Better Health - February 2022

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Harry Potter inspired drinks, food and atmosphere at Lost Shoe Brewing & Roasting Company, masslive.com

Better Health D

IRISH NIGHT: Hibernians prep for St. Patrick’s Day meal, D9 JOYFUL FILMS: 7 movies to raise spirits in the middle of winter, D9 CATS AND DOGS: Once enemies, now best friends?, D9

| SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022

|

Do you know

if your heart is healthy?

You Should. Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death for Americans. About 659,000 people in the United States die from heart disease each year - that’s 1 in every four deaths.

VISIT YOUR

PRIMARY CARE

DOCTOR

Seeing your doctor regularly can help prevent chronic illness and help manage your risks.

SMOKING It’s never too late to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do to protect your health.

HEART MONTH

By Keith J. O’Connor

Special To The Republican

February is American Heart Month – a time to shine a spotlight on heart disease, the number one killer of Americans, when all people can focus on their cardiovascular health and address their risk factors for the disease. Heart disease often develops over time and you may have early signs or symptoms long before you have serious heart problems. Early warning signs could include chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing, swelling in the legs, ankles or feet, fatigue, and a fast or uneven heartbeat known as palpitations. “You know your body better than anyone else. It is important to look out for changes in how you feel. For example, someone who can climb a flight of stairs with ease and now must stop to catch their breath halfway up, or developing chest pain or pressure during some activities, those are signs of possible heart disease that you need to get checked out by your doctor,” said cardiologist Dr. Sabeen Chaudry of the Heart & Vascular Program at Baystate Health. She noted published research by a cardiologist in Spain reported that “climbing four flights of stairs in less than a minute indicates good heart health.” Another marker is the Cooper “12 Minute Run/Walk Test”

STOP

FEBRUARY 2022

EAT A

LO S E

HEALTHY

WEIGHT

DIET

Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and fatty fish. Limit your intake of added salt, sugars and fats.

GET PROACTIVE: BaystateHealth.org/Heart

STRESS LESS

Try healthy ways to deal with stress such as exercise, yoga or meditation, spending time with family or friends or seeing a mental health professional.

CS13282

Weight is a major risk factor for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes which increases your risk of heart disease.

GET A

GOOD NIGHT’S

SLEEP

Adults benefit the most from 7-8 hours of sleep each day. Studies have shown a relationship between lack of sleep and coronary artery disease.

which measures how far a person can cover (run, walk, jog) in 12 minutes and rates your difficulty in breathing as a marker of endurance as it ties into your heart health, and which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. One of the most important things your doctor will check during a routine exam, and that you can check yourself with a home monitor, is your blood pressure, noted the heart specialist. High blood pressure can damage your arteries by making them less elastic, which decreases the flow of blood and oxygen to your heart and leads to heart disease. In addition, decreased blood flow to the heart can cause chest pain called angina. Dr. Chaudry noted the advent of wearable devices such as the Apple Watch and Fitbit can measure your heart rate and even set off an alert for irregularities that the wearer might need to seek professional help. “A normal resting heart rate as a measure of health for most adults is anywhere between 60 and 100 beats per minute,” said Dr. Chaudry. There is also a number of EKG devices on the market today that can check your heart if you are feeling the symptoms of an irregular heart rhythm. “While these devices can be helpful in identifying heart rhythm changes, especially if you are having symptoms of palpitations or your heart is racing or skipping a beat, they cannot identify if you are having a heart attack,” said Dr. Chaudry. Whether at home, on vacation, or just out and about, you should be able to recognize the signs of a heart attack should one strike. However, according to a 2019 study presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions, nearly 6% of survey respondents - representing over 13.5 million adults in the United States - were not aware of any heart attack symptoms. Signs of a heart attack in men and

SEE HEART, PAGE D2


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