Cardiac treatment: One of the Republic's largest cardiac treatment centres has produced a CD featuring muscle relaxation techniques to help heart patients manage stress in a bid to avoid cardiac arrest and other heart problems.
Cork University Hospital's (CUH's) cardiac division produced the CD for the 500 patients who undergo heart surgery at the hospital every year and the 4,000 people who are treated at its cardiology unit every year.
The new CD, Progressive Muscle Relaxation Techniques, was produced by senior medical social worker in cardiac rehabilitation Lynn Oliver and takes the listener through a 20-minute programme of deep muscle relaxation, by first tensing and then relaxing different muscles throughout the body.
Consultant cardiologist Dr Carl Vaughan said research suggests certain forms of stress may promote the development of coronary heart disease and high blood pressure and may worsen heart disease if it already exists.
"Techniques therefore that help reduce stress are important tools in the fight against coronary heart disease and the battle against stress. This CD offers patients a programme of stress reduction - both mental and physical relaxation - in their own homes," he said. "Patients and their families will find it useful to add this to other lifestyle measures such as smoking cessation, weight reduction, died exercise in the daily fight against heart disease," Dr Vaughan added.
The CD was developed specifically for patients at CUH but is available from the hospital's cardiac rehabilitation unit at €5.