Did you know that February is National Heart month?
The objective in healthcare this month is to raise awareness about heart disease, the number one cause of death in the United States. On average, every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease in the United States. However, as most of us know, heart disease can often be prevented. Therefore, those of us in healthcare use February specifically to raise awareness about making healthier choices.
Below are some tips for staying heart healthy:
- Exercise at least 3 hours a week.
- Eat whole non-processed foods
- Get more Vitamin D from the Sun
- Make sure to get those Omega-3 fats
- Drink lots of water
- Make sure to sleep
- Avoid drinking in excess or smoking
And perhaps most important in today’s world: Manage your stress
We know it’s not good to eat or drink excessively, but did you know that drinking large sums of alcohol can increase your risk for a major coronary event by up to 74%. Some risk factors such as age, gender and genetics, cannot be changed. However, you can take steps to decrease your likelihood of getting heart disease. Risk factors such as an unhealthy diet, being inactive, and poor hygiene can be avoided.
Now, I assume there are a lot of people out there that are like me, somewhat young and naïve in matters of health, who don’t even know about how serious heart disease is. I think it is important to remind them. By learning how to stay healthy and take the risks seriously, they can avoid being the one in four.
Being a healthcare provider, it’s necessary to impart your wisdom on patients and people at large. Befuddled by all the online news covering politics and other topics, only a few will seek out health information on their own. Sometimes, it’s necessary to take the bull by the horns and help make changes in peoples’ lives. Sending out a newsletter monthly or evenly quarterly, teaching patients how to make sure they stay healthy is a great idea. It helps them keep up with what they should be on the lookout for and it helps keep you on their mind. That way, if they do get sick or have questions about their health, they come to you.
Don’t Forget: Get the Message out!
