Reclaiming Health- by Claire Nielsen
Valentine’s Day isn’t the only reason to give that blood pumping, life giving organ in your chest a second thought this month.
Forget the chocolate and sugary candies. Forget the sappy poems and overpriced flowers. If the heart in your chest fails you then none of the rest of it matters. And yet more than 1.4 million Canadians have heart disease, with the epidemic claims over 33,600 of us every year. 90% of the adults in this country have at least one risk factor for the dangerous condition: stress, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking or even simply being overweight. In addition to staying healthy overall to protect yourself, your risk of developing heart disease increases as the years pass by. As if each passing birthday didn’t take enough of a toll on us!
So what can one do to help protect themselves and those that they love from heart disease?
- Stress Coping Mechanisms: this could be breathing techniques to handle the dangerous drivers on the road or working out at the gym to burn off your built up frustrations from a day at the office. Adding physical exercise to your day will help reduce your risk factor too! Stress is 90% how you react and 10% things that happen to you. This means that you are in control of your stress! Learn to handle it.
- Quit Smoking: Most smokers seem to have tried quitting a good handful of times anyways and probably not had the success they were hoping for. Check out this article about addiction for a fresh perspective on tackling cigarettes for good!
- Lose Weight: Being overweight or obese is a big risk factor, and is sometimes a sign of other unhealthy lifestyle habits. Getting on track by increasing the number of servings of fruit & veggies within your day, removing processed foods, limiting sodium intake and choosing healthy fats rather than saturated & trans fats will reduce your risk for heart disease as well as affect the number on the scale. We have a holistic nutritionist on staff that can help you get started!
- Talk to your Doctor: Always consult a professional and know your family history of this common disease. Assessing your lifestyle and concerns surrounding heart disease and your health is the first place to start. Early detection of other contributing factors such as high cholesterol, diabetes or high blood pressure can impact your risk for developing heart disease as well. Go for regular checkups and blood work to stay on top of your health! Contact our office at office@ncim.ca or (250) 649-0886 to book an appointment with a Naturopathic Doctor.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
-Ben Franklin
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