American Heart Month at Abraham Family Medicine

February is American Heart Month, a time for national awareness of cardiovascular sickness. Year after year, heart disease and related medical conditions are the leading cause of death in the United States. That’s why we are taking the time this month to encourage our patients to be pro-active in regards to their heart health to help minimize the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Each year in America, roughly 610,000 people die from heart disease. That’s one in every four deaths. According to data collected by the American Heart Association, someone in the US has a heart attack every 42 seconds and someone dies from a heart disease-related event once every minute. So you can see why heart health is such a priority for us here at Abraham Family Medicine.

We recommend the following tips to help fight off heart disease and stroke:

• Schedule regular medical check-ups with your healthcare providers to speak about heart health, even if you are not sick. Work together to set realistic goals for how to improve your cardiovascular health.

• Try to increase your amount of daily and weekly exercise. Start slow and gradually increase your exercise time as your physical fitness improves.

• Try to consume heart-healthy foods like salmon, oatmeal, nuts, spinach and more. We recommend cooking heart-healthy meals at home at least 3 times each week and cut back on eating out, especially fast food. Additionally, reducing your salt intake is always recommended for promoting heart health.

• Quit smoking and try to reduce your alcohol consumption, as these behaviors can drastically increase your risk for heart disease and stroke.

• Keep tabs on potential warning signs of heart disease like your blood pressure and cholesterol. If needed, begin taking medications to help with these conditions and take all medication as prescribed by your healthcare provider. Always alert your healthcare provider if something feels off or not quite right.

Please feel free to share this blog with the people in your life. Our hope is by participating in American Heart Month, we can grow heart health awareness and assist in the fight for better heart health nationwide. For more information on American Heart Month or if you would like to schedule an appointment to check on your overall health, please contact Abraham Family Medicine today. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ for more news and updates.