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A message from the Heart and Stroke Foundation on World Heart Day

Ask anyone what the last two years have been like amid the global pandemic, economic slowdowns and the soaring cost of living and they will probably say “stressful”.

Stress doesn’t just affect our emotional wellbeing; it can have a disastrous effect on our physical health too.

As we mark World Heart Day today, the country’s Heart and Stroke Foundation is urging local residents to take action to avoid falling victim to one of the nation’s biggest killers.

“Stress can double your risk of a heart attack by increasing blood pressure to harmful levels. I don’t think that many persons are aware of this,” says Foundation president and consultant cardiologist Dr Georgette Meade.

“What makes things even worse is that when we’re stressed and depressed we don’t tend to eat in a healthy way; we choose high fat and high sugar foods even though we know they are harmful.

“Then there’s increased alcohol consumption, smoking and not resting well. It’s vital that we know how to manage our stress,” she explains.

World Heart Day is observed annually on September 29 to raise awareness of cardiovascular diseases and how to control them to negate their global impact.

Dr Monica Osborne-Stevens, of MOS Medical in Old Parham Road, is the latest health professional to join the Foundation.

She reports a sharp increase in the number of patients who are suffering from anxiety.

“I am seeing more people with anxiety than ever before. It used to be one every three to five months; now it’s every month,” she says.

“Work is the biggest cause. Broken relationships and the loss of a loved one can also lead to increased anxiety.

“The world was already stressed, and the pandemic – something we had never seen before – exacerbated this,” Dr Osborne-Stevens continues.

“Stress produces a hormone called cortisol which is supposed to help us respond to things in helpful ways. But if maintained to a high level it has a ripple effect, increasing blood pressure, blood sugar and blood cholesterol.”

Symptoms of stress and anxiety include palpitations or a feeling that one’s heart is racing, difficulty sleeping, headaches, and a reluctance to socialise and take part in activities one used to enjoy, Dr Meade says.

Difficulty concentrating and staying focused are also signs, continues Dr Osborne-Stevens.

A frank, open discussion with one’s doctor is crucial, she advises.

“And follow their advice,” Dr Osborne-Stevens urges. “Sometimes we don’t make the necessary lifestyle changes.

“It might sound obvious but you have to exercise and you must eat properly. These two basic archaic tenets are so simple, yet sometimes patients expect us to give them a magic pill and make it all go away.

“To get healthy, they have to put in the work.”

Identifying that one is stressed is the first step, says Dr Meade.

“We need to remove that stigma, so people feel comfortable reaching out and asking for help,” she notes.

“Yoga and meditation are great stress relievers. In Antigua and Barbuda, we are blessed with beautiful beaches and sunshine. Getting out in the fresh air, cycling, swimming, are all things that can help us relax.”

The Heart and Stroke Foundation was established in February 2020 to act as a voice and support system for patients and their families, raise funds, stage community events, and conduct local research into the prevalence of heart disease and stroke.

Dr Osborne-Stevens says she is “really happy” to be participating in its valuable work.

She has been a medical practitioner for 10 years and specialises in diabetes.

“I always want to help make a difference. Diabetes contributes to a lot of heart attacks so I am pleased to be able to bring my experience to the Heart and Stroke Foundation,” she says. “I love medicine and taking care of people. I have a genuine love for people. I think I was created for this profession.”

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Passengers leave Buccoo Reef ferry after its maiden commercial voyage to the Port of Scarborough from Port of Spain in June 2021. File photo/David Reid

THA Minority Leader Kelvon Morris says he agrees with the fare increases on both the air and sea bridges.

On Monday, Finance Minister Finance Colm Imbert presented the 2023 budget at the Red House in Port of Spain, and announced pensioners would no longer enjoy free ferry travel but have to pay $25 for a one-way trip between Trinidad and Tobago. He also increased the one-way fare from $50 to $75, and premium from $100 to $150.

A one-way airline ticket moves from $150 to $200.

Kelvon Morris. File photo/Jeff K Mayers

Morris, speaking on the Minority Report on Tobago Updates on Tuesday, said Tobagonians cannot expect efficiency without paying more for it.

“We all have agreed that we must pay something extra. When you look comparatively, we are really blessed to have – imagine you’re paying $50 to travel inter-island. That is less than US$10 . Comparatively, I think we are still blessed.

“And what I would expect and would hope, because we’ve been clamouring for efficiency as well – so we can’t want efficiency in terms of the airline and the seabridge but don’t want to pay a little thing extra – understanding that it is already heavily subsidised. We’re already losing on it.

“It is an essential service – perhaps we have to give a little, share the burden to get the kind of efficiency that we want out of the service.”

He commended Imbert for presenting, what he described as, a reasonable and fair budget package.

“I want to commend them for being able to steady the ship, even in rough waters, and we tend to forget that we are still in difficult times. When I look at the measures that would have been put in place, I think that the budget is one that is quite reasonable, quite fair.”

He noted that Imbert said there were provisions for vulnerable citizens.

“There are considerations for every interest grouping, and there is even a greater consideration for those who are most vulnerable. If you look at the social safety net, you would have seen an increase to ensure that those who depend on the State most, that they are able to get that kind of buffer to ensure that they can function just like the rest of us who are able to take care of our own responsibilities.”

Commenting on the increase in the price of fuel, he said TT remains the lowest, in that regard, globally.

Imbert, on Monday, reiterated that the Government’s $1.9 billion annual fuel subsidy was unsustainable.

He announced an increase of $1 to three types of fuel, and 50 cents to diesel per litre. The new prices will be premium gasoline $7.75, super gasoline $6.97, diesel $4.41 and kerosene $4.50.

Imbert said a US$95 oil price will need a government subsidy of $1.45 billion, and a US$90 oil price a $1.2 billion subsidy.

“We know that would cause some kind of discomfort,” Morris said.

“I understand persons would be concerned. But if we look globally, what is happening – it is the global trend where fuel prices are going up all over the world. So TT is not immune. In fact, we still reman one of the lowest countries when it comes to fuel cost.”

Councilor Petal Daniel-Benoit congratulated the finance minister on his presentation.

“There was an attempt – yes there may have been burdens on the taxpayer with the attempt to decrease the deficit, however an attempt was made to offset those burdens.”

She was referring to Imbert’s announcement of expected earnings of $56.175 billion and spending of $57.685 billion in the upcoming fiscal year.

On a predicated global oil price of US$90.50 and gas price of US$6.00 MMBtu, he anticipated $25 billion in energy revenues, $30 billion in non-energy and $1 billion in capital revenue.

He said TT’s finances were improving – with US$4 billion balance of payments, US$6.8 billion in reserves and debt-to-GDP at 70 per cent.

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Prime Minister Hon. Philip J. Pierre continues to keep Saint Lucians at home and in the diaspora abreast of the policy decisions to return the country to a path of equitable and prudential development.

A previously scrapped a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement between the Government of Saint Lucia and the World Bank’s International Financial Cooperation (IFC) to redevelop the Hewanorra International Airport (HIA) cost taxpayers an almost $1 million dollar penalty.

The Pierre Administration has intervened and after consultation with the IFC and guided by the recommendations from an independent committee review, the HIA redevelopment project is clear for a more fiscally responsible take off.

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SOURCE: Office of the Prime Minister/ SLT

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