While many have some understanding of rehabilitation therapy, cardiac rehabilitation remains unfamiliar to most. The World Health Organization defines it as the sum of all methods ensuring heart disease patients achieve optimal physical, mental, and social functioning to lead active lives.
Short-term benefits of cardiac rehabilitation include controlling heart disease symptoms, improving cardiac function, limiting psychological and physiological adverse effects from heart disease, and facilitating psychological and occupational reintegration. Long-term benefits encompass reducing morbidity and mortality rates, lowering risks of cardiovascular events like sudden death and recurrent myocardial infarction, delaying atherosclerosis progression, preventing post-stent restenosis, and enhancing quality of life.Interventions include pharmacotherapy, nutritional support, exercise rehabilitation, smoking cessation counseling, psychological counseling, sleep management, and external counterpulsation therapy.
1. Limit sodium intake. Heart disease patients should consume less than 6 grams of salt daily (equivalent to one beer bottle cap), reduce use of sodium-rich seasonings like MSG and soy sauce;Prefer natural seasonings like curry, star anise, tomatoes, and onions; prioritize steaming, baking, or boiling for cooking; limit high-sodium processed foods such as pickles, cured meats (e.g., ham), instant noodles, and snacks.
2. Limit fat intake. Daily oil consumption should be less than 25 grams.Soybean oil, corn oil, and sunflower oil are excellent for salads but are not heat-resistant and unsuitable for frying, as they produce harmful substances when heated. Peanut oil has good heat resistance and is ideal for stir-frying. Sesame oil is not suitable for stir-frying, as heating causes significant nutrient loss. Olive oil is suitable for cold dishes and soups; the Mediterranean diet is a prime example of healthy eating centered around olive oil.
3. Opt for light, low-fat meals. Choose fish, shrimp, or poultry like chicken, duck, or pigeon over pork, beef, or lamb. Limit fatty meats, organ meats, and fried foods. Remove animal skins before cooking as they contain high fat content.
4. Increase daily intake of dark-colored vegetables. Examples include spinach, mustard greens, rapeseed greens, lettuce leaves, bok choy, watercress, kale, broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, and pumpkin.
5. Choose vitamin-rich fruits. Recommended options include cherries, bananas, lemons, persimmons, oranges, grapes, tangerines, strawberries, and kiwis. Note: Always select fresh, in-season produce and wash thoroughly to minimize pesticide residue.
What constitutes scientifically sound exercise? Many heart disease patients struggle with exercise—either avoiding it entirely or overexerting themselves, leading to cardiac discomfort. Which daily activities are appropriate? How intense should exercise be?
In reality, each patient has a unique safe and effective exercise range and target heart rate. Within this range, scientifically guided exercise that reaches the target heart rate aids cardiac function recovery without causing discomfort.It is recommended to exercise at least 3-5 days per week, with each session lasting 30-60 minutes. Combine aerobic exercise, resistance training, flexibility training, and balance training, keeping the intensity within a safe range.
If you are unsure of your safe and effective exercise range and heart rate, a cardiopulmonary exercise test can be conducted to assess and determine the appropriate exercise regimen for you.
Older adults or those with mobility issues may consider external counterpulsation therapy. This safe, effective, non-invasive mechanical circulatory support uses inflatable cuffs wrapped around the lower limbs. During cardiac diastole, external pressure is applied to drive blood from the lower limbs and buttocks back into the aorta. This increases myocardial perfusion pressure and blood supply, improving vascular function, circulation, and metabolism.