HEALTHY LIVING Heart Health
Be Good to Your Heart for Valentine’s Day and ‘Forever More’ February is American Heart Month - a great time to focus on your heart, examine your habits and make improvements to optimize your heart health. Marc Jaffe, MD of Kaiser Permanente’s Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Program, suggests you “show your heart some love now and throughout the rest of your life.”
Heart Disease is the leading cause of death in the United States per Center for Disease Control statistics. Does that mean you should accept that this could happen to you - especially if you fit the profile for being at risk? Agencies, medical clinics and physicians from the American Heart Association to the Mayo Clinic contend you can greatly reduce your risk by living a healthy lifestyle and eating a heart healthy diet.
Begin by measuring your risk of heart disease and make a plan for preventing that happening. You can use online tools to help assess your heart attack risk or having heart disease in the next 10 years. They will check to see if you may have metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors that greatly increase your chances of developing cardiovascular disease, including stroke and diabetes. This Risk Assessment can be used by people age 20 or older who do not have heart disease or diabetes. Gather information on your blood pressure, sugar levels, and other health factors before you take one of the assessments. Then go to one of the sites below:
American Heart Association:
heart.org/gglRisk/locale/en_US/index.html?gtype=health Mayo Clinic:
mayoclinic.com/health/heart-disease-risk/HB00047 Cholestrol Education Program:
http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/atpiii/calculator.asp
With assessment results in hand, make your plan taking into consideration the following Ten Tips for a Healthy Heart:
1. Avoid tobacco. Smoking markedly increases the risk of heart attacks and heart failure. Quitting smoking rapidly reduces your cardiovascular risk. If you do smoke, join a support group to help you quit and talk to your doctor about medications that can help increase your chances of kicking the habit. The good news is that when you quit smoking, your risk of heart disease drops dramatically within just one year; so no matter how long or how much you smoked, you’ll start reaping rewards as soon as you quit. If you don’t smoke, avoiding second hand smoke can also help protect your heart, lungs, and blood vessels.
2. Exercise. New recommendations are to exercise for 30 to 60 minutes daily to maintain a healthy weight and keep your heart strong and disease free. Even shorter amounts of exercise offer heart benefits, so if you can’t meet those guidelines, don’t give up. Break up your workout time into 10-minute sessions. Gardening, housekeeping, taking the stairs and walking the dog all count toward your total. You don’t have to exercise strenuously to achieve benefits, but you see bigger benefits by increasing the intensity, duration and frequency of your workouts. Any activity that gets you moving (try walking or swimming) can help increase blood circulation, reduce stress, and protect your heart.
3. Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity has been shown to increase the risk of heart attacks, heart failure and diabetes. A healthy diet and exercise program is the best way to maintain a normal weight. If you are overweight, losing as little as 10 pounds can make a difference by decreasing your blood pressure, lowering your blood cholesterol level and reducing your risk of diabetes.
4. Eat a heart-healthy diet (see pg 12 in this issue)
5. Get regular health screenings. Cholesterol levels: High cholesterol does not cause symptoms until it is too late. The only way to know if you have a healthy cholesterol level is to get it checked. If you have not had your levels checked in the past two years, get them checked now. The ideal level for your LDL (known as “bad” cholesterol) is less than 100. Know your lipid levels and talk to your physician about the best plan of action to keep your cholesterol levels ideal.
Blood pressure: Many patients with hypertension are not aware they have this condition. There are very well-tolerated and effective treatments for high blood pressure. Adults should have their blood pressure checked at least every two years. You may need more-frequent checks if your numbers
aren’t ideal or if you have other risk factors for heart disease. Optimal blood pressure is less than 120/80 millimeters of mercury.
Diabetes: This is a risk factor for developing heart disease. Depending on your personal risk factors, such as being overweight or a family history of diabetes, your doctor may recommend retesting every three to five years.
Everyone can have a
6. Take medications as recommended by your physician. Many patients stop taking their prescribed medications without discussing this with their physicians. Studies show that individuals who stop their cardiovascular medications are at much higher risk for heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and reduced survival compared with those who adhere to their medical regimen.
healthier heart by following a healthy lifestyle. Every
improvement you make toward that lifestyle now helps your heart in the future.
7. Take omega-3 fatty acids. Getting one gram a day of omega-3 fatty acids in a diet or taking supplements such as fish oil capsules is associated with a lower risk of heart disease.
8. Do what you love. Activities like
painting, writing, yoga, and meditation can help slow your heart and breathing rates and lower your blood pressure, all of which are good
for your body and your heart. 9. Manage Stress. Exercise or relaxation techniques, perhaps yoga
or meditation, are good ways of coping. Make time for friends and social contacts and fun. Successful coping can affect our health and how we feel. Learn the role of positive thinking to manage unhealthy stress when negative things happen in your life (more stress lowering tips on pg. 16).
10. Give Valentine Gifts to your loved one that helps their heart. Instead of chocolate, give blueberries or strawberries; these heart healthy treats are filled with natural antioxidants that can help keep your arteries open. Flowers are a good choice, as well as a night out dancing.
Dr. Grunwald is a Board Certifi ed Osteopathic Internist educated at The University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Oregon Internal Medicine, LLC. is founded on the idea that medical care should provide the old time doctor patient relationship in which, you the patient, are truly considered important.
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OregonInternalMedicine.com February 2012 ♦ YOUNG AT HEART 5
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