I couldn’t let this 2023 American Heart disease awareness month come to an end without sharing this call to action with you! Heart month means a lot to me because my beloved grandmother who I affectionately called Big Ma had a heart attack when I was a teenager. I remember being in the waiting room while she had her triple bypass surgery and watching her recover from it post surgery. After the heart attack she changed her eating habits to prevent another heart attack. As a result of those changes she lived to see 96 years of age. I miss her so much! She was so special to me and such an inspiration to the work I do in health and wellness today.
As we come to the close of this American Heart Month I want to remind you that Heart Disease is a silent killer and is the leading cause of death in the United States. See the most recent cardiovascular disease statistics below.
But did you know that heart disease prevention education and healthy lifestyle changes could help reduce your risk of getting heart disease up to 80%??? As a result I decided that I would make a yearly appointment to see a Cardiologist to get a preventative heart screening to check on my heart health. By God’s grace I don’t have high blood pressure, diabetes, nor high cholesterol but because my bloodline has a history of heart disease I want to be sure that I’m doing my due diligence in getting screened and making sure I’m taking preventative steps to prevent the onset of heart disease.
I’m grateful that my health system in Georgia, Piedmont Health offers a heart health screening and there are other Health Systems around the United States that may offer it too. Start with setting up a yearly physical appointment and ask your Primary Care Physician if a Preventative Heart Screening is available in your local area. The heart screening can include the following:
– Complete health history
– Family history, depression scale, sleep evaluation and cardiac risk assessment.
– Physical exam
– Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI)
– Extensive lab work
– Electrocardiogram (EKG)
– Heart health report and more…
Lastly according to the American Heart Association here are some quick heart disease and stroke prevention tips:
Retrieved from:
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/prevent-heart-disease-and-stroke
More prevention tips can be found here:
Let’s make an intentional effort to spread the word about this and take steps to prevent or intervene in the development of heart disease in our lives, our families’ lives and in our communities. Let’s not make this a one month event but a healthy lifestyle going forward. Let’s get it!
Check out my low-carb meal idea of the day here:
For motivation on your Choosing Healthy journey click the follow button on my blog at: http://www.monicaakerele.com.
Disclaimer: Always get your doctor’s approval before embarking upon a low carb diet or exercise regimen. This is not a substitute for professional medical, nutritional or exercise advice this is for informational purposes only.
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