Heart Disease

Ten years ago, Thelma Richardson was working her shift at Matsushita in Danville when she began experiencing a lot of pain in her neck and back. "The pain started in my neck and throat and then moved down my jawbone and into my ears," said Richardson, who lives in Junction City. "I also had some pain in the middle of my back. " Despite the pain, Richardson finished her shift at the Danville factory and went home and ate a bountiful meal of green beans, corn and tomatoes. Over the course of the next five days, Richardson carried on her normal activities even though she was still experiencing pain between her shoulders.

Cardiovascular diseases claim more lives each year than any other diseases or illnesses. Ephraim McDowell Health is aiming to raise awareness of heart disease by observing Friday as Wear Red Day. The healthcare system is inviting all individuals in the community to join them in wearing red on Friday. They'll be joining others across the nation as that day is being observed as National Wear Red Day. A healthy heart is key to a healthy life. The purpose of National Wear Red day is to increase the public's awareness of heart disease and the fact that they can make lifestyle changes to reduce their risks for this killer disease.

Dear Editor: November is American Diabetes Month and the Lincoln County Health Department would like for people to think about a few diabetes facts. Sixty percent of adults with diabetes have high blood pressure; two out of three people with diabetes die from heart disease and stroke, and 68 percent of people with diabetes do not consider cardiovascular disease to be a serious complication of diabetes. When managing diabetes, it is important to remember the connection that it has with heart disease and stroke.

Dear Savvy Senior, My 63-year-old brother was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and was shocked when the doctor told him that he's probably had it or pre-diabetes for many years. How can this be, and am I at risk to this, too? In Diabetic Denial Dear Denial, Everyone is at risk for diabetes. In fact, diabetes is three times more common today than it was just 30 years ago and the numbers are rising. Currently about 18 million Americans have Type 2 diabetes, half of which are over age 60, but millions more will eventually get it if they don't take the right steps.

Editor's note: Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center will begin offering angioplasty services on Sept.19. Of 92 hospitals in Kentucky, the Danville medical center is one of only two hospitals to be approved for a certificate of need to perform primary angioplasty without an open heart program. This is the first story in a three-part series. When it comes to the heart health of Kentuckians, the news is not good. A report released by the Louisville Courier-Journal in July shows that Kentucky ranks fifth in the nation for adults with cardiovascular disease, which includes heart disease and strokes.

Dear Editor: In response to the question of how people who smoke can live to be 70 or 80 years old, they're lucky. The health risks associated with smoking - including many different types of cancer and heart disease - only increase as a smoker ages. To point to a single example of a smoker who has managed to beat the odds is to ignore the enormous amount of credible scientific research that has proved beyond a doubt that smoking is harmful to both the smoker and everyone around him. Jen Thompson Arlington, Va.

Crab Orchard boil-water advisory CRAB ORCHARD - The city of Crab Orchard Water Department has issued a boil- water advisory as of 6 p.m. Thursday, until further notice for customers on Rigsby Road. The advisory is due to a recent water line break that has the potential to allow contamination to enter the water system. Customers on Rigsby Road are asked to boil water before drinking or cooking. Free cholesterol screenings offered Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center will offer free cholesterol screenings from 8:30 a.m.-11 a.m. Wednesday at MedSource, 326 W. Walnut St. Appointments are not necessary.

Heart disease affects one in five individuals in the United States. Because heart disease is so common, Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center strives to provide enhanced cardiac care services using the latest technology available. McDowell hospital has recently invested in new holter monitoring equipment and also launched a new program serving the needs of individuals who experience congestive heart failure, which is the number one reason for adults age 65 and older to be hospitalized.

If someone were to hook up Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center's cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation program to a heart monitor, would the screen show a flat line? The short-term answer would be no. The long-term answer is up in the air. The 12-year-old program currently is under review by the brass at the Danville hospital. Word is that the hospital's leaders periodically review all of its programs and services to see if they are working and if they are cost-efficient.

Seven years ago a Danville businessman died of a heart defect, leaving his 2-year-old grandson wondering why. Less than a decade after Gary Acree's death, third-grader Justin Acree has made it his mission to help other heart patients like his late grandpa. Through an annual school fund-raising campaign, Acree raised and donated, in his grandpa's and great-grandmother's memory, more than $400 in donations. "It's kind of sad when people die of heart disease, and I don't want other people to feel that," said Acree, "So I raise money for them to buy equipment and a lot of other stuff.