American Heart Month is an annual observance dedicated to raising awareness about heart health and cardiovascular diseases. It serves as a reminder to prioritize heart-healthy lifestyles, learn about heart disease prevention, and support those affected by cardiovascular conditions. Since 1963, February has been celebrated as American Heart Month to urge Americans to join the battle against heart disease. Since 2004, February also has been the signature month for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign and the message that heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death for women.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Coconino County, as well, according to the Coconino County Public Health and Human Services Department. Although sometimes a heart problem can seem to surprise us, there are many preventive measures that people can take to make their heart as healthy as possible. Mark Bocchicchio, MD, cardiologist at the Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH) Cardiovascular Institute encourages patients to live a heart-healthy lifestyle to help keep blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels normal and lower the risk of heart disease.
Improving heart health involves making conscious choices to reduce risk factors and adopt heart-healthy habits. Here are some top tips for a healthy heart as we look forward to this American Heart Month in February and beyond:
- Eat a balanced diet: Consume a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and low-fat dairy products. Limit saturated and trans fats, sodium and added sugars.
- Exercise regularly: Engage in physical activity for at least 150 minutes per week. Activities like walking, cycling and swimming can help improve cardiovascular fitness.
- Quit smoking: If you smoke, seek support to quit. Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease.
- Manage stress: Practice stress-reduction techniques such as mindfulness, meditation or yoga to reduce the impact of stress on your heart.
- Monitor blood pressure: Check your blood pressure regularly and work with your health care provider to manage it within a healthy range.
- Control cholesterol: Maintain healthy cholesterol levels by following a heart-healthy diet and, if necessary, taking prescribed medications.
- Maintain a healthy weight: Achieve and maintain a healthy weight through a combination of balanced eating and regular physical activity.
- Limit alcohol consumption: If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Excessive alcohol consumption can contribute to heart problems.
- Get adequate sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night to support heart health.
It is also important to know your personal risk. Even if you are following the above tips, hereditary factors may impact your heart. Healthy living could offset genetics and help protect against heart disease, but as you age, your risk could increase if you have been living with these inherited factors for a long time. Be sure to get quality medical care specific to your needs, take medications as prescribed and keep your medical appointments.
Dr. Bocchicchio also wants to remind the community that living at a high altitude, such as Flagstaff, can also contribute to cardiovascular symptoms. Blood pressure tends to increase in people who live at higher altitudes, which can lead to additional heart issues because the heart has to work harder to get its supply of oxygen. Having regular check-ins with a primary care provider is important when living at a high altitude so they can monitor your vitals. When you are going to your health care provider on a regular basis, there’s a better chance of catching a cardiovascular problem in its early stages.
If you do end up needing expert cardiac care, NAH’s Cardiovascular Institute is located in Flagstaff and Verde Valley. It offers a wide range of comprehensive heart and vascular services, including noninvasive and minimally invasive diagnostic tests, electrophysiology services, cardiac catheterization, echocardiography labs and more. The multidisciplinary approach brings the expertise of several specialists, including surgeons, pathologists, oncologists, radiation therapists, nurses, social workers, nutritionists and others, to customize treatment for each patient.
Keeping people healthy is our number one priority and we want the community to know they are getting the very best in cardiovascular care with our specialists. We hope that American Heart Month will motivate people to examine their own health habits, and take steps to improve their heart health.
We want to hear some questions from you. It could be a heart health question, or a question about any other aspect of health care or NAH. Please submit questions to [email protected]. We will choose one question per month and one of our experts at NAH will answer the question in this column.