Heart Disease Prevention

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. According to the American Heart Association, at least 58.8 million American suffer from heart disease of any form. Around 950.000 people die every year from cardiovascular causes. It is also a major cause of disability for the survivors. Even though increased age is a risk factor, it's a big misconception to think that heart disease only happens to the elderly. One out of every 20 people below the age of 40 has heart disease.

The good news is that there are many ways to prevent heart disease. Studies show that nearly everyone, even those with unmodifiable risk factors such as old age and racial background, can become more heart healthy by following a few key steps, such as eating a healthy diet, exercising, quitting smoking, and maintaining a healthy body weight.

Quit Smoking

Smoking or tobacco use is one of the most significant risk factors for developing heart disease. Even occasional social smoking increases the chance of getting heart disease, as is exposure to second-hand smoke. Pipe smoking or using low-tar, low-nicotine products does not reduce the risk by much. However, when you quit smoking, your heart disease risk drops dramatically within just one year. No matter how long or how much you smoked, you'll start reaping rewards as soon as you quit.

Exercise regularly

Try getting at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week. You can break up your exercise time into three times 10 sessions. Casual activities such as gardening, housekeeping, and taking the stairs all count toward your total.

Eat a heart-healthy diet

Following the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan can help protect your heart. The diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products. Limiting saturated and trans fat will also reduce your LDL cholesterol which plays an important role in the development of heart disease.

Omega-3 fatty acids is a type of polyunsaturated fat that decreases your risk of heart attack by lowering blood pressure and prevents irregular heart beats. Omega-3 is present in salmon, mackerel, flaxseed oil, soybean oil and canola oil. They can also be found in form of food supplements.

Moderate amount of alcohol, such as red wine can have a protective effect on your heart. Limit consumption to no more than two drinks a day for men, and one a day for women.

Maintain a healthy weight

As you put on weight in adulthood, your weight gain mostly consists of fat rather than muscle. Even a small weight loss can be beneficial. Reducing your weight by just 10% can decrease your blood pressure, lower your blood cholesterol level and reduce your risk of diabetes which in turn reduce your overall risk for cardiovascular diseases.

One way to see if your weight is healthy is to calculate your body mass index (BMI). If your BMI is 25 or higher, you have an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. The BMI is a good, but imperfect guide. Muscle weighs more than fat, and women and men who are very muscular and physically fit can have high BMIs without added health risks. Because of that, waist circumference also is a useful tool to measure how much abdominal fat you have. Men are considered overweight if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches (101 cm). Women are overweight if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches (88 cm).

Regular screening for heart disease risk factors

Check your blood pressure at least every 2 years starting from 18 years old. Check your cholesterol level every 5 years (more frequently if you are at an increased risk for heart disease) starting from 20 years old. Check your blood sugar level every five years (more frequently if you have other risk factors such as obesity or high blood pressure) starting from age 30 years old.

Dangers of Second-hand Smoke

What is second-hand smoke?

Second-hand smoke, also known as passive smoking or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is the inhalation of smoke by person other than the active smoker. Even if you yourself don't smoke, but the person next to you is puffing like a chimney, you are getting the second-hand smoke. Non-smokers who breathe in second-hand smoke take in nicotine and toxic chemicals the same way as smokers do.

Enforce smoking restriction at work and public places.

There are two forms of smoke that made up second-hand smoke: the sidestream smoke and mainstream smoke. The sidestream smoke is the smoke that comes from the lighted end of a cigarette or pipe, it is the direct result of burning the tobacco product. The mainstream smoke is the smoke exhaled by the active smoker.

Sidestream smoke is much more dangerous than mainstream smoke because it has higher concentration of dangerous chemicals like ammonia, carbon monoxide, cyanide, lead, formaldehyde, and other agents that can cause cancer. It also has smaller particle size so it's easier to reach our lungs and cause damage to our cells. As if that's not bad enough, these dangerous particles can stay in the air for hours or even longer. Even when the smoke has cleared out, the residue remains on the person's hair and clothing, as well as the furniture, carpets, wallpapers, and other things.

dangerous particles stay in the air even after the smoke clears

What are the dangers of second-hand smoke?

In adults, second-hand smoke causes the same problems as direct smoking. These include lung cancer and other cancers like breast, kidney, and leukemia, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, allergies, ear infection, and many others. The bottom line is that it increases the overall death rate.

In children, second-hand smoke causes low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, childhood asthma and allergies, respiratory tract infections, ear infections, and chronic irritation.

How can you can reduce or even eliminate exposure to second-hand smoke?

• Don't allow smoking in your home or your vehicle. If family members or guests want to smoke, ask them to step outside. No ventilation system or air purifier can completely eliminate second-hand smoke 
• Enforce smoking restriction at work and public places. Don't hesitate to warn people if they're breaking the rules.
• If you have close people like your partner, family, or friends who smokes, offer support and encouragement to stop smoking.

Beginners Guide to Stop Smoking

Not going to discuss about the negative effects of smoking in this entry. There's too many of them and you can look it up for yourself in the internet. Therefore, I will assume you already know that smoking is gravely injurious to your health. The number of deaths caused by smoking still exceeds the number of deaths caused by auto accidents, suicide, homicide, cocaine, and AIDS combined.

To learn how to stop smoking effectively, you need to know why is it so hard to stop. People get addicted because cigarettes contain nicotine which is a type of stimulant. People claim that it relaxes the nerves, keeps them awake and clear-headed, but clearly the negative effects outweighs these subjective properties.

You need to realize and admit that you have a problem. If you think you can just quit within a day or two, going down from several packs a day to zero in 24 hours, you're wrong. Nobody does that. It takes courage and strong will to even begin to have the commitment to quit. If you feel you can't do it yourself, don't hesitate to look for help either from friends and family or from healthcare professional.

The first step: establish a reason why you should quit.

It can be because you want to live a longer, healthier life. Or you want to do it for the sake of your newborn baby. In any case, list these reasons down and keep it in your quit smoking diary.

Second step: set up a reasonable dateline.

Reasonable meaning you need to realize how high is your degree of addiction. Generally, people who have smoked longer and in higher quantity takes longer to stop. I have to stop smoking within 6 months, for example. Do not set up a cut-down date. Aim to stop completely.

Third step: prepare yourselves for withdrawal.

Like any addiction, expect to experience symptoms like nausea, headaches, anxiety, craving, and even depression within the first two days from your last cigarette. These symptoms gradually ease over several weeks to one month. Nicotine replacement in forms of gum or patches will help you in fighting the withdrawal symptoms.

Fourth step: celebrate success daily.

Mark down your calendar for each day you stay smoke free. This gives you a sense of accomplishment and encourage you to go further.

Fifth step: find other ways to manage your stress.

Listen to music, spend time with friends and family, try yoga or meditation. Find an alternative other than smoking to manage your stress.

Have you had enough yet? You're halfway done.

Sixth step: eat enough and eat healthily.

Don't worry about the weight gain. It's normal to gain a few pounds when you're trying to quit smoking. It's a sign that your body is trying to recover itself to its former state. You will experience better taste and improved appetite.

Seventh step: do not seek other forms of addiction.

Stay away from alcohol, caffeine, and other stimulants. It's self explanatory. You don't want to move on from one form of addiction to another.

Eight step: don't give up, try again if you fail.

Relapse is very common and most people takes more than one try to quit entirely. If you slipped off somehow, set up a new dateline within the next month. In the mean time, look back and find the reason why you failed in the first place.

Ninth step: talk it out.

Tell your friends and family that you're quitting. If you're experiencing problems, let them know.

Final step: reward yourself.

Use up the money that you have saved from not buying cigarettes and reward yourself with something fun. Get a vacation trip, buy a new phone, watch your favorite sport live. Whatever floats your boat.