Heart Month Preview

I'm getting a jump start on February, which is National Heart Month.  I thought I'd start off with a brief introduction on heart disease.

Heart Diseases/Prevention

Heart disease is the leading cause of the death in the U.S. Over one quarter of all deaths are from heart disease. It is also a major cause of disability. The risk of heart disease increases as you age. You have a greater risk of heart disease if you are a man over age 45 or a woman over age 55. You also are at greater risk if you have a close family member who had heart disease at an early age.

Fortunately, there are many things you can do reduce your chances of getting heart disease. You should

• Know your blood pressure and keep it under control
• Exercise regularly
• Don't smoke
• Get tested for diabetes and if you have it, keep it under control
• Know your cholesterol and triglyceride levels and keep them under control
• Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables
• Maintain a healthy weight

Visit these sites for more information:

5Medication-Free Strategies to Help Prevent Heart Disease (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Cardiac RiskAssessment (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)

Heart andVascular Diseases (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Heart Disease (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Especially for women:

Healthy HeartHandbook for Women (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - Large PDF file

Heart Disease in Women: Understand Symptoms andRisk Factors (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

For more links on heart disease, visit the MedlinePlus Heart Diseases page.