American Heart Month: Take action, fight against heart disease

February is American Heart Month - an important month in the fight against heart disease.

Heart disease is caused by plaque buildup in the walls of arteries, causing narrowing and blood flow restriction.

It remains the nation’s No. 1 killer for both men and women, taking the lives of about 630,000 Americans every year - approximately one out of every four deaths. It can also result in serious illness, disability and decreased quality of life.

Naval Health Clinic Corpus Christi health care professionals want you to know the risks in an effort to ensure that you do not become a victim.

“Heart disease controllable risks factor are those behaviors, habits or conditions that an individual can change to reduce the chances of acquiring the disease that affects the heart,” said NHC Corpus Christi Health Promotion Program Manager and Public Health Educator, Dr. Samuel Rivera.

“These factors include: maintaining a healthy blood pressure, good cholesterol and blood sugar levels, elimination of tobacco/ alcohol products, keeping active, yearly doctor visits, healthy eating habits (reducing the salt and fats contents), managing the stress and good sleeping habits.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cardiovascular disease (including heart disease and stroke) costs the United States approximately $200 billion each year – to include the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity.

Patients, however, have the power to decrease their probability of suffering from heart disease.

“First and foremost,” advised Rivera, “I recommend that all individuals make a yearly medical check-up appointment to see their primary medical provider during their birth month. This will be a birthday present to themselves with the goal in pursuing the reduction of risk factors associated with heart disease and the focus of acquiring healthy lifestyle behaviors.”

Patients are urged to follow the “Golden Rules of Heart Disease Prevention.”

1) See your doctor annually or as directed.

2) Eat healthy nutritional meals (low salt/fat).

3) Exercise daily base on your physical limitations.

4) Quit tobacco products.

5) Quit /reduce alcohol consumption.

6) Get enough sleep (usually 7-8 hours).

7) Manage your stress.

8) Control your blood pressure.

9) Control/reduceyourcholesteroland sugar levels.

10) Maintain a healthy weight.

“Individuals can also, decrease the probability of heart disease if they have knowledge and understanding of the diseases that are prevalent in their family,” said Rivera.

Rivera went on to say that childhood obesity is an epidemic here in the U.S. due to the inactivity and unhealthy eating habits of our youth.

Parents should model healthy lifestyle behaviors themselves and focus on ensuring that their children are also following them by engaging in both healthy eating habits and a minimum of 150 minutes of exercise a week. This will reduce risk factors that are associated with diabetes and heart disease in our youth as they grow and transition into adulthood.

In addition to American Heart Month, National Wear Red Day - a day to raise awareness for the fight against heart disease in women – was recognized Feb. 1.

National Wear Red Day began in 2003, when the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute took action against heart disease, a disease that kills more women than all forms of cancer combined. As a result of their efforts, 21 percent fewer women are dying from heart disease and 23 percent more women are aware that this disease is the single most health threat to women.

NHC Corpus Christi Wellness Clinic offers a variety of health-related classes, available to active duty, retirees, family members of both active and retirees and government civilian employees.

Classes include Healthy Heart, which teaches healthy lifestyles, stress awareness, cholesterol and blood pressure management; Choose My Plate, provides overviews of healthy eating habits and behaviors; ShipShape, an eight-week weight management program designed to assist active duty and reserve military service members, beneficiaries, and government civilians with making healthy behavior changes in order to lose weight and, Tobacco Cessation, to assist tobacco users with quitting process.

For more information, call the Naval Health Clinic Corpus Christi Wellness Center at 961-3914.