Heart Health!

Well, welcome back everyone. You know, as we kick off the new year, many of us are setting health goals. So today we're focusing on our heart health and we're joined by Dr. Hemraj Makwana from the LMHS Heart and Vascular Institute to share some tips. So thanks so much for being here, doctor. Thank you for inviting me. Yes, of course. Well, okay, first of all, tell us who might find it beneficial to focus on heart healthy habits this year. Yeah, so I think everyone. I mean, heart health is very, very important for everyone. That is somebody's basketball player to somebody's 80 year old. Doesn't matter, age doesn't count. Because let me answer the question, but before that, let me tell you this. This is very important so people can understand that, you know, number one leading cause in the world is heart disease, cardiovascular disease. And you'd be surprised to know that 80%, of those diseases are preventable. So if we know that part, that 80% of these diseases are preventable, definitely we have to be serious about it. So I believe that there is no age, anytime you can start having this heart health goals and start working on it. Right, so that's very true. So what are some common heart health goals that people might set for themselves and how can they be just realistically achieved? You know, this is very simple and I believe everybody knows that. You only have to do is be consistent and just put your mind into it. That includes healthy diet, exercise, weight loss, quit smoking, stay active, manage your stress, sleep well, and make sure your blood pressure, your blood sugar, your cholesterol are under control. So these are, if you do these, as I said, 80% of the time you will not have any cardiovascular disease. Yeah, so good advice. So what are some maybe early warning signs or maybe risk factors that people should keep an eye on in this year as part of their heart health journey? So traditional risk factors, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, inactive lifestyle, inadequate sleep, a stressful life, a familiarity of heart disease. These are very common traditional risk factors, especially if you smoke or obese, it adds up. So these are the traditional risk factors for heart disease and if you have any of this, you better work on it. Right, so can you share with us maybe a few key steps that people can take to just start improving their heart health right now? Yeah, so first thing, let me just go back to your question you asked me before. If you have any of the risk factors and if you start having any symptoms, which includes chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, lightheadedness, palpitations, leg swelling, make sure you get medical help and get treated. On prevention side, as I mentioned, healthy lifestyle is very important, and they are connected. If you exercise, if you stay active, and if you lose weight with a healthy diet, automatically your blood pressure, your blood sugar, your cholesterol get controlled, you sleep well, your life is less stressful. Same thing, if you manage your stress with yoga, meditation, social support, sleep well, it does help in your blood pressure, your cholesterol, your lifestyle, so everything is connected. So if you start, anyway, it doesn't matter, but I would start with simple exercise. Start five, 10 minutes per day, go up to 30 minutes per day. If you cannot exercise, stay active. Swimming, hiking, walk, walk as much as you can walk. And second thing, diet, make sure you eat healthy. Cut down your carb, cut down your sugar, sodium, and fried food. Eat more fruits and more vegetables. And if you like meat, I would prefer chicken and fish over red meat. So simple diet changes, simple exercise would make definitely big change. Yep, good advice. So if someone has ongoing concerns about their heart health, you know, they can schedule a same-day heart appointment at Lima Memorial, right? Yes, definitely. So our cardiology team has this unique system here that if you need to see a heart doctor, call this number, which will show up in the screen, and one of us, one of the cardiologists will definitely see you same day. All right. And if you have any concerns, if you have any respect for the heart disease, you want to know about heart health, just call this number, we'll get you in. Fantastic. Well, Dr. Mukwanda, thanks so much for joining us today. Appreciate it. Thank you. All right, well, don't go away because we have more when we return.