Professionally designed exercise programs have proven effective in preventing heart attacks among cardiac patients, with the fatality rate reduced by at least 25 percent, a doctor said on Saturday.
Wei Jeng (魏崢), director of the heart center at Cheng Hsin General Hospital, said that although many people think exercise is not suitable for myocardial infarction or heart-transplant patients, this is not necessarily the case.
“A good exercise therapy program can reduce the risk factors for heart attack,” Wei said. “It not only can improve cardiovascular sclerosis, some patients even recovered so well that an operation was no longer needed,” he said at an event introducing the hospital’s exercise therapy program.
Several cardiac patients also shared their experience with the hospital’s therapy program.
David Sun (孫大偉), often dubbed the “godfather” of Taiwan’s advertising industry who has four heart stents, said he completed a 1,668km bike journey in China within 20 days in May last year after receiving the hospital’s therapy for months.
“Most of my friends thought it would be inconceivable for me, a cardiac patient, to take on such a journey that even normal people considered difficult,” Sun said.
Sun Yueh (孫越), an award-winning actor-turned-volunteer who suffers from cardiovascular disease and received surgery for lung cancer a few years ago, said he was not even able to ride an indoor-training bike for one minute when he began the therapy.
“However, within one month, I was able to ride for 24 minutes without stopping” the 80-year-old Sun Yueh said.
Jacob Jou (周逸衡), a 57-year-old professor at National Sun Yat-sen University, said that even though he suffered a serious heart attack in 2003, his health has greatly improved after taking part in a three-month heart therapy program.
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