ABCs of preventing Heart Disease
Original Post: February 19, 2010
Volume 1, Issue 2
ABCs of preventing Heart Disease
February is National Heart Disease Awareness month. In honor of that, this issue of Whaley’s Wisdom is devoted to a healthy heart. The American Heart Association has these ABCs for preventing heart disease:
- Avoid Tobacco. If you smoke, quit. If someone in your household smokes, encourage them to quit.
- Become more active. Thirty minutes a day for 5 or more days a week is the best amount of exercise that we can give our hearts; but some is better than none, so get moving!
- Choose good nutrition. The foods we eat and the amount of food we eat affects cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes risk, and weight. All of this in turn affects the health of the heart. A diet high in veggies, fruits, whole grains, fiber, fish, lean meats, and fat-free or low-fat dairy is the best.
- A lifestyle change is the best defense against heart disease and stroke – and such a change is YOUR responsibility!
Risk Factors for Heart Disease
Here are some of the risk factors for developing heart disease:
- Increasing age — As we get older, our risk of developing heart disease increases too.
- Being male — Statistically, more males develop heart disease than females. That doesn’t leave the women off the hook, however.
- Hereditary factors — Sadly, if your parents or grandparents had heart disease, your risk of developing it is higher than someone with no family history of heart disease.
- Smoking — High blood pressure–High cholesterol– Obesity –Diabetes– Lack of Exercise. We all know these risk factors. Now we just need to do something about them!
- High stress levels — Too much alcohol (more than one drink a day for women, or two a day for men) — Poor Diet. We all know these risk factors as well. If only it were easy to de-stress!
Heart Attack Warning Signs
Not all heart attacks occur like we see in the movies – sudden, dramatic, and painful. Sometimes heart attacks creep up on a person, and it is important to recognize the warning signs so that you can get help fast.
- Chest discomfort lasting more than a few minutes, or going away and coming back. This can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.
- Discomfort in other areas of the upper body, such as one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
- Shortness of breath, whether or not there is chest discomfort as well.
- Breaking into a cold sweat, nausea, or lightheadedness.
- Women are more likely than men to experience symptoms other than chest pain, which can make it more difficult to identify. Even if you are not sure you are having a heart attack, have your symptoms checked out! With the heart, minutes matter!
Schedule a Medication Therapy Management (MTM) appointment TODAY
MTM allows us to review your current medications and gives us an opportunity to ensure you are receiving the best quality of care.
Our MTM program involves scheduling a one-on-one meeting with the pharmacist to discuss your current medications. During this meeting, the pharmacist will make sure you’re taking your medication correctly and talk about any problems or concerns you may have.
Even if you fill your prescriptions at SW or West, I look forward to hearing from each of you to schedule your MTM appointment! See you at Whaley’s!
For questions or for future topic suggestions, please e-mail: whaleyswisdom@embarqmail.comor call Jana Ruediger at East End Drug: (573) 636-3733
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