For many people a heart attack is the first sign that they have coronary artery disease. Before a patient is discharged from the hospital, he or she will often undergo another series of diagnostic tests to assist the physician in evaluating the extent of the heart disease. Some examples of these tests include:

Cardiac catheterization

During this test a small catheter is inserted through a vein or artery in the arm or leg is then guided into the coronary vessels of the heart. Information can be obtained about the patency of the coronary arteries, the condition of the heart muscle and the heart valves themselves, and the amount of oxygen that the heart is receiving. Dye may be used to enhance visualization during this test. The test is not painful but some patients report a warm sensation when the dye is injected.

Angioplasty

If thrombolytic agents were not given or did not relieve the heart attack symptoms, your physician may decide to perform angioplasty. Angioplasty can be done during a cardiac catherization. It involves the placement and blowing up of a small balloon at the site of a coronary artery blockage. The balloon can cause the vessel to stretch or it can compress the area of blockage, with the end result of increasing blood flow to the heart. At times, a stent is also placed in the vessel to prevent it from collapsing or from having a blood clot form at the site of the blockage.

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)(Yes it’s pronounced “cabbage.”)

If angioplasty is not indicated, either because of the site of the blockage or the degree of blockage present, the physician may recommend bypass surgery. This procedure involves a major surgical operation where a portion of a vein taken from the patient’s leg or an artery taken from the chest is used to enable blood to flow around the blockage. If needed, several areas of blockage can be bypassed during this procedure. This surgery involves splitting the chest bone in order to gain access to the heart. Hospital stays vary but usually involve at least one week.

A newer technique, called minimally invasive bypass surgery, which involves smaller incisions and does not necessitate opening the chest bone, is now being used for a small percentage of patients requiring coronary artery bypasses.

What can I expect after hospital discharge?

Following discharge from the hospital patients continue their recovery at home. It is not unusual for your physician to prescribe medications that you will need to take on a daily basis. These medications will vary depending on the extent of heart disease and other existing medical conditions. It is important to take the medication as directed and to report any unusual side effects to your physician.

Activity may be restricted initially. Before you leave the hospital your physician will discuss limitations regarding employment and sexual activity. Your treatment plan may include modifications to your diet and exercise routine. Certainly, if you smoke it is essential that you quit.

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There are at least 400 different known species of individual bacteria living inside your gut. Not to mention viruses and parasites that live there too.

Sound shocking? It may since we live in a conditioned world led to believe bacteria is the enemy and we want to kill it at all costs. In this age of overused antibacterial soaps, laundry detergents, children’s toys (the list could go on and on), it’s time we STOP and rethink our opinion of bacteria.

Probiotics (the good guys) are friendly bacteria that live in our gut. “Pro” means “for” and “biotics” means “life”. The most common form of probiotics is lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium bifidum.

Probiotics work in your favor by inhibiting growth of “bad” bacteria, aiding digestion, manufacturing important B vitamins, and boosting immune function. They also produce an enzyme that digests dairy foods.

Who is likely to be deficient in beneficial bacteria? People using antibiotics, eating a poor diet, or suffering from diarrhea.

What happens when the balance is in favor of the “bad” bacteria? Conditions such as constipation, hypertension, high cholesterol, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, osteoporosis, candidiasis, food allergies and antibiotic associated diarrhea have all been speculatively linked to flora imbalance.

Antibiotics are a mixed blessing. While they can help clear out a bacterial infection, they show no mercy for the good guys either. Antibiotics wipe out all gut flora. By clearing out the beneficial bacteria, it makes you more prone to opportunistic organisms. Your first line of defense is no longer there to fight. This is why yeast infections are quite common following antibiotic therapy.

Overuse of antibiotics, once thought of as the “miracle medicine”, has also contributed to the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Drugs that were once effective are no longer useful. More than 19,000 people die every year from untreatable diseases caused by drug resistant bacteria.

The bacterial enemies are never gone for good anyway. It is a constant battle down there. The food we eat, beverages we drink and air we breathe bring continual supplies of bacteria. The battle will go on as long as we live.

So what can you do? Build up army of good bacteria in your gut. This can be done a few different ways. Yogurt that contains live cultures can be consumed on a daily basis. In addition to lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium, you may see lactobacillus bulgaricus on the label also. Avoid yogurt that contains sugars. These can inhibit probiotic cultures from thriving.

If daily yogurt isn’t your thing, probiotic supplements are live, friendly bacteria that can be taken to improve intestinal microbial balance. Look on the label for the names lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium.

Probiotics come in forms of capsules, powders, and liquids. Debate remains on which is the best form to take. Powder is generally the preferred form, mixed with unchilled water. The friendly bacteria can get in the gut faster, regardless of digestive capabilities.

Light, moisture and heat destroy bacteria potency so look for heavy, amber, glass bottles in the refrigerated section of your health food store.

The amount of probiotics necessary to replenish the intestines varies according to the extent of depletion and presence of harmful bacteria. One to two billion colony-forming units (CFUs) per day are considered the minimum amount for the healthy maintenance of intestinal micro flora.

Don’t start off like gangbusters. Start adding probiotics to your diet slowly. Intestinal gas, bloating or cramping can be common at first. This is a sign the “good” guys are setting up shop and the “bad” guys are being crowded out. The body adjusts in a short amount of time and the side effects disappear.

Feed your gut for good microbial health and these bacterial buddies will bring you a lifetime of benefit.

Learn more by reading this article… No medicine is more frequently prescribed these days than antibiotics. The purpose for being prescribed one is for the treatment of an infection. The antibiotic acts against the bacteria that is causing your infection by damaging or killing it.

Scientists were not expecting to find the first antibiotic when they found it growing in mold.

Keep in mind that antibiotics can only act against bacterial infections and have no effect on viral infections.

There are many classes of antibiotics and I’ll run through some of them now. Keep in mind this list is not exhaustive. Among the antibiotics classes are penicillins, which would include amoxicillin. Cephalosporins, like cephlexen and also macrolides like eyrthromycin, are other types.

Antibiotics generally have two names, one of which comes from the brand name of the company who manufactures it. The other name is the generic name and derives from its class and the chemicals in the drug.

Not every antibiotic is effective against every illness. Sometimes you may be prescribed an antibiotic that was not intended to treat your condition. This antibiotic won’t do anything for you. You need a prescription specific to your particular illness.

If you begin to improve after 3 days, but you have been prescribed a course of antibiotics for 10 days, keep using ALL of the antibiotic so you can be certain that you recover from infection properly.

You may become resistant if you use antibiotics too often, and then if you later develop a serious infection, antibiotics will not be effective.

What happens if you are allergic to an antibiotic, such as penicillin – When you next require an antibiotic, your doctor will be careful not to give you any antibiotics in that class.

I hope that everybody who reads this can go through fall and winter without needing antibiotics. Winter is close, so here are some facts just in case you become ill.