CASE Board and Executive

Glen Gregory, President
Phone: 780-434-3336, Cell 446-8383
Email: president@edmontoncase.org

Ron Kirschner, Membership
Phone: 780-436-0402
Email: membership@edmontoncase.org

JANUARY  EDUCATION & SELF HELP MEETING

UPCOMING SOCIAL EVENTS Social Breakfasts:  Last Wednesday of January, February, March and April at  9:00 AM South East Edmonton Seniors Centre 9350 82 Street Edmonton.  Breakfasts will be held in the Card Room at the Senior's Centre and the cost is now $5.25. Self Help and Education Sessions:  Sessions are being organized for Monday January 26, February 23, and March 23.  All sessions are at 7:00 PM Alberta School for the Deaf.  The March 23 session will also be the Annual General Meeting.  Members are encouraged to arrive at 6:30 to help set up the room for the sessions. Barbeque:  The Annual Barbeque is booked for Friday, June 5, 2009. Christmas Party:  The Annual Christmas Party is booked for Saturday, December 5, 2009.

The January meeting and presentation will be held Monday January 26 at 7:00 PM at the Alberta School for the Deaf.   Our speaker will be Dr. Colleen Norris, an Associate Professor with the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, and Adjunct Professor with the Division of Cardiology will be our guest speaker at our Education Self-Help meeting on January 26, 2009.  Dr. Norris  brings an active and extensive research background with numerous scientific publications, articles and abstracts to her credit.  Her presentation  'Measuring the Outcomes of Mending Broken Hearts' presents us with some quality of life outcomes of patients with coronary heart disease based on treatment, gender, and age.  Given her current varied educational, clinical practice, teaching and  research ongoing, all CASE members will benefit and appreciate her professional and practical wisdom that she  shares with us.  Further biographical information on Dr. Norris can be found at: http:/www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/nursing/cnorris.cfm
 

RECAP FROM THE NOVEMBER SELF HELP SESSION

On November 24th CASE members met with Dr. Gabor Gyenes MD, Ph D, who spoke on research regarding the effectiveness of the Statins drug class.  Statistically, there is clear evidence that ongoing treatment that includes a statin drug has a strong relationship with successful heart patient recovery and on going well being.  

He stated that the worst side-effect of therapy with statin drugs such as Lipitor, Zocor or Crestor is not taking them.  He is convinced from his research and other documented studied that a high dose statin therapy can reduce mortality better than any other therapy currently available to heart patients.  The observed side effects from statins may be transitory with rather inconclusive impacts on health. 

A potential effect that may be observed are higher than normal liver enzymes.  Observation shows that this impact tends to equalize over time with no observed damage to the liver and this only occurs in less than 0.1 percent of patients taking the drugs.

A second effect that is occasionally seen is muscle pain.  The blood test for muscle damage, for which pain is the symptom, is only of concern if it is more than ten times the normal value.  The pain may be associated with factors other than the statin.  Over use or exercise may have caused the pain.  Analysis has shown that p[ain caused by statins occurs in less than five percent of patients.  It appears that reducing the dose of a statin will have little impact on the muscle pain and other approaches to pain management may be more relevant to the heart patient than reducing statin dosages.

Dr. Gynese concluded by noting that aggressive treatments with statins can reduce heart patient risk by twenty percent.

UPCOMING SOCIAL EVENTS

Social Breakfasts: 
Last Wednesday of January, February, March and April at  9:00 AM South East Edmonton Seniors Centre 9350 82 Street Edmonton.  Breakfasts will be held in the Card Room at the Senior's Centre and the cost is now $5.25.

Self Help and Education Sessions: 
Sessions are being organized for Monday January 26, February 23, and March 23.  All sessions are at 7:00 PM Alberta School for the Deaf.  The March 23 session will also be the Annual General Meeting.  Members are encouraged to arrive at 6:30 to help set up the room for the sessions.

Barbeque: 
The Annual Barbeque is booked for Friday, June 5, 2009.

Christmas Party: 
The Annual Christmas Party is booked for Sunday, December 6, 2009.

THE SOCIAL CALENDAR

The winner of the breakfast at the November 26 social breakfast was Carolyn De Franceschi.  The next social breakfast will be on Wednesday January 28th at 9:AM at the South East Edmonton Seniors Centre at 9350 – 82 Street.  Someone will win a free breakfast.   

The annual Christmas Party was held on Sunday December 7.  The members attending enjoyed an excellent meal and the draw for door prizes was a hit as usual.

ANNUAL DUES FOR 2009 ARE NOW DUE.

Cost is $153.00 for full membership including Education/Self Help and $138.00 for additional exercise member.  The cost for only Education/self Help is $15.00.  Contact Membership Director Ron Kirschner at exercise or call at 436-0402.  Members will be asked to check and update their medical information held on file by CASE and that must be done before the dues are paid.  Donna Haugh will be managing the updates of the medical information.

FREE COOKING CLASS TO BE HELD AT PLANET ORGANIC

A class about "Time Saving Shortcuts for Cooking Healthy Whole Foods" is being offered at the Planet Organic Market - 7917  104 St on Wednesday, March 14th - 6:30 pm.  This free class will be led by Connie DeKramer.  This is a "hands-on" audience participation class on learning by doing. 

HEARTS AND FLOWERS

Steve Gushta at the age of 77 years passed away on December 25, 2008.  Steve worked for Canada Customs for 37 years; he also enjoyed working with the Community Police Radio Network.   Memorial donations may be made directly to the Heart & Stroke Fund, 10985 - 124th Street, Edmonton, Alberta T5M 0H9.

Alan Maclean is now recovering at home from his injuries received in a fall before Christmas.  We wish him well and hope to see him back soon.

If you are aware of any member who has taken ill, has been confined to their home, or has been hospitalized, please e-mail this information to:  info@edmontoncase.org or call Burn Evans 435-1285, Barry Latham 452-2611 or Glen Gregory 434-3336.

THE 2009 CASE WEIGHT CHALLENGE

The annual weight challenge (to lose some that is...) is now underway.  The first weigh-in was held on Thursday January 15 and weigh-ins are scheduled to occur every four weeks on February 12, March 12 April 9 and May 7.  Last year we measured height as well as weight to determine Body Mass Index (BMI) figures for each participant. 

This year, in the search for continuous improvement Lynne is going to determine a waist to hip ratio (WHR).  This measurement is now considered to be a more relevant measure of heart risk than either a simple weight or a BMI  figure. 

There are many articles on the internet describing the importance of the Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR).  In general, the higher your waist-hip ratio is, the higher your health risks may be, regardless of how tall or big-boned you are.  The target for women is a waist to hip ratio less than 0.85 and for men the target is a ratio of less than 0.90.

Most of us could stand to lose some lose weight.  Essentially, there are two ways to lose weight:  burn off calories by exercising more or reduce the amount of food taken in.  Since we are all different in our size, weight and the activities we pursue, it can  be difficult to determine how much food we actually need. 

An approach to determining how much food we need can be found at the website  http://www.tlbc.ca/blog/index.php/bmr-calculator/ which provides a calculator to determine a Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).  The BMR estimates how many calories your body needs each day to maintain its current weight.  It represents the amount of calories per day your body burns, regardless of exercise.  If you manage your calories at a level below the BMR, you will lose weight.  Conversely, if you are take in more calories than needed by your BMR, you will be gaining weight.  Increasing exercise levels allows for a greater calorie intake while maintaining a weight level.

Thus, to lose weight, you need either to increase your daily exercise activity, or to consume fewer calories than the basal amount needed to maintain your present weight, or combine more exercise with more careful control of the amount of food eaten.

To add to the challenge some members have put $5.00 into a pool to see how can make the greatest progress in weight management. The winner will be determined by calculating the percentage of body weight lost and the percentage reduction in the Waist to Hip Ratio over the five months of the Challenge..

EQUIPMENT NOTES

An agreement has been reached to permanently locate the defibrillator in the Alberta School for the Deaf and to offer training to school staff and to CASE members on its proper use.  Look for more information on the scheduling of the training session.

CASE has agreed to purchase a new LCD projector to be used for PowerPoint presentations by CASE or by presenters at the monthly education sessions.

BIRTHDAYS...

2008 Cardiac Athletic Society of Edmonton