February 14, 2022

Do a Little Something

Valentine’s Day is a great time to celebrate Heart Health Month. It’s also a good time for all of us to give ourselves a cardio checkup that does not necessarily require a visit to a healthcare provider. 

It’s never too early to be proactive about heart health. More than 600,000 people in the U.S. will die this year from heart disease. Many of those deaths may have been avoided. While we can’t change the genetic factors that make some more prone to heart disease, we can manage, reduce, or eliminate cardiovascular risks. 

This February, find one thing you can do from the menu of heart-healthy options, from exercising 10 minutes a day to reducing your consumption of red meat. Do a little something. 

Many of our faculty are doing research directed at a broad spectrum of heart health issues. Dr. Cynthia Dougherty, for example, has done extensive research focused on the development and testing of nursing interventions designed to improve health outcomes in patients with advanced heart disease or who have experienced sudden cardiac arrest. Dr. Jonathan Auld [link TBD] recently received an NIH grant for research on “Symptom Biology After Heart Failure Hospitalization.” Other faculty are researching many areas, such as exercise, that directly impact heart health. With funding from the CDC, Dr. Basia Belza developed “Mall Walking: A Resource Guide” that was widely distributed nationally. 

It doesn’t take much to shift your risk exposure. The most important thing is to improve your heart health, and Heart Health Month is an excellent time to start.