Heart Health – Volume 13: Recap and reach out
By Katie Cook, BSN, RN
As you read this, I have been writing this article for about 6 months. I enjoy discussing heart health topics, and I hope you find this beneficial. If you’re new here, or just need a refresher, below are the subjects I have written about so far.
• What heart disease is, as well as signs and symptoms of a heart attack.
• How smoking and drinking alcohol effect the heart, as well as resources to quit.
• How physical activity can help improve heart health and how to start.
• How to eat healthy, and how to read a nutrition label.
• Stress - its effects on the heart, and how to cope with it.
• Respiratory illness and its impact on the heart, as well as medications to avoid if you have high blood pressure.
• Cholesterol - good vs. bad, monitoring your cholesterol, and medications you may be on for controlling cholesterol.
• Winter blues - what it is and how to cope with it.
• Coping with holiday stress, unhealthy eating, and excessive drinking over the holidays.
• What AFib is, management, stroke signs and symptoms, and how to be FAST (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) to recognize a stroke.
• Diabetes and its impact on the heart, as well as management.
• CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation). I just want to remind you, that being healthy doesn’t have to be expensive. You don’t need to get health supplements to help you lose weight, or protein powder, or anything else that ads might try and get you to buy because they support weight loss.
While fruits and vegetables can be expensive, a work around is to buy canned or frozen fruits and vegetables. These are not priced based on weight, and there is often a store brand that is cheaper than some of the name brand items.
You can also shop around for the best prices using flyers or online apps to help you price check before you head out to go shopping.
Now, I would like to hear from you! Are there any heart health topics you would like me to cover, or other health topics in general? I hope to make this article something you as a reader look forward to, and can gain good information from in the process.
If you want to view articles online, head on over to our website at https://www. clarkcountywi.gov/ph-health-wellness. We also have a Facebook page with up to date information on public health topics.
