Three little numbers can make a huge difference. 9-1-1. Calling for emergency medical assistance provides rapid transportation to the hospital where care can be provided upon arrival.

Why call 9-1-1? In a heart attack situation, for example, 85 percent of muscle damage occurs within the first hour. This is often referred to as the “golden hour.” It is during this timeframe that the heart vessel needs to be opened. The faster the vessel is opened, the greater the benefit to the heart muscle. Of the more than one million Americans who have a heart attack each year, only about half of them survive and many have permanent heart damage because they did not get help right away.

The best way to stop the heart attack process is to recognize symptoms early before damage occurs. To be on the safe side, those who experience any chest pain or discomfort should quickly go to the emergency department for evaluation. Ultimately, it’s not the heart attack itself that kills. It’s also the time wasted when trying to decide whether or not to go to the hospital.

Calling 9-1-1 puts you in contact with trained dispatchers who can locate you quickly and assist with early treatment options. In many areas, emergency medical services can diagnose a heart attack before arriving at the hospital and initiate early treatment. Arrival at the hospital via ambulance also ensures that you will not have to wait to see a physician. 

To learn more about when to call 9-1-1, your doctor or the hospital, visit the free online health library on the Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake website at DoctorsHospitalDallas.com/Call911. 

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake

9400 Poppy Drive
Dallas, TX 75218

214-324-6100
www.doctorshospitaldallas.com

I don’t have time. I’m tired. I don’t want to. No, these aren’t excuses children give when they don’t want to clean up their rooms. These are common reasons why grownups don’t want to exercise. According to the Centers for Disease Control, most Texans do not meet the physical activity guidelines for aerobic exercise and muscle-strengthening activity. In fact, only about one in five residents of this great state of Texas recently met federal guidelines for both activities. 

So how much physical activity is enough? The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults should have at least two and a half hours each week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as walking, or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, like jogging, or a combination of the two. Muscle-strengthening activities, such as push-ups or sit-ups, that involve all major muscle groups also should be done two or more days of the week.

Although Texans aren’t going to take home the blue ribbon for exercise participation, they aren’t too far behind other parts of the country in terms of adults who met the guidelines. The West had the highest number of grownups who exercise — 24 percent — followed by the Northeast at 21 percent. Overall, Hispanics and adults who are older have higher rates of non-participation. On a positive note, slightly more than half of American adults met the aerobic activity guideline and nearly 30 percent met the muscle-strengthening guideline on a national level. 

Making exercise part of your daily life isn’t hard if you make it a priority. To do that, you need to develop goals and an exercise plan that matches your needs and interests. For some steps to help you define your personal goals and put them into action, visit the free, online health library on the Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake website at DoctorsHospitalDallas.com/ExerciseGoals. 

Photo courtesy of iStockephoto/Thinkstock

Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake

9400 Poppy Drive
Dallas, TX 75218

214-324-6100
www.doctorshospitaldallas.com