February: The Month for Heart Health
The heart — it is the most important organ in our body. With each beat of the heart, blood is sent throughout our bodies, transporting oxygen throughout. It is important to keep our hearts healthy, as we truly cannot live without it. February is a time to focus on the heart. This month, we focus to educate individuals on the significance of cardiovascular health.
Dedicating a month to the importance of heart health allows the rise of awareness and will hopefully open the eyes of those with unhealthy lifestyles. A main purpose of this month is to raise money for support services, research towards new treatment, and methods of prevention. In this month, substantial heart health awareness is raised, including:
- Healthy eating strategies are presented to the public
- Updating the Canada Food Guide (which outlines the best ways for us to meet our nutritional needs)
- Promoting people to lead a healthier lifestyle
- Encourages others to exercise, eat healthier, and abstain from smoking, alcohol, and drug use
Cardiovascular heart disease is one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide, and it is predicted by 2030 to grow past 23.6 million people per year. A number of heart-related diseases that cause death are related to heart attacks, strokes, etc.
The statistics of heart disease related deaths are substantial:
- 12.4 million Canadians (or 1 out of 4) over the age of 20 have been diagnosed with a heart-related disease
- 12 Canadians over the age of 20 who have been diagnosed with a heart disease die every hour
- Sex plays a role: the probability of a man to suffer a heart attack in relation to women falls to 2x more likely
- It is statistically proven that men are usually diagnosed with heart diseases 10 years before women.
However, with technology and the medical field drastically improving and advancing, the rates of deaths related to heart diseases have decreased by 23%!
How to Prevent Heart Disease
There are numerous ways to prevent heart disease:
- Abstain from smoking
- Exercise regularly
- Stay active
- Endure in a healthy diet/lifestyle
- Abstain from alcohol and drug use
- Etc.
How can you help?
Deaths in relation to heart diseases such as stroke and heart attacks should be much lower.
Education on how to prevent heart diseases is limited; heart diseases are the number 1 cause of death, therefore, awareness should be raised on how to prevent it.
Financial aid is one of the many struggles for those with diagnosed heart diseases.
The urgency for research regarding the heart has never been more in need.
If you would like to do your part in helping save a life, please visit https://www.heartandstroke.ca/.
With more and more people doing their part in educating those around them, more awareness will be raises. Any nickel donated to https://www.heartandstroke.ca/ will help accelerate medical breakthroughs and overall, help save a life.
Concluding Remarks
The heart is the basis of life. It is important to live a healthy lifestyle in order to make it easier for our hearts to do its job — to assist our hearts in keeping us alive. The next time you think about stopping your abstinence from drugs, alcohol, or eating unhealthy and sitting on the couch, think again, because a simple lifestyle change can save your life.
