American Heart Month

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A healthy heart makes all the difference

💝♡ February is National Heart Disease Awareness Month, commonly referred to as American Heart Month. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) — including heart disease, atherosclerosis, stroke and high blood pressure — is the No. 1 killer of men and women in the United States.

Heart disease does not discriminate against race, gender, ethnicity or social class. The American Heart Association reports cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, remains the leading global cause of death with more than 17.3 million deaths each year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports uncontrolled high blood pressure as a primary risk factor of heart disease and stroke. In fact, the CDC reports about 75 million American adults (that is one in every three adults) have high blood pressure. The American Heart Association states normal blood pressure should be less than 120/80. High blood pressure may not always present with symptoms, therefore, it is very important to have your blood pressure checked and monitored by a health care professional.

💝♡ Healthline lists the following risk factors and facts associated with heart disease:

• High blood pressure — 3/4 of people with chronic heart failure have high blood pressure.

• High cholesterol — people with high cholesterol are two times more likely to develop heart disease.

• Obesity — coronary artery disease is ten times more likely to occur in people who are obese.

Along with the above risk factors, Healthline reports the following habits increase your risk for developing heart disease:

• Smoking — people who smoke are two to four times more likely to develop heart disease.

• Unhealthy eating — people who eat a diet high in saturated fat are 30 percent more likely to develop heart disease.

• No exercise — people who do not exercise regularly are 50 percent more likely to develop heart disease.

• Excessively drink alcohol — people who binge drink or drink heavily are two times more likely to have a fatal heart attack.

💝♡ Although the above may all be bad habits to break, the benefit of changing these habits outweigh the difficulty of changing these habits. By controlling and changing the above risk factors, you could reduce your risk of having a heart attack by as much as 80 percent.

Coordinated School Health and the American Heart Association want all individuals to know and be familiar with the warning signs of a heart attack. The following are warning signs of a heart attack:

• Chest discomfort: Most heart attacks involve chest discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. The discomfort may feel like uncomfortable pressure (often described as it feels like an elephant sitting on your chest), squeezing, or fullness pain.

• Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.

• Increased fatigue that may or may not be accompanied with cold sweats, nausea, or lightheadedness.

If you or someone you are with has any of the signs or symptoms above, call 911 immediately to get to a hospital to be evaluated, because it could possibly save a life.

Coordinated School Health and the American Heart Association also want all individuals to know and be familiar with the warning signs of a stroke. The following are warning signs of a stroke:

• Face drooping: Assess for facial drooping and/or numbness by asking person to smile and check to make sure one side of the smile is not drooping.

• Arm weakness: Assess for arm weakness and/or numbness by asking person to raise both arms while checking to see if one arm drifts downward.

• Speech difficulty: Assess for any slurred speech or confusion by asking person to repeat a short sentence, such as “the sky is blue.”

• Time to call 911: If the person shows any of the above symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 911 and get to the hospital immediately to be evaluated.

When it comes to stroke, remember to think FAST (facial droop, arm weakness, speech difficulty and time), it could possibly save a life.

Your heart will pump more than 1 million barrels of blood for you during your lifetime if treated properly. For all your heart does for you, return the favor by treating your heart with love and appreciation by quitting smoking, minimizing stress, eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, exercising, getting adequate sleep and keeping your blood pressure and cholesterol in check. For questions or comments please contact your child’s school nurse or call 644-3916.

http://www.parispi.net/lifestyles/features/health/article_95b3558a-ed4c-11e6-af41-5f230c3b3d9c.html