CentraState - Healthy Directions

it wasn't a matter of if I would develop diabetes and heart disease, but when." In fact, Lori's numbers were so high that Marceante and Divya Menon, MD, a board-certified internal medicine physician specializing in cardiology and on staff at CentraState, suggested having her take a statin medication to lower her cholesterol. But Lori wanted to try to take control of her own health first. "She wanted to try to improve her numbers through diet and exercise before we put her on medication, which is reasonable," Dr. Menon says. "We agreed she would give it her best shot, and we'd see how she was doing in a few months." A HEART PROGRAM FOR WOMEN Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States, as one in four women dies from the disease. The Women's Heart Program at CentraState is designed to not only provide comprehensive cardiac treatment services, but also to help women stay healthy and prevent heart disease. "Whether or not you have symptoms, you want to be looking at the risks that you have for developing heart disease," Marceante says. "We will look at those risks and develop an individualized plan on how to address them." The three-year-old heart program, the brainchild of former CentraState anesthesiologist June Duck, MD, puts a heavy emphasis on personalized service. Lori says she left her first visit with Marceante and Dr. Menon with all the appointments she needed for follow-up visits and testing— including a stress test of her heart during exercise and an electrocardiogram (EKG) to check for problems with electrical activity in the heart. "We like to think of our program as 'one-stop shopping' for cardiac care," Marceante says. "All of the cardiac testing can be done right here at CentraState." IT'S NOT A DIET If Lori was going to meet her goal, she needed to change her eating habits. Through the heart program, she was referred to Heenal Vora, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist at CentraState. Vora worked with Lori to create an individualized meal plan based on Lori's weight-loss goals and food preferences. The idea was to encourage healthy eating as a lifestyle, not as a quick-fix diet. "There are a bunch of diets that can help you lose weight really quickly, but the question is, 'Are you going to be able to follow that diet plan all your life?'" Vora says. "Yes, following a meal plan is a slower way to lose weight, but you can keep on doing it for the rest of your life." Vora showed Lori how to keep eating the foods she enjoys by using healthier cooking techniques. She also taught Lori to avoid common pitfalls of many people trying to lose weight, such as skipping meals only to eat even more later in the day. Lori says she cut out all take-out food and started spending time each Sunday preparing all her meals for the week. Lori (center) with her helpful heart team, Divya Menon, MD, and Tricia Marceante, RN LITTLE CHANGES MAKE A DIFFERENCE People who want to lose weight often set big goals, but even small changes can make a difference, says Nancy Peters, MD, Lori's family doctor. For Lori, that meant committing to regular, moderate exercise. During the summer, she tried to swim at her community pool nearly every day. "If you can lose just five to 10 percent of your body weight, it can make all the difference in your health down the road," says Dr. Peters, who is board certified in internal medicine and pediatrics with Family Practice of CentraState. "Not everyone is willing to make the necessary changes for a healthy lifestyle, but Lori made the right decision and now she's benefiting from it." Lori returned to see Marceante and Dr. Menon at the end of September. They were astounded by her progress—she had lost 25 pounds, her cholesterol had dropped 60 points, and she had lost about 4 inches off her waistline. "Lori did a wonderful job, and she's a great example of how successful you can be with aggressive diet and lifestyle changes," Dr. Menon says. "However, there are many people who do all the right things and their cholesterol numbers are still high. For them, statin medications are still an excellent option." MORE ENERGY, MORE LIVING While Lori was happy to meet her goals and avoid the need for medication, she says the bigger reward is the boost in energy she has felt since improving her health. She works full time, is enrolled in a master's degree program in nursing education at Monmouth University, and she looks forward to every opportunity to babysit her three-year-old granddaughter, Juliette. Next summer, she plans to travel to Europe, something she says she never would have considered in the past. For more information about the Gloria Saker Women's Heart Program at CentraState, visit www.centrastate.com/ cardiology-services or call 732-637-6366. CentraState will be hosting a heart event in February at the Star and Barry Tobias Ambulatory Campus. For more information, visit www.centrastate.com/events, or call 732-308-0570. HD www.centrastate.com Winter 2016 7

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