Staying "Heart Healthy"

I recently posted about a family member of mine who had a sudden heart attack. It was a shock to us all, but luckily he is recuperating well after having an emergency quadruple bypass surgery. I appreciate everyone’s concern and patience while I was gone for about a week to help take care of my family’s needs.

It was also a wake up call that I’m probably not as young as I think I am or feel, and that I along with the rest of my family need to really start listening to our bodies. My mother suffers from heart disease, and now that my brother in law had a heart attack I’ve realize that this is not just something that happens to my parents’ generation.

So, I started doing some research and thought I would share some websites and information that I found:

Please note that this is not intended to be medical advice, and if you suspect a heart condition you should seek the advice of your medical professional.

• The American Heart Association – is a great reference site. You can locate your own local chapter of the American Heart Association by using the handy zip code widget. On this site, you can:
  • Look up symptoms and warning signs of a heart attack,
  • find heart healthy recipes and lifestyle tips,
  • and find other organizations that can help you with the resources that you might need to get or stay healthy.

• Go Red Shopping ! – Shopping with “Go Red” shows your support of fighting against heart disease and raising awareness of the Go Red for Women cause. Go Red has been founded by the American Heart Association to stop the #1 cause of death for American woman, heart disease.
• Learn About “Go Red for Women” – take the “at risk” test to see if you are at risk for heart disease. Read about real women – of all ages – and their fight against heart disease.
• Lancaster General Hospital – sign up for monthly Hearth Health newsletters from Lancaster General Hospital to learn more about staying “heart-healthy”. Visit your local hospital’s website for additional local information, tips and healthy advice.
• Learn what foods you should eat or avoid – for a healthy heart.
• Mayo Clinic – read the 7 Steps to Prevent Heart Disease from www.MayoClinic.com .

Take care of your heart ~ it is the only one you have! Study the symptoms and warning signs of a heart attack, as they can vary from person to person. It’s not always a sudden clutching of the heart and chest pain, and very often can be something as mild as sweating, nausea, back pain or jaw pain, and numbing of the arms or legs. Pay attention to your body!