Your Heart Yearns for Connection

Being a grown-up can be lonely. So often we spend our days alone, even if we are surrounded by people. Taking the time to connect with people you care about in a positive way is very important to managing your stress and keeping your heart healthy. Think about it. There are people in your life…

Do You Have Atrial Fibrillation? How Would You Know?

Mellanie True Hills felt as if her heart was jumping out of her chest.  Patty Borkowski didn’t have any symptoms at all.  How would you know if you have the most common irregular heartbeat, atrial fibrillation? Atrial Fibrillation causes the upper chambers of the heart to quiver, which can cause the heart to overwork itself…

Embrace A New Lifestyle: Making positive changes to improve your health.

A medical intern changed the course of Patty Borkowski’s life.  During a routine check up she was examined by “an intern who was raring to go and practice being a doctor. He kept listening to my heart beat and didn’t look happy. I thought it was just the over-active intern trying to find something wrong…

Are You Just A Hysterical Female? The Emotional Toll of Atrial Fibrillation

Fear is common for heart disease survivors, but for women diagnosed with atrial fibrillation the fear can be overwhelming. “You are scared, your family is scared, and you just don’t know if something else is going to happen,” explains Mellanie True Hills, founder of the American Foundation for Women’s Health and the atrial fibrillation patient…

Meet Mellanie True Hills

Embrace Your Heart™ Champions stand up to the stigma of heart disease and use their stories of survival to make a difference. Meet EYH Champion Mellanie True Hills of Texas “Heart disease is forever; once you have it, you’re at risk for more heart disease. Just prevent it.” “Surprisingly, having blood clots and a near-stroke…

What Trips Your Trigger? Managing Your Afib By Understanding Your Triggers

Understanding what triggers your atrial fibrillation episodes can help keep them under control. “We are in our infancy in learning what causes and what triggers afib,” explains Mellanie True Hills, founder of the American Foundation for Women’s Health and the atrial fibrillation patient resource StopAfib.org. But paying attention to your body can help shed light…

Answer In A Bottle? Managing Afib with Medication

The first course of treatment for most people diagnosed with atrial fibrillation is management through medication. Patients are usually prescribed a combination of three types of drugs to control the heart rate and/or rhythm and to manage the risk of blood clots and stroke. Medication cannot cure afib, and must be taken consistently over your…

Exploring Other Options: Catheter and Surgical Ablation

Medication cannot cure atrial fibrillation. For those looking for a cure, Mellanie True Hills, Founder of the American Foundation for Women’s Health and the patient’s resource StopAfib.org, suggest discussing the following options with your doctor. (Information courtesy of StopAfib.org) Catheter Ablation is done by an electrophysiologist (a cardiologist specializing in heart rhythms) in the electrophysiology…