Mahaska Health Partnership Says, “Take Care of Your Heart.”
Mahaska Health Partnership
OSKALOOSA – Mahaska Health Partnership reminds the public to take care of their heart in recognition of World Heart Day, Thursday, September 29. According to the World Heart Federation (WHF), 17.1 million people die each year from cardiovascular disease.
“What is saddening is that the majority of those lives could have been saved,” MHP Adult Nurse Practitioner Lisa Nelson said. “On World Heart day and every day, we want to remind people to pay attention to their bodies and take care of themselves.”
Nelson said that in order to control your risk of developing cardiovascular disease, you should know your blood pressure, blood sugar and blood lipids. “Knowing these numbers can help you understand the health of your heart and whether or not you need to alter your lifestyle or begin medications in order to avoid developing heart disease.”
According to the WHF, men and women are equally affected by heart disease. The organization outlined healthy behaviors to help maintain heart health including eating a balanced diet, participating in regular physical activity and avoiding tobacco use. “A balanced diet is crucial to a healthy heart,” Nelson stressed. “You should eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meat and fish. However, you also need to limit your salt, sugar and fat intake.
“In addition, at least 30 minutes of regular physical activity every day helps maintain your heart health and all forms of tobacco use should be avoided. The risk of heart attack or stroke starts to drop immediately when a person quits using tobacco and can drop by as much as half after one year.”
For those living with heart disease, MHP is hosting a Free Congestive Heart Failure workshop on Saturday, October 8 from 9 am to Noon. “The workshop is a great opportunity for people affected by this disease to get free education on how to better care for themselves,” Nelson said. “The goal is to manage the symptoms of the disease in order to maintain the patient’s quality of life.”
Although the workshop is free, pre-registration is required. Visit mahaskahealth.org under the classes and screenings menu or call 672-3100.
