1. Do you think the education system is lacking in heart health education and awareness? What are your opinions on that?
Answer: From my experiences, most schools teach health classes that cover general anatomy and physiology, but students today are not taught the importance of a healthy heart.
My Reflection: I completely agree. Although I have been taught how to maintain not only a healthy heart, but overall health, teachers have not enforced the importance of implementing the healthy habits we are taught, and the negative outcomes that can occur if you don't maintain a healthy lifestyle.
2. If you could design a curriculum, what would you suggest are some of the major subjects that should be taught?
Answer: My curriculum would include how to achieve a healthy heart through proper diet and exercise.
Reflection: Again, I completely agree with that. However, I would also want to discuss how one's family health history can affect their health, and the negative effects that can occur if one does not attain healthy habits.
3. What are some of the most common risk factors that lead to Heart Disease?
Answer: Some of common risk factors of heart disease include uncontrollable factors such as age or genetic inheritance. However there are controllable factors such as diet, exercise, and smoking.
Reflection: According to my research, these are the main factors I discovered. I also found that those with a Diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure have a higher risk of Heart Disease.
4. What is the range of the patients you see with heart problems?
Answer: I have treated people with heart problems ranging from those in their late teens to elderly people.
Reflection: While this answer is kind of shocking, it is evident how heart health and awareness lacks in our education system. Not many teenagers believe they have to worry about being heart healthy, but we can see that it affects people of all ages.
5. What is your most common age group that you see who have heart problems?
Answer: In my experiences, most people with heart related problems that I have to treat are 40-60 years old. Most people with newly onset Heart Disease fall within this category.
Reflection: His range of patients is very interesting. The doctor I shadow has a slightly higher age range.
6. What are some things that you suggest people should do to prevent diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.?
Answer: To me, the best prevention for any medical problems is diet and exercise. Eating a healthy and natural diet will go a long way. Physical activity will also keep your heart healthy and strong, wether its walking the block everyday or a strict workout regimen.
Reflection: As much as a lot of us hate to do this, exercise is the number one method to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and preventing life-risking conditions such as HD and Diabetes.
7. What is one thing that you believe has to be done in order to stay heart healthy?
Answer: Diet and exercise = Heart healthy!
Reflection: This is short and simple, but it signifies and reiterates the importance of exercise in everybody's lives. As much as we might hate it, it;s a necessity to staying healthy.
8. Do you suggest that those with a family history of heart disease get checked regularly or go through extra health precautions?
Answer: If you have heart disease as a family medical problem, I do believe that you should pay special attention to the controllable risk factors as well as keep on top of receiving routine medical evaluations.
Reflection: This makes sense! If you know you have a higher risk of attaining such problems, taking extra precautions is only logical. Even if you don't necessarily have a family history of these diseases, extra health precautions aren't necessarily a bad thing, but allow you to be prepared.
9. What do you think about aspirin as a daily regimen for prevention for cardiac related problems?
Answer: I believe that it is a necessity for those who have suffered heart attack or strokes. However, I do believe that it is over prescribed and can cause serious health problems for those that may not need it. These health problems include internal bleeding and ulcers.
Reflection: There is a huge debate between people in the medical field regarding the over prescription of Aspirin. I think this is a very interesting point of view and it would be interesting to see varying opinions. Furthermore, it would be interesting to see how an EMT's opinion varies from that of a doctor, and how that might vary from one of a nurse.
10. Do you think the amount of heart related problems seen in patients will continue to increase in the future?
Answer: Definitely! In America especially, there is a rising trend in being fast and saving time, therefore, picking up a cheeseburger with fries is the easiest thing to do. Furthermore, exercise has been on the back burner for many years now, which promotes a very unhealthy generations to come.
Reflection: I couldn't agree more. Speaking from experience, when times get too bust, I do tend to pick up fast food. Therefore, I think we must all begin to promote healthy habits more in order to decrease the rising health problems that are occurring nowadays.
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