A Different Kind of Cardiac Rehab

Karolyn Bebensee has enrolled in Cardiac Rehab at least five times since her heart problems began at age 48. Now 23 years later and with six stents in her heart, she finally feels motivated to make lasting heart-healthy changes.

She’s reading food labels when she shops. She’s deep breathing to avoid emotional eating. Her cupboards are unrecognizable, now stocked with healthy foods. She’s re-thinking a lifetime of “old-fashioned” cooking that had her frying chicken in Crisco or serving mashed potatoes and gravy. Already, she has lost 10 pounds.

So what’s different this time around?

This time around, Karolyn is enrolled in the Pritikin Intensive Cardiac Rehab program, now offered at Genesis Medical Centers, Silvis and Davenport. Unlike traditional cardiac rehab programs that focus mostly on physical exercise, Pritikin promotes recovery through three pillars – regular exercise, heart-healthy nutrition, and a healthy mindset.

Delving into how to fix healthy meals and the emotions that can lead to unhealthy lifestyle habits is giving a new outlook to Karolyn, a veteran of Cardiac Rehab at Genesis Medical Center, Silvis.

 “I’ve been in Cardiac Rehab at least five times over the years, and I got to know the game,” Karolyn, 71, of East Moline admits. “I’d go to rehab, exercise, go home and then one day a week there would be a class. I’d have the best intentions of eating right and exercising after cardiac rehab was over, but then would fall back to my old habits again. I even continued to smoke.”

Numerous studies have documented the Pritikin program’s ability to lower blood cholesterol levels, improve blood pressure and blood sugar control, and reduce other life-style-related risk factors. The 72-session intensive cardiac rehab, along with the expertise of the on-site Genesis team, offers a more comprehensive series of exercise, nutrition and stress management classes for improved outcomes.

“The Pritikin program is not just telling me how to be healthy…it’s showing me how to eat right and I’m able to watch a dietitian actually preparing the food and can ask her questions as she is cooking,” Karolyn says.

Retired from an I.T. career, Karolyn is awed by the ability to virtually watch live, interactive Pritikin cooking demonstrations on Zoom and ask the dietitian real-time questions.

“All my life, I’ve been cooking comfort foods rich with butter,” she says. “They’re re-teaching me how to cook. I’m experimenting with different flavors, paying more attention to sodium content, and learning to bake instead of fry foods.”

She adds, “It’s the hands-on learning that will help prevent me from falling back into the bad habits.”

Karolyn also has learned that stress contributes to heart disease, and exercise can help reduce stress. She’s learning strategies to have a calmer state of mind.

It’s not uncommon for patients who undergo interventions, such as bypass surgery or stents, to return with another heart event within a few years.

That’s exactly what happened to Karolyn, who received her first stent when she was 48 and has had several more stents placed in her heart by her heart “hero” cardiologist Dr. Sanjeev Puri.

“My father dropped dead of a heart attack, and there is a very strong genetic component with many family members dying from heart disease in their 50s,” she says. “This time, I’m hoping to take the lessons I’m learning and make lasting changes that will improve my heart health.”

To learn more about Pritikin Intensive Cardiac Rehab, call Genesis Cardiac Rehabilitation.