American Heart Month: Supporting Heart Health and Preventing Heart Disease
February is the month that gets us thinking about hearts — the candy ones and the beating ones in our chest.
Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, killing nearly 655,000 Americans each year — one in every four deaths. The Haxtun Health team is here to support you in preventing heart disease or to keep it from worsening.
Dr. Benjamin Stephenson, Primary Care Provider and Chief of Staff at Haxtun Health, said it’s important to prioritize your heart health sooner than you might think.
“A lot of our heart patients spent their lives not worrying about heart disease until it was forced on them,” he said. “Young people and middle-aged adults may not even know they have several risk factors until it’s too late.”
Why Heart Health is Important
Heart-healthy lifestyles help us live longer, keep other organs in our bodies healthy and improve our overall quality of life, according to Wendy Evans, MPT, Physical Therapist at Haxtun Health.
Start with getting in regular exercise and eating a healthy diet. Education also plays an essential role in your endeavors, so don’t skip on appointments with your healthcare provider. They can provide you with invaluable information about your heart numbers, perform annual screenings and track your annual changes in risk factors.
How Haxtun Health Supports Patients
By identifying risk factors such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity, smoking and other habits and traits that contribute to heart disease, Haxtun Health providers can tailor their care to the patient and work with them on necessary lifestyle changes. If you already suffer from heart disease, providers can help decrease your risk of further damage and work with a cardiologist to ensure you are up to date on your cholesterol labs, vitals, echocardiograms, EKGs and
medications.
Take control now and talk to your healthcare provider about what you can do to improve your heart health for the long term.