Your health: February is great time to think about your heart health
We often think of Valentine's Day when we think about the month of February — it is one of my favorite months as it is filled with chocolate and roses. However, February is also a very important month in the field of medicine — heart month. American Heart Month started in the 1960s and has been celebrated to educate and inform people about the ever so important battle against heart disease.
February is also one of my husband’s favorite months because, well, football and the Super Bowl. In a twist of events, the irony was lost on me when a couple weeks ago we watched Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin crumble on the field during a regular NFL football game. It was later determined to be cardiac arrest. Heart disease affects anyone and everyone, so let's talk about it.
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The heart is a muscle that beats to keep us alive — to keep blood flowing and allow for nutrients and oxygen to be distributed to our body. It is one of the most vital and sensitive organs we have. If our hearts are not healthy it affects virtually every part of our body. Heart disease is a common condition that affects the blood vessels that supply the heart muscle.
Cholesterol can build up in the body and cause atherosclerosis (a build of plaque). This can essentially constrict the blood vessels and cause heart attacks or strokes. Cholesterol increases can be attributed to various reasons — mostly because of diet and lifestyle factors such as smoking, a lack of exercise, high blood pressure and diabetes. Remember it this way — our bodies are high functioning systems with the heart as one of the main engines. Like any engine there are various parts that help the engine function to its full capacity and all the parts need to work in order for the engine to function. If the pipes leading to the engine are failing or “clogged,” the engine will start failing. This is exactly how our hearts work. But what can we do to prevent heart disease?
Prevention is key.
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Yep, it’s me preaching again to quit smoking! Smokers are two to four times more likely to get heart disease, and they are at a doubled risk of stroke.
Get regular blood work done. Your LDL (bad cholesterol) and HDL (good cholesterol, yes there is good cholesterol!) should be checked yearly. Eat healthy and maintain a healthy weight. If you have high blood pressure take steps to reduce your blood pressure by medication, diet, exercise or a combination of the three. If you have diabetes or are pre-diabetic work toward reducing and stabilizing your blood sugar by again, medication, diet, exercise or a combination.
There are many ways you can reduce the risk of heart disease but all starts with the first step, literally and figuratively. Moving more, eating less and knowing your numbers will go a long way toward a healthy lifestyle. Symptoms that something may be amiss with heart health include chest pain, dizziness and shortness of breath, swollen feet or ankles.
Always remember if you have extreme chest pain accompanied with shortness of breath you will need to call 911.
Our hearts are sensitive organs, and we owe it to our hearts to keep them healthy. Our hearts work while we sleep, eat, breathe and never quit on us. I hope you take a few steps to have a healthy heart, remember that small changes can make a big difference. Wishing you a happy and healthy February!
Krutika Simon is a pharmacist based in Bloomington with a focus on health and wellness and specialty medications. You can contact her at KrutikaSimon@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: February is great time to think about your heart health
