HEALTHY LIVING
HEART HEALTH IS KEY
Marion E . Wildey
February is the month associated with couples , romance , and love , but the month itself is dedicated to women ' s heart health . The reason is not for women ' s sensitivity in the emotional arena , nor for the incredible generosity and devotion they contribute daily to their families , friends , and co-workers ; but instead , as a vehicle to bring awareness to women ' s deadliest killer – heart disease . Outweighing all the types of cancers put together , the American Heart Association ( AHA ) has identified this cardiovascular disease as not only the number one cause of death for women , but that same chart stopper is 80 % preventable . The very same culprit that leads the pack in women ' s deaths is avertble if women are proactive in their general health and fitness , regularly visit their doctor for blood work , and if any issues are discovered , take measures to reverse the effects and recover from a deadly epidemic . Few people want to take time out of their busy life to visit their GP especially when they don ' t feel sick , but the bottom line is that if you ' re going to be resolute about your health , visiting the doctor is like taking your car in for an oil change and tune up . Get the tune up for yourself and have an expert on internal medicine keep tabs on important numbers which will signify your internal health-o-meter . Once you have made your appointment , there are some things with which to prepare yourself , things to focus on during the appointment , and how to follow the doctor ' s prescription for prevention if you have any issues .
“ Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it .” -Philosopher George Satayana ( b . 16 December 1863 , d . 26 September 1952 )
In other words , if you don ' t use your knowledge of the past , then you fail to carry with you into the future , vital information that could prevent the same mistakes that were made by those who came before you . While Satayana ' s quote seems more likely to be a global community statement , it works well to curb an individual ' s plight , too . Do some digging into your ancestral history and try to find out any information on the last three generations of relatives that you can . Focus on what family members died of , and what they did for a living . Any clues you can compile about their physical activity rate – which might be high if they lived out in the country and worked the land – would help determine more of what their lifestyle was like , and from there you can adjust . City dwelling folk are exposed to richer food , and alcohol flows more frequently with the numerous social engagements or office gatherings , so add that to the list of past clues which connote certain consequences . Having this information at your fingertips and presenting it to your GP for your annual Well Woman exam puts you on track for assessment of the negative indicators of your past , from your family ' s history and moving forward to live a long and healthy life .
“ To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom .” -Philosopher Socrates ( c 469 BC – 399 BC )
While you bring to your GP keys to your family history , your doctor will order up some tests to assess your personal health . You can not necessarily get these assessments on your own , which is why it is necessary to visit your doctor regularly . The AHA recommends that the five important key numbers to know for your foundation of health include : total cholesterol , HDL ( high density lipoprotein ) good cholesterol , blood pressure , blood sugar , and your BMI ( body mass index ). Once you have these numbers , you can move forward in improving upon your health , but what do these categories mean in the first place ? Low density lipoprotein ( LDL ) is considered the “ bad ” cholesterol as a high number indicates your diet has an overabundance of saturated fats , which builds up in your arteries . The arteries are the “ freeways ” which shuttle blood and precious oxygen to the rest of your body and as the plaque builds up , the resulting traffic jam can cause several problems including angina ( chest pain ), difficulty breathing , and heart disease . The hero in the fight over cholesterol in your body is the HDL , as it works to clean away the effects of LDL . Continue to include a higher intake of fruits and vegetables in your diet to keep your overall cholesterol controlled , as this will also keep your blood pressure and weight in check . Grocery stores and corner drug stores have a blood pressure cuff available for anyone to use , so you can check it whenever you wish . When your blood pressure is taken , there are two resulting numbers : systolic and diastolic . The upper number ( systolic ) indicates the pressure exerted as your heart beats to push blood to the far regions of your body , and the lower number ( diastolic ) is the pressure exerted against the artery walls as your heart rests between beats . The importance of this is that if your heart is having to work to push the oxygen-rich blood out through the arteries , then that could be indicative of an issue that can be corrected with diet and exercise , both
34 | WINTER GARDEN MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017