This information was written in accordance with the upcoming month of February being the American Heart Month.

Did you know that every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event?  That means by the time you finish reading this article, approximately 12 people will have had a heart event.  Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States and a major cause of disability.  Luckily, awareness of risk factors associated with heart disease and healthy lifestyle changes can greatly reduce the risk of developing heart disease.

There are several risk factors associated with heart disease.  This is a list of a few:

• Arrhythmia  (abnormal electrical activity in the heart where the heart beat may be too fast or too slow)
• High cholesterol,
• High blood pressure
• Obesity
• Tobacco
• Second hand smoke. 

 Many of these factors can be prevented by stopping smoking, limiting your exposure to second hand smoke, and seeing your family doctor on a regular basis to monitor your blood pressure and cholesterol.  Did you know that the providers at Care United are able to monitor and manage these conditions before they become a problem?  Our staff is able to manage conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol with preventative measures to help you to make the necessary lifestyle changes, as well as medications, if necessary  Speaking of lifestyle changes, there are many that can help reduce you and your family’s risk of developing heart disease.  Start slow with a few changes and as they become patterns in your day to day life, add more changes in order to prevent heart disease.  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the following: 

• Choose lean meats and poultry without skin
• Select fat-free, 1% fat, and low-fat dairy products
• Cut back on foods containing vegetable oils and ones high in dietary cholesterol
• If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation (no more than one drink per day for a woman and two drinks per day for a man)
• Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt (try and aim for less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day or less than 1,500 if you have or at risk of high blood pressure)
• Increase the amount of physical activity in your life to at least 30 minutes of activity per day