Heart Health

About

When you choose healthy behaviors, you can lower your heart disease risk as well as the risk for ongoing conditions such as type 2 diabetes and some cancers. To help maintain a healthy heart and prevent heart events it is important to live a heart-healthy life

Learn your health history
Eat a healthy diet
Move more, Sit Less
Quit smoking
Take medicine as directed
Rethink your drink
Monitor your blood pressure at home

Your Numbers

To take control of your health, you need to know and understand your numbers. These tests are done at most yearly exams: blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, body mass index and waist circumference. Understanding what the numbers mean can help you understand your risk for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

bloodpressure

cholesterol

bloodsugar

bmi

waist

Heart Events

Stroke

A stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked or bursts. If you think you are having a stroke, you should call 9-1-1 immediately.

Stroke signs (spell F-A-S-T):
fast
Other signs include:

Severe headache & confusion
Numbness or tingling
Loss of balance
Vision changes
Loss of movement in face or limbs, especially on one side

Heart Attack

Heart attack signs:

Sudden dizziness
Chest pain
Shortness of breath
Nausea or vomiting
Cold sweat
Unusual tiredness
Heartburn-like feeling
Discomfort or tingling in arms, back, neck, shoulder or jaw

Coronary Artery Disease

CAD signs:

Shortness of breath
Fatigue
Chest pain
Nausea or vomiting

Heart Failure

Heart failure signs:

Extreme tiredness/fatigue
Fast weight gain
Weakness
Swelling in the ankles, feet, legs, abdomen and neck
Rapid or irregular heartbeat
Shortness of breath

DASH Eating

Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension, most often referred to as the DASH eating plan, is a heart healthy eating plan that helps to lower blood pressure and cholesterol and lowers the risk of many other chronic conditions.

dash