Party Hearty but Healthy

As you ring in 2012 over the weekend, organize your festivities so that the first family gathering of the year doesn’t take place in the emergency room. Heart attack incidence spikes on New Year’s Day, according to a 2004 study in Circulation. The uptick in heart attacks on January 1 isn’t fully understood, but most likely results from the unhealthy mélange of stress, depression, and high-fat, high-salt meals.

A sudden increase in fat and salt poses a particular risk to people who already have heart disease. However, in many instances, people crowding the ER on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day don’t have a life-threatening illness or injury but have taken the party a bit too far.

New Year’s party fare is often filled with sugar, salt, and fat. That last bacon-wrapped hors d’oeuvre followed by just one more cookie and washed down with an extra flute of Champagne can trigger a whopping case of indigestion. Some partygoers—or their family members—worry that that the abdominal pain or burning in the stomach or upper abdomen from indigestion signals a heart attack, and they seek emergency care.

Indigestion accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, or pain that radiates to the jaw, neck, or arm is nothing to fool around with, and it’s appropriate to head to the emergency room to get these symptoms checked out. But you can steer clear of a painful bout of indigestion and avoid an unnecessary ER trip by pacing your enjoyment of New Year’s fare. Eat smaller amounts, and eat slowly.  Go easy on the alcohol and caffeine. And stay awake for a while after you finish eating—lying down right after a heavy meal can mean waking up with an upset stomach.

“Everything in moderation,” advises Kathy Robidoux, R.N., director of emergency services at Los Alamitos Medical Center. She notes that the mix of holiday stress and “living the good life” with too much food and drink can lead to symptoms that mimic a serious illness.

Extreme intoxication also lands people in the ER on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day after friends or family panic when a prodigious partier becomes unable to walk or talk or following a fall. Raise your glass with restraint, and remember to toast the New Year with nonalcoholic beverages, too. Alternate your bubbly with water, fruit juice, or soft drinks.

Intoxicated revelers who arrive in the ER and who are not injured can often be sent home to sleep it off, but only if they will be safe there. “We ascertain whether they need to stay and sober up awhile,” Robidoux says. Celebrators who can’t walk and who are in jeopardy of falling will be observed until ER staff determines that they can be at home without risk of injury, she says.

Keep New Year’s safe by staying out of the driver’s seat if you’ve been drinking. Alcohol-related crashes resulted in 10,839 deaths in 2009, according to the most current data available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Long Beach Police Department reports that driving-under-the-influence crashes led to 13 deaths and 388 injuries in the last three years. Designate a nondrinking driver, call a friend or family member who is sober, or call a taxi.

The Automobile Club of Southern California will offer Tipsy Tow Service beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, and ending at 6 a.m. on Sunday. Call 1-800-400-4222 for a free tow to your residence and a ride home for the driver only—no passengers. The distance must be 7 miles or less for the free service; charges apply for longer distances.

Stay safe, stay out of the ER, and stay away from becoming part of any grim statistic this weekend. Happy and healthy New Year to all!