It's likely that most of us know someone who suffers from heart disease or has lost their life to heart disease. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, leading up to 2,200 deaths from heart disease and stroke each day. It is a disease of deprivation, contributing to loss of life, decreased work time, and disability. According to the Centers for Disease control, heart disease costs $444 billion in healthcare expenses and lost productivity.
The good news is that heart disease is preventable! There isn't a magic pill, vaccine or surgical procedure that prevents heart attack and stroke. The greatest intervention starts with each of us as individuals. Focus on the actions that have the most impact when fighting heart disease, like diet, exercise, smoking cessation, blood pressure control, and stress management. Concentrating on these areas will knock heart disease out of its ranking and help individuals to “Feel Better and Live Longer!”
The Department of Health and Human Services is working to battle this #1 killer and has launched an initiative called Million Hearts®. The goal of this campaign is to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by the end of 2016, by empowering Americans to make healthy choices and improving care for people who do need treatment. You can join the fight by actively working on those preventative measures to keep you and your loved ones healthy. To learn more about the Million Hearts® initiative, visit http://millionhearts.hhs.gov/index.html.
Coaching you to “Feel Better and Live Longer!”
Jody Anderson, RN, CHC
Succeed Health, LLC- Algoma
www.succeedhealth.com
