Heart Your Heart
Your life could depend on it
by Wendy C. Smith
February is American Heart Month. The American Heart Association uses this symbolic designation of Valentine's Day, heart shapes and love to promote the importance of heart health. According
Heart Your Heart
Your life could depend on it
by Wendy C. Smith
February is American Heart Month. The American Heart Association uses this symbolic designation of Valentine's Day, heart shapes and love to promote the importance of heart health. According to the association, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men in this country and, women as well. The worst thing about that statistic is that cardiovascular disease is the also the most preventable cause of death.
Most of us barely pause to think about our hearts. Yet the heart is at the core of our very well being. It beats around 100,000 times a day, every day of our lives, and circulates the blood throughout our entire body three times a minute. That's a big job for an organ the size of two fists. As important as the heart is, it's susceptible to a wide range of illnesses such as angina, hypertension and heart attacks. This grouping of diseases that affects the heart system (heart and blood vessels) is known as cardiovascular disease.
Luckily, there are things one can do to reduce the risk of heart disease. The most important thing is to maintain a heart healthy lifestyle. Lifestyle choices go a long way in preventing or controlling cardiovascular disease. These suggestions are probably familiar, but should be taken seriously.
Avoid first- and secondhand cigarette smoke. Both are damaging and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Eat right. Increase consumption of whole foods and avoid processed food, particularly those high in 