We celebrate Valentine’s day in February and February is also American Heart Month. Coincidence? We think not!! We here at Miramar Fire Rescue, along with the American Heart Association, would like to take this time to help bring awareness and education to everyone in our community on heart disease.
Cardiovascular disease – which includes both heart disease and stroke – is the number one cause of death not only in the United States, but globally as well. Together, we can change the statistics with just a few changes in our own lifestyles.
These include healthy diet changes and exercise! We all have busy lives and sometimes that drive-thru is much easier than preparing a healthy home-cooked meal and we are so tired after work that we are not motivated to go to the gym. These are sometimes hard habits to break but your heart will take care of you later – – if you start taking care of it now. Some of the benefits you will gain from these changes are not only a healthier heart but also weight loss, natural mood boosting, lowering your blood pressure, boosting your good cholesterol, preventing bone loss, improving circulation and less visits to the doctor’s office.
Do you or someone you know already have cardiovascular disease? Do you know how to recognize the signs of a heart attack or stroke? Chest discomfort or discomfort that radiates down the arm, into the back or up to the jaw; shortness of breath; nausea; a cold sweat; dizzy or light- headedness are all possible signs of a heart attack. Signs of a stroke can be facial drooping; arm or leg weakness and or difficulty speaking. These are just a few signs and symptoms. Sometimes a heart attack won’t have any signs or symptoms. We call that a silent MI and that is more common in women than men. For more information on heart attack and stroke, talk to your doctor.
Sometimes a heart attack can result in sudden cardiac arrest. There should be at least one person in the household who knows CPR. A quick 4-hour class can save lives. Miramar Fire Rescue offers CPR classes once a month. Check out Miramarfd.org for more information.
