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<p>The holidays are a time for your heart to be full of joy and at its most content, but keeping your heart healthy is also key to enjoying celebrations of faith, family and friends.</p><p>Feasts are a big part of merrymaking. Families gather, sometimes after a period of fasting, and lay out traditional and often rich entrees, sides and desserts. Combine unctuous, salty fare with an abundance of alcohol, and you have the perfect storm to cause cardiac issues.</p><p>One of those problems is traditionally called &#8220;holiday heart syndrome,&#8221; and it describes an irregular heartbeat associated with consumption of too much alcohol. Phillip Ettinger, MD, coined the term in 1978, to describe heart-rhythm disturbance in otherwise healthy people following weekends or public holidays.</p><p>If you&#8217;ve been following along over the last couple of weeks, you might have already guessed that the most commonly diagnosed arrythmia in this scenario is an irregular fluttering or quivering of the heart, or atrial fibrillation.</p><p>A-fib is associated with a multitude of causes, among them exposure to certain medications, caffeine, tobacco or alcohol, but what&#8217;s interesting about the holiday-heart-syndrome phenomenon is A-fib presents in patients without heart diseases known to be high risk-factors for the arrhythmia.</p><p>Overindulgence in alcohol can interrupt the heart&#8217;s electrical system, increase the release of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, and alter electrolyte (salt) levels. Factor in the heightened stress of the holiday season, reduced sleep during the hustle and bustle, and the high-salt content of most holiday spreads, and you have additional variables that can increase risk.</p><p>The sudden onset of A-fib isn&#8217;t the only heart concern this time of year. Patients with existing heart disease need to take special care to manage their conditions over the holidays. Among those folks, patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) can be at high risk for complications, because managing CHF involves monitoring fluid levels in the body, which can be difficult in a holiday-party atmosphere. And elevated stress levels can put people with heart disease at increased risk for heart attack as well.</p><p>So, being mindful of extra risk around the holidays can keep your heart in good shape through the new year. Here are a few important elements to control:</p><p>Keep your alcohol consumption to a moderate level. Remember that a standard drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine and 1.5 ounces of liquor. Even moderate drinking can make the onset of A-fib more likely, and that risk increases further with heavy drinking. In addition, too much caffeine can disturb heart rhythm as it speeds up heart rate and dehydrates the body.</p><p>You don&#8217;t have to deny yourself the delicacies your look forward to this season, but overeating can compound risk for heart episodes. Eating healthy food prior to your holiday celebration and keeping your portions reasonable are good ways to prevent yourself from overdoing it at a party.</p><p>Be aware of your stress level. If the weight of the holidays is getting to you, take a moment for yourself.</p><p>Step away from the crowd, out of the hot kitchen, and into an environment where you can slow down, breathe deeply and recalibrate. Meditation is a great way to become centered again, but you don&#8217;t have to be a mindfulness guru to benefit from a few minutes of peace and quiet and some cool winter air.</p><p>Finally, remember to exercise. Inactivity can be just as harmful as unhealthy diet and thoughts, and it&#8217;s easy to get away from your routine when you&#8217;re wrapping presents, baking cookies and balancing workand family-life. Getting 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day will help you maintain cardiovascular health, burn calories and keep stress levels down.</p><p>I have committed to at least that much cardio exercise&#8230;by chasing a 2 and a 4-year-old around the house, neighborhood and parks!</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Casale </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_casale_edit-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Casale </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Alfred Casale</p><p>To Your Health</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Dr. Alfred Casale, a cardiothoracic surgeon, is chief medical officer for surgical services for Geisinger and chair of the Geisinger Heart Institute. Readers may write to him via ae@www.timesleader.com. For information on alternative treatment for atrial fibrillation, visit https://geisinger.cc/2E2N8n8</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Dr. Casale: Honor your heart this holiday