My Healthy Life Podcast by Mission Health

Our heart beat can give a lot of insight to our heart health. This is especially true when it comes to atrial fibrillation, the most common type of heart arrhythmia. Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, impacts approximately five million Americans with 200,000 new cases each year. Our featured guest in this episode of My Healthy Life, Jason Lappe, MD, says with Asheville being a retirement community, there are a lot of people in our region impacted by this condition. AFib is usually progressive – by age 65, it’s estimated that 10 percent of the US population lives with AFib and by age 80, about 20 percent of the population. Here in western North Carolina, patients with AFib have access to some of the highest quality and most innovative heart care in the nation with Mission Health’s heart program and services. “A lot of what I do, particularly for faster heart rhythms, is helping people feel better – improving people’s quality of life and that’s why I find my job so rewarding,” Dr. Lappe shares. Mission Heart has been a regional leader in heart care and cardiothoracic surgery for more than 40 years. Our award-winning teams, including Asheville Cardiology Associates, maintain a high level of specialized clinical experience and expertise to provide a team-oriented, comprehensive approach to care for patients with heart issues. IBM Watson Health has recognized Mission Heart as a 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospital for the thirteenth year. Learn more at missionhealth.org/heart.

In October of 2018, the Boyer family planned a small family reunion in Asheville. Coming all the way from northern Michigan, they did all of the things that tourists do when visiting our travel-friendly city that welcomes people to the mountains – they stayed at cabin, enjoyed meals at one of the many award-winning restaurants and a trip to the Biltmore House; and it wouldn’t be a family reunion without a round of Frisbee golf. They fell in love with Asheville and the people in it – even after an unexpected event left Doug Boyer in Mission Hospital for over a week. Initially thinking Doug wasn't going to make it, the family called in the rest of the family to fly into Asheville immediately to cheer Doug on. Kathy, Doug's wife, knew her husband was going to pull through. It’s been nearly four months since Doug’s heart incident, and you can hear in his voice that he gets stronger every day. We talked to Doug and his wife Kathy a few weeks ago and are touched by their story. We are sharing it with you in this episode of My Healthy Life, a podcast by Mission Health. Take our online Heart Health quiz at https://missionhealth.org/services-treatments/heart-care/heart-health-quiz/.

It's not particularly dinner table talk but sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are indeed something that should become more normalized in conversation. STDs have the potential to impact babies at birth, teens, senior citizens and anyone in between – despite the common idea that teens or young people are more susceptible. Our subject matter expert, Dr. Shannon Dowler (you may know her as “Rap Dakta D”), reminds us that “STDs never get old.” With the number of cases and people impacted steadily on the rise year after year, don't be afraid or embarrassed to talk toy our partners or your healthcare providers about STDs.

A human relationship – a connection – is the core of primary care and a key ingredient to health and wellness. That connection can look different for all of us. A new venture, Avenu Health, right here in Asheville is an alternative to the traditional primary care setting.

What was the last thing you ate? Why did you eat it – because you were hungry? Bored? A protein bar or bag of chips was just sitting there? A coworker brought cookies or donuts to the breakroom? Or maybe you started your day with breakfast like you always do. Whatever it was, whenever it was, did you think about what you were putting in your body and why? In this episode of My Healthy Life, get ready to shift your perspective on food as we discuss how to eat more mindfully and intentionally for our hearts and overall health. Meet our inspiring subject matter expert, Dr. Yaron Fridman, whose "young at heart" and a general cardiologist at Asheville Cardiology Associates.

Often we talk about how to take care of our hearts, ways to prevent heart disease or heart attacks, lower or maintain our blood pressure or how to eat heart-healthy. But we found ourselves asking a very basic question during the making of this episode: what is the heart? It almost seemed too basic, but as we got into this hearty conversation, it helped explain the more complex things. In the spirit of Heart Month, this episode’s subject matter expert, Lavone Smith, MD, helps us understand the different parts of the heart and how they all work together for the heart’s main purpose: to supply our bodies with oxygen. She compares the heart to a house to help explain the different parts, or systems, that keep it running, and shares how we can help keep our hearts’ lights on, drains unclogged and water pressure just right to keep the blood pumping and oxygen flowing. Listen to more episodes from My Healthy Life on iTunes or at blog.mission-health.org/podcast.

So there's the stroke. And then there's life after having a stroke. Experiencing a stroke is life-changing for the patient and the people in his/her life. We're continuing our conversation about stroke health and awareness. We learned in our last episode that knowing the signs and symptoms of a stroke could be life-saving, but now what? Our subject matter expert, Robin Jones, returns to discuss stroke recovery and rehabilitation and one recent stroke survivor is sharing his story. From calling 911 to his care and experience with Mission Hospital's stroke team to inspiring all of us to become educated and knowledgeable about basic stroke awareness, his passion for life continues but with a little shift in mindset. PS, you may want to sign up for Stroke Camp after you hear this episode! Tune in to this episode of My Healthy Life.

Every six seconds, someone in the world is experiencing a stroke. Do you know the signs and symptoms of a stroke? Could you recognize if you or someone around you was experiencing a stroke? What if someone told you that knowing those key symptoms could mean saving a life—your own, or even someone else’s? “In order to be that advocate for yourself and for your loved ones and for your co-workers, you have to know the warning signs and you have to act fast." In this two-part episode series, stroke expert Robin Jones, manager of Mission Health's stroke program, joins us and gets us thinking about the value in being educated and aware of stroke symptoms. Learn more at blog.mission-health.org/podcast.

In honor of Nurses Week, this episode is dedicated to all of the nurses across Mission Health. For the ways you inspire, care and give of yourself every day: Thank you for what you do and the hope, inspiration and unmatched levels of care and selflessness you provide to our patients, families and team members. Our nurses share their journey to becoming a nurse, being a nurse and what it means to be a nurse at Mission Health.

In our first episode, we introduce you to the My Healthy Life brand, which we created to connect with the people we serve. And it’s exactly what it sounds like – helping connect you to a healthy life. We want to break down the complex pieces and try to simplify them, so that focusing on your health becomes the way you live your life, rather than an obstacle to overcome.