Heart to Heart

The ICHA Blog

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Empowerment by Miriam Padilla on August 28, 2009 | 0 comments

We’re in Tijuana, Mexico. The sun reflects off the aluminum panels that make up the small makeshift homes, making the day appear hotter than it really is.  As the sweat drips down my brow, I take a break from mixing the cement that will then become a classroom in this economically disadvantaged town. I look up, and in horror, I see a small kid drinking water from the same trashcan that we have been washing our shovels in after mixing the cement.  I gasp and wonder, why would a child drink water from such a filthy and contaminated bucket?  Either his thirst got the best of him, or he is simply used to drinking dirty water, or unaware of the danger that it could bring. Sadly, this is the case in many countries, the lack of health education and sanitary conditions, has led people to take unintended risks with their own lives.  Many people, all over the world, tragically become ill from conditions that are preventable, or at least able to be modified with proper public health. 

 

 

Take for instance chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension. These medical conditions kill millions of people world wide each year.  Although there are plenty of medicines to counteract some of the disabling side effect of these diseases, there are also many lifestyle changes the patient can do to ameliorate the risks. With proper nutritional education and exercise awareness, the patient can become empowered to take control of the disease. Their history does not have to be predetermined for them; they can prevent a heart attack or dialysis, if they are first given the educational tools necessary to then change their lives.

Working at a free clinic in Venice, California, I see how important self empowerment is in allowing a patient to then improve his or her well being. We see patients who do not have insurance, who do not have easily available access to physicians or to medicines. By the time we see many patients, they have already had diabetes or hypertension for years, and their bodies have already faced years of neglect. Either they did not know they had such debilitating diseases, or they knew it, but had no way of seeking treatment for them.  However, if we were to teach patients that they play a role in their health, they would be able to adjust their diet and daily activities to lower their blood pressure or sugar, to an extent, on their own.  Even if they were not able to see a doctor for a long time, they would be improving the quality and length of their lives.  Even with medications, diet and exercise are an essential part of treating chronic diseases; and if we combine the two, we lower cardiac risk by a large percentage.

It is with this in mind, that I am then able to travel to Elmina, Ghana, with enthusiasm, knowing that by my presence, I might help someone else, to take control of their lives and change it for the better.   Not only, is a group like International Cardiovascular Health Alliance important in bringing awareness about chronic diseases to other countries, but as we educate our patients, we reinforce our personal commitment to living a healthier and more fulfilling life.  We remember that we can not only teach others about lifestyle modifications, but that we must also live by example.  We learn that together, we can support one another to enjoy each day, making healthier choices along the way.

Having a father with Diabetes and coronary artery disease, having an uncle who died of a heart attack at a young age because of diabetes, and having one grandparent die of a stroke and another of a heart attack, I am honestly devoted to this cause.  You may not have been touched by chronic disease to the extent that my family has, but I am sure each of you knows someone who has become blind from diabetic retinal disease, who has lost a foot secondary to peripheral arterial disease and neuropathy, or who has died from a brain hemorrhage from uncontrolled hypertension.  This is why each of us should be dedicated to the cause of decreasing morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases. Maybe not all of you can make a trip to Ghana like we will be doing, but even small acts like financially supporting ICHA will be a big step in promoting well being around the globe.  If you can not donate at this point, then try to learn one thing that you can do today to ensure that your heart is healthier for tomorrow. Hopefully, with such commitment, we, people of many different backgrounds and cultures, will be able to sit and eat together, knowing that this nourishing meal is one that promotes our united, peaceful, and healthy longevity.