I love the month of February. Not only is it usually the last cold month before spring or the last month before March Madness :) but it is a month that highlights what it is I see on a daily basis at work - heart disease among women.Today is the American Heart Association's National Wear Red Day campaign. It is a day created to raise awareness for women of all ages to take part in the prevention of their #1 killer - heart disease.
While other causes receive a lot of spotlight & campaigning like Breast Cancer Awareness, heart disease is still the cause of death for women at a much faster rate than cancers. So the AHA is hoping to get women involved in the highly preventable causes of heart & cardiovascular disease by making women aware.
The "National Wear Red Day" campaign was designed to educate women about what they can do to live stronger, healthier lives as well as be champions of healthier lifestyles at home & at work. A healthy lifestyle of a good blanced diet, exercise, & regular medical screenings can cut a woman's risk of heart disease by as much as half.
So break out the red & take an inventory of your life today. Are you doing everything you can to prevent heart disease? Often times it's a silent killer with a small percentage of women even surviving their first heart attack & unfortuantely I see it on a daily basis. I work at one of the top 25 heart hospitals in the US & we are very proud of our Muriel Kauffman Women's Cardiac Center designed specifically for female cardiac patients. Sadly, I see women of all ages that are newly diagnosed with heart disease everyday. It seems they are getting diagnosed at a younger age each day.
While other causes receive a lot of spotlight & campaigning like Breast Cancer Awareness, heart disease is still the cause of death for women at a much faster rate than cancers. So the AHA is hoping to get women involved in the highly preventable causes of heart & cardiovascular disease by making women aware.
The "National Wear Red Day" campaign was designed to educate women about what they can do to live stronger, healthier lives as well as be champions of healthier lifestyles at home & at work. A healthy lifestyle of a good blanced diet, exercise, & regular medical screenings can cut a woman's risk of heart disease by as much as half.
So break out the red & take an inventory of your life today. Are you doing everything you can to prevent heart disease? Often times it's a silent killer with a small percentage of women even surviving their first heart attack & unfortuantely I see it on a daily basis. I work at one of the top 25 heart hospitals in the US & we are very proud of our Muriel Kauffman Women's Cardiac Center designed specifically for female cardiac patients. Sadly, I see women of all ages that are newly diagnosed with heart disease everyday. It seems they are getting diagnosed at a younger age each day.
As an advocate of your own health, you should become aware of the risk factors today. You can visit the American Heart Association's website, & local hospitals offer free 'heart score' screenings to determine where you stand health wise.
If you are/have:
-diabetic
-overweight
-high blood pressure
-high cholesterol
-high stress
-family history of heart disease
-history of stroke
then you are at risk for heart disease - become aware!
Most importantly - wear red. Talk about it with others, raise awareness - heart disease CAN be prevented!
Most importantly - wear red. Talk about it with others, raise awareness - heart disease CAN be prevented!
*stepping off my soapbox*
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