans with high blood cholesterol are women. High cholesterol is one of the leading risk factors for cardiovascular disease, which is the No. 1 cause of death among women, claiming one woman’s life about every minute in the United States. That’s more lives that are claimed by the next 7 causes of death combined.
3. I’m young and healthy, so I don’t need to think about cholesterol or heart disease.
Research shows that fatty plaque buildup in the heart’s arteries can begin in late adolescence and early adulthood. Although high cholesterol is not an immediate threat for most people in their twenties, young adults should have their cholesterol measured. Your cholesterol level at age 22 can predict your future risk for a heart attack – a heart attack suffered at age 50 may result from plaque than began to form at age 20. Take steps now to have your cholesterol checked and talk to your doctor about heart-healthy lifestyle changes that can benefit you in later life. About 10% of adolescents age 12-19 have high blood cholesterol (200 mg/dL or higher). These young people may need to take steps to lower their cholesterol to avoid complications in later life.
4. Heart disease already runs in my family, so there’s nothing I can do to prevent myself from developing it.
If heart disease runs in your family, then you have a greater chance of developing heart disease. Your family history isn’t a controllable risk factor, but you can still take steps to lower your overall risk. These steps include stopping smoking, managing diabetes, losing weight if you’re overweight, and controlling high cholesterol and high blood pressure. The more risk factors you have, the higher your risk. That means when you have risk factors you can’t control, it’s even more important to control the risk factors you can.
_________________________________________________________________________
CHECKLIST FOR YOUR CHOLESTEROL LEVELS
The AHA endorses these National Cholesterol Education guidelines:
Total cholesterol less than 200 mgs/dL and HDL 40 mgs/dL or higher
Unless you have other risk factors from heart disease, your chance of a heart attack is relatively low.
- Eat a low-saturated-fat, low-cholesterol diet and stay physically active to help maintain a desirable cholesterol level.
- Have your cholesterol levels rechecked with in 5 years or at your next physical exam.
Total cholesterol less that 200 mgs/dL and HDL less than 40 mgs/dL
- Have your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol level checked. Your doctor will interpret these numbers for you and tell you when to have your cholesterol levels rechecked.
- Work with your doctor to control any other risk factors you have.
- Take steps to modify your diet and increase your physical activity to reduce your risk.
Total cholesterol 200 to 239, HDL 40 mgs/dL or higher and FEWER than two risk factors
- You may have twice the risk of coronary heart disease as people whose levels are less than 200 mgs/dL.
- Work with your doctor to control any other risk factors you have.
- Have your cholesterol levels rechecked in 1-2 years.
- Take steps to modify your diet and increase your physical activity to reduce your risk.
- Not every person whose cholesterol level in the 200 to 239 range is at increased risk. Talk with your healthcare professional to understand your risks.
Total cholesterol 200 to 239, HDL less than 40 mgs/dL or 2 or MORE risk factors
- You may have twice the risk of coronary heart disease as people whose levels are less than 200 mgs/dL.
- Have your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol level checked. Your doctor will interpret these numbers for you and tell you when to have your cholesterol levels rechecked.
- Work with your doctor to control any other risk factors you have.
- Take steps to modify your diet and increase your physical activity to reduce your risk
Cholesterol 240 and above
- Your risk of coronary heart disease is high. It’s even higher if you have other risk factors for heart disease.
- Have your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol checked. Your doctor will interpret these numbers for you and tell you when to have your cholesterol levels rechecked.
- Have your doctor test you for other risk factors. Ask for advise on how to help reduce your risk.
_________________________________________________________________________
VISITOR TRAINING CLASS COMPLETED
The third volunteer visitor training class was completed on Friday October 8, 2004. It was held at the Comfort Inn on Route 132 in Hyannis. The room was graciously donated by the Inn and Ken Ethier, an officer of the inn. It was conducted by Bart Kazin.
Mended Hearts Inc. visitors must be accredited, or in training in an authorized accrediting course.
The three members in this class were Don Moberg, Dan Fitzgerald, and Richard Raterman.
Visitor preparation entails two phases; Phase I –classroom education and Phase II – actual visitations.
Phase I learning included:
- Cape Cod Hospital volunteer procedures
- Mended Hearts visiting protocols
- Step by step visiting procedure
- an in depth study of the VISITING HEART TO HEART HAND BOOK FOR THE Mended Hearts Inc. ACCREDITED VISITOR
Also involved was a session of familiarization of Mended Hearts handouts and leave behinds.
Phase II will be performed on the job.
Accrediting visitors is a continuous program scheduled every three months or sooner, if required.
Those wishing to become involved, may contact Ken Ethier, Visiting Coordinator at 508. 775.8675 or
hiseas@capecod.net.
_________________________________________________________________________
Answers to THE MASSACHUSETTS TRIVIA QUIZ
...on page 5
1. He hit a home run
2. Larry Bird
3. 1,590
4. Maroon and gold
5. Boston Braves
6. Fred Lynn
7. Red Sox
8. Basket Ball
9. Cyclone
10. Volleyball
_________________________________________________________________________
HEART SMART RECIPE CORNER
(submitted by Marilyn Branzetti)
SWEET AND TANGY CARROTS
CATEGORY: SALAD
(Please consider sharing your heart smart recipe)
5 cups sliced carrots, cooked until just tended
1/2 cup of chopped green (red, yellow, etc.) pepper
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sugar ( splenda, etc.)
1 can condensed tomato soup (10 3/4 oz.)
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup oil
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
In large bowl; combine carrots, green pepper, and onion.
In a medium saucepan, combine remaining ingredients, bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Pour over vegetables and chill thoroughly. Serve cold.
- Makes 12 or more servings.
Each serving provides:
_________________________________________________________________________
