February brings awareness to Heart Disease, which is the #1 cause of death in Adults. It is very important to take care of your health and your heart. Your heart is what keeps blood flowing through your body. When plaque builds up in the arteries of a person with heart disease, the inside of the arteries begin to narrow. This blocks the flow of blood. Plaque can break open or rupture. When it does a blood clot can form on the plaque, blocking the flow of blood. High blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and smoking are key risk factors of heart disease. Other medical condiments that can put people at higher risk for heart disease include, diabetes, obesity, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol use.
In the U.S. one person dies every 36 seconds form cardiovascular disease. 1 in every 4 deaths in the U.S. comes from heart disease. 18.2 million adults age 20 and older have coronary artery disease also known as CAD. Heart disease refers to several types of heart conditions, the most common being CAD. Sometimes heart disease is silent, and not diagnosed until a person experiences signs or symptoms of a heart attack, heart failure or an arrhythmia.
If you feel any chest pain, discomfort, upper back or neck pain, indigestion, heartburn, nausea or vomiting, extreme fatigue, upper body discomfort, dizziness and shortness of breath - please get checked out for heart disease. This could be your wake up call. If you have had any symptoms, or even if you don't have any— start to take care of your heart. It can be hard to eat healthy with all of the tempting things out there, but starting now can make a huge difference.
Get your children involved, and show them how to lead a healthy life style. Limit your bad eating, add exercise to your daily routine. Starting small now can save your life.
Source: CDC