By Teresa Carr
Adams County Senior Cuuncil
The Adams County Senior Citizens office will be closed on Monday, February 16 for Presidents Day.
February is Heart month for more than just Valentine’s Day. Here is some information about how you can prevent heart disease:
Change What You Can for a Healthy Heart – The best way to have a healthy heart is to reduce the risk factors that are controllable. Encourage a diet, exercise, and weight-loss program that works for the person.
• Exercise – A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) finds that a sedentary lifestyle is worse for your health than smoking, diabetes and heart disease. Being unfit should be treated almost as a disease that has a prescription—called exercise.
• Medication – Fill prescriptions on time (to avoid running out) and take medication exactly as directed.
• Blood Pressure – Monitor blood pressure on a daily basis if ordered by the doctor.
• Cholesterol – Cholesterol is a major factor in coronary artery disease. High cholesterol numbers may be reduced through appropriate diet, regular exercise, and weight loss and— cholesterol-lowering drugs.
• Salt (Sodium) Consumption – When an individual consumes too much sodium, extra fluid builds up in the body, which causes the heart to work harder.
• Diabetes – People with diabetes are more than twice as likely to develop heart failure as people without diabetes.
• Depression – People with heart disease have depression at much higher rates than the general public. One important reason to treat depression is that it is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Smoking and Alcohol Abuse – Cigarette smoking is a major, preventable risk factor for heart disease. The nicotine and carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke reduce the oxygen in a person’s blood, so smoking robs the heart of oxygen. Second-hand smoke is just as dangerous as first-hand smoke; therefore, if you smoke, get help to quit NOW!
• Alcohol – Can damage the cells of the heart and make it harder for the heart to pump. Therefore, people with heart failure are advised to quit drinking alcohol.
The Ohio Department of Development and ABCAP want to remind Ohioans that assistance is available to help with their home energy bills. The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) helps Ohioans at or below 175 percent of the federal poverty guidelines pay their heating bills. Applications for the HEAP program must be received by May 31, 2022. To schedule an appointment, call their automated scheduling system at 1-937-200-8090.
Just A Thought: “Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.” ~Mother Teresa
