Be Good to Your Heart

Grinnell Regional Medical Center wants you to take a moment during Heart Health Month to assess your heart. Heart disease remains the number one killer of adults in the United States. And, the American Heart Association estimates that half of all heart disease events could be prevented with healthy choices.

“Preventing a heart event is the best strategy and that begins long before you head to the emergency room with irregular heart function,” says Sheryl Rutledge, GRMC director of occupational health services. “All adults can begin taking measures to reduce your risk of heart disease.”

Knowing your heart health status begins with a conversation between you and your primary healthcare providers. With the Affordable Care Act, insurance carriers must cover preventive screenings for cholesterol and high blood pressure without the subscriber having to pay a co-payment or co-insurance or meet the deductible. This applies only when these services are delivered by a network provider. Medicare Part B and Medicaid in Iowa cover blood screening tests for cholesterol, lipid, and triglyceride levels every five years, when ordered by a physician, to help diagnose and prevent a heart attack or stroke.

GRMC recommends individuals work with their primary care providers to have timely preventive screenings for heart health. The medical center will no longer host a public cholesterol screening in February, due to the expanded insurance coverage of screenings from the ACA legislation.

“Heart health is more than a measurement. It’s about living healthy every day and taking preventive measures to avoid heart disease,” Rutledge says.

Prevention begins with:

·         Choosing a healthy eating plan.  The food you eat can decrease your risk of heart disease and stroke. 

·         Being physically active.  You can slowly work up to at least 2½ hours (150 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity (e.g., brisk walking) every week or 1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes) of vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity (e.g., jogging, running) or a combination of both every week. 

Additionally, on two or more days a week you need muscle-strengthening activities that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms). Children should get at least 60 minutes of activity every day.

·         Learning the warning signs of a heart attack and stroke. Not everyone experiences sudden numbness with a stroke or severe chest pain with a heart attack. And heart attack symptoms in women can be different from in men.

·         Stopping tobacco use. Tobacco usage is directly linked to heart disease, cancer, and many other conditions. 

·         Reducing stress in your life. Though stress affects each person differently, it does have a negative effect on your heart health. GRMC’s integrated therapies and fitness center off options for stress reduction. Plus, daily mediation has been shown to have significant affect. 

·         Knowing your heart health. Follow the recommended screenings for your age and gender, including your heart health screenings. Grinnell Regional Public Health has free blood pressure screenings every Thursday, from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Light Center for Community Health.

For more information about local resources, call the GRMC Wellness Services department at 641-236-2999, or speak with your primary care provider. 

The AHA provides a wealth of  preventive information. The AHA website is located at http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/.