Matters of the Heart
February is the month for matters of the heart with Valentine's Day, symbolizing emotional love for our life partners. February is also American Heart Month, first proclaimed by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and focusing on heart health. The idea behind the proclamation was to encourage Americans to adopt healthy lifestyles to prevent heart disease. Heart health is especially relevant today with the increased risk COVID 19 poses to people suffering from poor cardiovascular health.
If 2021 is the year you have decided to implement lifestyle changes and improve heart health, research has shown that joining forces with others increases your chance of success. Finding a friend or family member to draw motivation and encouragement from can make all the difference. There is a downloadable PDF by the US Department of Health & Human Services with 25 suggestions for participating in this year's American Heart Month event to help you get started.
According to an article at Healthgrades, smoking, maintaining extra weight, sitting for long periods, and high blood pressure are four of the top issues that significantly increase a person's heart disease risk.
If you have not seen a Doctor in a while, a remote telehealth checkup is a great place to start. Telehealth is an ideal way to be seen by a medical provider without risking exposure to COVID 19. By sharing your healthcare goals with the provider, they will have an opportunity to partner with you through education, monitoring, and additional best-practice suggestions to help achieve your goals.
SC House Calls is a network of nearly 300 medical professionals providing In-home medical house calls and Telehealth visits to Private Residences, Assisted Living Communities, and Skilled Nursing Facilities. SC House Calls serves all 46 Counties of South Carolina. New patient registration, appointments, and
24-7 access to medical professionals is available through its Center for Telehealth @ 800-491-0909
Resources/References
US Department of Health and Human Services: American Heart Month
Healthgrades Article