February is a great month to focus on your heart. Valentine’s Day recognizes the person who makes your heart skip a beat and it is also American Heart Month, which raises heart health awareness so your heart continues to beat.
In a single day your heart will beat about 100,000 times and will have pumped approximately 2,000 gallons of blood throughout your body. For this reason alone, it is very important to take care of it.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women in the U.S. Coronary heart disease, which is the most common form, costs the U.S. more than $108 billion each year.
So what can you do go protect your heart? The Mayo Clinic recommends five medication-free things you can do:
1. Don’t smoke or use tobacco – it is one of the most significant risk factors for developing heart disease, and quitting decreases those risks dramatically
2. Exercise for 30 minutes most days to reduce your chances of developing other conditions that may put a strain on your heart
3. Eat a heart-healthy diet that limits fat, cholesterol and salt
4. Maintain a healthy weight to avoid high blood pressure and other conditions that can stress the heart
5. Get regular health screenings to be sure you don’t have high blood pressure or cholesterol or diabetes
Biopharmaceutical research companies have also made great strides in developing medicines that can help patients win their battle against heart disease. In fact, medicines contributed to a 30 percent decline in heart disease death rates between 1998 and 2009 (the most recent figure). Additional progress will surely be made with nearly 300 new medicines in development for this disease.
So as we head into American Heart Month and approach Valentine’s Day, it is important to visit your physician to ensure you and your loved ones are happy and heart healthy together.