Get heart smart: Know fact from fiction

When it comes to heart health, myths can be dangerous.

Here are some popular ones, according Dr. James Rippe, author of Heart Health for Dummies (Hungry Minds):

Myth: Heart disease strikes middle aged and older people. Fact: A study of young adults shows that up to 75 percent have narrowing of the coronary arteries.

Myth: Men are more likely to develop heart disease than women. Fact: Men just show symptoms earlier.

Myth: Once you have it, it is always progressive. Fact: Some 20 major studies indicate that eating a low-fat diet, exercising regularly, and taking cholesterol-lowering medications can often halt or reverse the progress of heart disease.

Myth: After you have a heart attack, life moves inexorably downhill. Fact: Cardiac rehabilitation programs enable patients to lead vigorous lives.

Myth: To get a heart benefit, you have to exercise until you are out of breath. Fact: Accumulating 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days can lower the risk of heart disease. Sessions of 10 or 15 minutes can be added to make 30.

Myth: Medicalizing obesity is a form of prejudice. Fact: Being more than 20 percent overweight doubles the risk for heart disease. Obesity is a medical condition that can be treated.

Myth: If you have chest pain, wait to see if it goes away. Fact: Ignoring symptoms of a heart attack is the worst thing to do. Call 911 immediately if you have pain, pressure, or squeezing in the chest; pain spreading to the shoulders, neck, or arms; chest discomfort with shortness of breath, light-headedness, sweating, or nausea.

Myth: It's not possible to die of a broken heart or be scared to death. Fact: Heart health can be damaged by stress and how we handle it. Mind/body connections can be tapped to promote heart health.

Lack of sleep, heat exhaustion linked

Lack of sleep is known to increase risk of heart disease, obesity, hypertention, and diabetes, not to mention migrains, depression, irritability, and memory problems.

A shortage of sleep has also been linked to death by heat exhaustion. Fatalities that occurred during or just after exercise were reviewed by the American Journal of Medical Sciences. Sleep deprivation was found to be a major factor. It affects the body's ability to regulate its temperature.

Regular exercise, however, reduces stress and increases serotonin, which promotes sleep.

Scientific studies show 40 percent
of your happiness level is up to you

Some people are generally glum and joyless. Others are generally happy most of the time in spite of trying conditions. Are people just born that way?

Yes -- at least in part.

Groundbreaking scientific research by University of California psychology professor, Sonya Lyubomirsky, shows that 50 percent of a person's general outlook is inborn. Another 10 percent of a person's happiness level can be attributed to life circumstances such as divorce or loss of a loved one.

But wait! That leaves 40 percent of your present capacity for happiness strictly up to you. Her new book, The How of Happiness, is a gift to all who would take their level of happiness into their own hands.

Basic to the whole process is her conclusion that staying active is profoundly related to happiness.

Exercises she prescribes include keeping a "best possible self" journal to outline future goals over the next six weeks or more. Even nine months later, she reports, the positive effects were being felt. She also recommends:

• Don't overthink a situation. Decide to spend 30 minutes later to ruminate. It may seem less consequential then.

• Learn good coping skills. Write down traumatic experiences and learn how to recognize them and argue with overly pessimistic thoughts.

• Savor life's joys, even if they are just a good meal or a shower. Conjure up a favorite memory when you feel down.

Unlike many self-help books, all these recommendations are supported by scientific research.

The strategies can make the difference between a happy and an unhappy life, says the author. That's good news for the gloomy among us.

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