Heart disease accounts for one in every four deaths and is the worldwide leading cause of death, killing more people than all forms of cancer combined. Unfortunately, many individuals are not aware of their individual risk. Some people do not even realize they’ve heart disease until something serious like a life-threatening heart attack occurs. Unfortunately, one in five adults at risk for heart disease don’t recognize a need to work on the health of their ticker. However, there’s plenty of room for improvement (there’s a lot you can do) when it comes to raising awareness for cardiovascular risk.
People often overlook heart attack symptoms, mistaking it to be for something not so serious, thus delay seeking treatment. This, as a result, can cause permanent damage to the ticker or lead to death. The key to preventing heart disease is by being aware. Each one of us should work towards raising awareness about the various risk factors of heart disease, its preventive measures, and treatment options.
Why talk about treatment when
heart disease can be prevented, and that also through healthy habits (without medicines) that help you with
controllable risk factors like maintaining a healthy weight, exercising
regularly, quitting smoking, and following a heart-healthy diet. Even small
changes can make a big difference, which is why awareness is so crucial.
Raising awareness of heart
disease is critical as there isn’t enough awareness. Lack of awareness is
evident from the fact that we still lose people to heart disease and the death
toll is rising every passing day. Steps as simple as knowing your risk,
increasing your level of activity, and changing your diet can make a big
difference in increasing your life expectancy and improving your quality of
life.
Here are a few ways to protect
the health of your ticker and keep cardiovascular disease at bay:
Get screened- You may
not even realize the number of risk factors you have that is increasing your
risk of developing cardiovascular disease day by day. So get yourself screened
for risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes to
keep a tab on the health of your ticker. Encourage your friends and family to
do the same.
This is how you spread
awareness by sharing your own story.
Get trained in CPR- CPR or
cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a lifesaving procedure comprising chest
compressions and rescue breaths. Proper application of the procedure can save
lives of out of hospital cardiac arrest or heart attack victims. Learning this
procedure will help you in your fight against heart disease.
Take Action- Taking
action means making physical activity and eating a healthy diet a part of your
daily routine. These are essential components of heart disease prevention.
Physical exercise doesn’t have to be rigorous, something as simple as lunchtime
walks, climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator can provide a little
extra exercise for you and your community. In your bid to spread awareness, you
can reach out to fitness centers about a possible collaboration to promote
heart health and the importance of physical activity.
Go virtual- In the
times we are in, the best way to spread awareness is through online, it is the
fastest way too. Spread the message of heart health across your community by
sharing pictures or videos of your exercise routine, the date of a CPR class or
a favorite new recipe for heart health.
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