An Ounce of Prevention!

Today, I want to talk about steps every one can take to prevent heart disease. Heart disease is largely preventable and there are things you can do but you have to use the knowledge you have about heart disease. I've heard so many people say that knowledge is power. Knowledge is nothing unless you act. You can have all the knowledge in the world and do nothing with it and then what good is it? Knowlege is powerless. The power comes in the acting and taking the knowledge to heart.

Each factor below contributes to your overall risk of developing heart disease. If you have 2 or more together, your risk is even greater.

***High blood pressure causes your heart to work harder then normal. Both the heart and arteries are more prone to injury. High blood pressure increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure, and buildup of plaque in your arteries. KNOW YOU NUMBERS! The goal is less than 120/80

**High levels of LDL cholesterol in your blood can increase the buildup of plaque on the inner walls of your arteries. This narrows the arteries and reduces blood flow. If plaque ruptures, it triggers a blood clot to form. If a clot forms where the plaque is, it can block blood flow or break off and travel to another part of the body. If blood flow to an artery that feeds the heart is blocked, it causes a heart attack. It the blockage occurs in an artery that feeds the brain, it causes a stroke. Many people that now suffer from congestive heart failure, do so due to a heart attack caused by high cholesterol. YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS! Once again: KNOW YOUR NUMBERS! You want a total cholesterol of less than 200. You want your LDL (bad)cholesterol to be less than 160 mg if you have no heart disease or diabetes. You want it to be less than 130 if you have no heart disease but have 2 or more other risk factors. If you have existing heart disease you want it to be less than 100.

HDL or good cholesterol you want to be 50 or higher. Triglycerides should be less than 150.

**another risk factor is diabetes. Diabetes is a major risk factor for heart disease and people with diabetes are more likely than those without it to have a heart attack or stroke. KEEP IT UNDER CONTROL! You want a blood glucose of less than 100.

**Too much body fat, especially at your waist, means your heart has to work harder, and your risk increases for high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and diabetes. That's why it's so important to watch your weight and be physically active. For women, you want a waist circumference of less than 35 inches.

**Consistent physical inactivity increases your risk for heart disease and stroke even more. 30 to 60 minutes of exercise on most days of the week can actualy help control high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes and obesity. Aerobic physical activity can also help reduce blood pressure.

**smoking and constant exposure to secondhand smoke greatly increase your risk for heart disease, stroke and other illnesses. However, when you stop smoking-no matter how long you've smoked--your risk starts to drop. In fact, one year after quitting, your risk is cut in half. Fifteen years after quitting, your risk is similar to that of someone who has never smoked. BE A QUITTER! That's the only time you will hear me say that!

These are all risk factors that you can control. Get a checkup. Know your numbers. If you have high blood pressure, get it under control with the help of a doctor. There are medicines that will keep this under control. There are so many cholesterol medicines today that will keep your cholesterol levels where they need to be. If you can't get it down by diet and exercise, get on a medicine that gets it under control. I know people don't like to take medicines, but when you think of what this is preventing, I'd much rather take the medicine than to suffer a heart attack that does damage to your heart or causes death.

**You should also be aware of your family history. You can't do anything about what you inherit from your family members but you can be aware and get under a doctors care.


In my case, I could not have prevented CHF but I could have prevented it from becoming as bad as it has if I had known the signs and symptoms of CHF. I would have pushed for testing on my heart and got on the proper medications before my EF was 5%! Once you have heart disease, it never goes away so an ounce of prevention goes a very long way! Don't let your knowledge go to waste, use it!