February is National Heart Month... Love Yourself First Approximately one in three women are killed every year by heart disease and stroke. If you stop for a moment to think about how many women are around you, one in three leaves pretty frightening odds that someone close to you will be affected. Heart disease is accountable for approximately 17.3 million deaths per year. Because heart disease affects so many people and is the number one cause of death in women, the American Heart Association created American Heart Month back in 1964 to increase the awareness of heart disease (www.aha.org). This February 6th marks the 12th anniversary of the American Heart Association’s National Wear Red Day. Why wear red on February 6th? Wearing red shows support in increasing awareness, funding and education of heart disease and stroke. Start by making a few healthy changes in your lifestyle on National Wear Red Day and you can help better your chances of living a happy and healthy life for many more years. Though no one is immune to the disease, it is remarkably 80% preventable through several controllable factors such as diet, exercise, sleeping habits and health screenings: Diet I asked Kenny Tomek, RD, LN, a Dietician at Yankton’s Hy-Vee store, if he could share with me some suggestions for dietary changes to help reduce heart disease risk. Tomek suggests eating more whole grains, striving for at least 48 grams of whole grains per day, including items such as 100% whole wheat bread, oats, barley, faro, wheat berries, brown rice, Triscuit crackers, whole wheat tortillas and air popped popcorn. Whole grain products will carry this label, created by the Whole Grains Council, to help shoppers to get the right amount. Tomek explained that foods high in Omega 3 fatty acids are important to include in your diet because they are sources of EPA and DHA, specific fatty acids that are essential to the body. Fish such as salmon and tuna are great sources of Omega 3 fats. Other sources are ground flaxseed, chia seeds and walnuts, but their Omega 3 fats need to be converted to EPA and DHA. Though their rate of conversion in our body is not very high, they are still great sources of healthy fat. The American Heart Association recommends that sodium KEEP IT TO YOURSELF Get In. Get Out. Get Better. Help STAY HOME IF Prevent YOU DO NOT FEEL WELL Healthcare for Newborn thru Adult The Cold •Illness & Injury •Vaccines •••••••••••• •Preventative Care & Flu WASH YOUR HANDS. •Sports & School Physicals OFTEN. •Women’s Health Relax, Stress can make you more ••••••••••••••• prone to colds or flu •••••••••••• AVOID SICK PEOPLE You can’t Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, Saturday Clinic 9am-Noon catch what you are not around Get Some Sleep–tired people produce fewer virus-fighting cells. KEEP doorknobs & handles Jeffrey Johnson, MD germ free •••••••••••••••••••••••• Contain Coughs & Sneezes use a tissue or even your sleeve •••••••••••• PICK UP AFTER YOURSELF EXERCISE regular exercise can help avoid illness Don’t leave dirty tissues around. Use and throw ••••••••••••• GET A FLU SHOT •••••••••• 6vHERVOICEvJANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 Call 605.260.2100 Lewis & Clark Medical Plaza, 2525 Fox Run Parkway, Suite 200, Yankton www.lewisandclarkspecialty.com Physician Owned Jenny Horstman, CNP