The Seven-Minute Visit | Exercise to Your Heart's Content

Smoking a Danger to People with Heart Disease

The Seven-Minute Visit

By Robert W. Ford, M.D.

It's February and we must face our New Year's resolutions with guarded confidence

and renewed faith that 2007 will be good to all of us. I hope you have included some medical issues on your resolution list. Most of us will see a medical provider during the year, and we are going to need preparation for the "Seven-Minute Visit," the average length of most office visits today.

Managed care has boxed the consumer into a rigid time slot during which brief pleasantries, possibly a limited exam and a short discussion occur. As you exit the office, you are thinking, "Is that all there is?"

In addition, managed care has driven a wedge between patients and providers. The "business" of medicine has further distanced us from our providers. The "Seven-Minute Visit" has reduced the old "whole-patient concept" of a visit to a total of seven minutes.

Patients have become more sophisticated and skilled in seeking and evaluating medical information. Unfortunately, most of us do not have the time or background to sift through all available information before our "seven-minute visit" begins. Then, it's over!

Here are some resolutions for 2007:

• Prior to your visit, prioritize your symptoms and problems. Write down what it is that bothers you the most. Concentrate on this main issue during the first THIRTY SECONDS of your visit. Use descriptive words to describe what your concerns or symptoms are. Don't be timid. Be completely honest in providing information. Don't assume the provider has a crystal ball.
• Before leaving, ask yourself whether the provider gave you a reasonable, understandable explanation of your problem. Ask the provider to write down or copy any helpful information about your condition. Were your most important questions answered? Remember, seven minutes does not allow for long or technical explanations.
• Establish a timetable for follow-up care, if recommended. Be compliant. Put the provider in your corner. Remember, you must employ "active self-management" to help with your medical care. For example, you may need to drink more water to help avoid kidney stones or you may need to talk to a diabetic educator to recommend a proper diet to avoid out-of-control blood sugars. Don't hesitate to be followed by other professionals recommended by your provider.
  

Good luck in 2007! Actively participate in the management of your care to get the most value out of your "Seven-Minute Visit."

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Exercise to Your Heart's Content

By Michael Taylor, UPMC Health Plan

Physical fitness is at the heart of good health. In fact, research now shows that exercise is even recommended for those who have experienced a heart attack or are at risk for heart disease. According to experts, exercise strengthens the heart and improves general health.

Of course, people with heart problems should always consult their physician before beginning an exercise program.

While moderate activity for 30 minutes on most days results in health benefits, many heart patients can exercise as vigorously as the average person.

Regular aerobic exercise increases your fitness level and your mood. Spending too many hours in front of the television, however, can put you on a downward slide into more health problems such as obesity, stroke, and diabetes.

It is clear that healthy people are less likely to suffer with heart disease if they are consistently active over many years. But it's never too late to begin exercising. If you have heart disease, exercise may prevent progression of the disease and development of other diseases. It can sometimes restore much of your normal level of physical abilities. Exercise has also been shown to reduce depression and anxiety.

Research shows that people who begin exercising after their first heart attack have better survival rates.

Aerobic activity provides the best results. Such activity trains the heart to work more efficiently during exercise and at rest. Brisk walking, jumping rope, jogging, bicycling, cross-country skiing, and dancing are examples of aerobic activities that increase endurance.

If you are just getting started, you feel capable of exercise, and your doctor has told you it is okay to exercise, try starting with moderate aerobic activity for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week. It is important to exercise routinely and consistently.

Be sure to talk to your doctor before beginning any vigorous exercise program. When exercising, stop immediately if you feel unusual pain or unusual shortness of breath, feel dizzy or sick, or have an irregular pulse.

Physical activity also helps build healthy bones, muscles, and joints and reduces the risk of colon cancer and stroke.

If you would like to read more information about this and other heart-related topics, please visit our web site at UPMCHealthPlan.com.
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Special Web Package

Smoking a Danger to People with Heart Disease

Here's a lesson to take to heart: smoking can put you at risk for coronary heart disease.

According to the American Heart Association, cigarette smoking is the most important preventable cause of premature death in the United States.

It is one of the six major independent risk factors for coronary heart disease that can be modified or controlled. By itself, smoking increases the risk of coronary disease. And when it acts in connection with other factors such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and physical inactivity - the risk is greatly increased.

For more information on this topic and how you or someone close to you can curb the smoking habit, visit the special "Smoking Cessation" section at UPMCHealthPlan.com/spotlight/smoking.html.

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