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heart health

"2 of my 3 heartbeats" – Sharell Weeams

In a miraculous combination of fasting acting and medical know-how, three nurses rushed to the rescue in a rather unlikely place.

A 42-year-old business coach and active dancer, Sharell Weeams, was enjoying swaying and spinning on the dance floor at a "West Coast Swing" event in Texas…when her heart suddenly stopped. A wave of blackness rushed over her and she collapsed. Her partner caught her just before she hit the floor.

Cedars Sinai labels these as common symptoms of cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest is closely linked with a heart attack. However, they are not the same. A heart attack is a circulatory problem blocking blood flow and oxygen. Symptoms start slow and persist for hours or even weeks. And yet, the heart does continue to beat.

Cardiac arrest, however, indicates an electrical malfunction triggered by a disruption to the rhythm of a heartbeat. And, most important of all, it can cause death within minutes. This is what made Weeams’ situation incredibly dire.

Luckily, Weeams had three guardian angels that night—three fellow dancers, who happened to be registered nurses.

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Cigna 2017

It’s easy to feel like there’s too much to keep track of when it comes to staying healthy.

Calories, fat, pounds, carbs, miles, steps — it's easy to get overwhelmed with conflicting science and false health fads. So the more complicated things, like cholesterol, often get overlooked.

Cholesterol plays a surprisingly large part in your overall health, and knowing and managing your cholesterol level (plus your other three health numbers — blood glucose, blood pressure, and body mass index) can help prevent health problems down the line. We chatted with Dr. Christina Stasiuk, senior medical director at Cigna, to learn more.

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