Heart Problems: Don’t Ignore These Symptoms

The heart is, of course, the most important muscle in the human body. Any problems with the heart should be immediately reported to your physician or, in some cases, a person with problems should dial 9-1-1 immediately. When to see a doctor:

• Chest heaviness
• Pain that radiates from the chest
• Arm pain spreading from the chest
• Dizziness/Lightheadedness
• Jaw pain
• Numbness of the jaw or arm

These warning signs should never be ignored and should be reported to a doctor. If the problem warrants it, you should definitely involve emergency personnel.

What to Tell Your Doctor

The key thing is to be honest. The less you tell your doctor, the less your doctor can help you. You should mention all the symptoms. They will most likely order an EKG, a paper or digital recording of the signals in the heart. The EKG machine is otherwise known as an electrocardiogram. An EKG determines heart rate, heart rhythm, and other information regarding the heart’s condition. EKG’s do more by predicting and diagnosing heart arrhythmia, heart attacks, pacemaker need, as well as heart failure.

An EKG tells the doctor several things. It can be analyzed by studying the waveform. The waveform components display cardiac electrical activity. The first upward of the EKG tracing is the P wave, indicating atrial contraction. The QRS complex starts with a Q, a small downward deflection, then a larger upwards deflection, a peak (R), and then a downwards S wave. The QRS complex displays ventricular depolarization and contraction. The last display is the T wave, a smaller upwards waveform, representing ventricular repolarization.

The Importance of Health Education

An educational approach to those things that keep us healthy is extremely important. No other place is it more vital than the workplace. In the workplace, education of heart conditions is critical to the longevity and strength of your workforce.

Managers may choose a particular employee to help guide and nurture the process of health education in the workplace. An important part of education is a visual expression of the warning signs toward heart attack or stroke. These are great lessons for people to pay attention to while working. The employee in charge of administering the safety guidelines can benefit the workplace by offering monthly or weekly safety meetings where health education is discussed. Employers can also help health education through the cessation of smoking and offering health insurance benefits for employees to quit smoking. Other parts of education can involve diabetes education which, mixed with cardiac issues, can be twice as dangerous.

Doctors Concerned Over Amateur EKG Readings

The most recent Apple watch has a built-in EKG, but doctors heed a specific warning about the accuracy of the device. There have been a rash of false positives indicated by the device which can lead to people thinking they have a problem when they really do not have a problem. The issue lies within the trust people put into devices such as the Apple Watch. These are amateur or non-professional tests. People have a tendency to trust electronic devices almost too much, thinking the device has an accurate display of the problems when they are more prone to problems displaying the actual nature of the problem.

Doctors warn against the use of the Apple watch as an indication of heart trouble and stick to the basic warning signs. On the other hand, if a person is experiencing the problems associated with heart conditions, and the Apple Watch contains information regarding a problem, then it is highly recommended the person obtains care for their potential heart condition.

This involves seeing a physician, or in emergency cases, dialing 9-1-1 immediately. In this situation, the Apple Watch helps out because a doctor can take the readings from the device as a preliminary view of an actual EKG. But, in no way, does a doctor recommended the Apple Watch to be the end all be all of EKG readings. People should follow the warning signs and contact a physician for the optimal care situation.