THE BE T
Patient Focus
FOODY FOR THOUGHT
A Heart Healthy Holiday
As hard as we may try to make heart healthy
choices throughout the year, hopes of
healthy food choices and physical activity tend to go out the window during the
holidays. The problem is that stress and
weight gain from the holiday season is often
overlooked, and can have a lasting impact
on health and wellbeing. It’s important to
educate patients about these common
pitfalls and provide tools to reduce stress,
stay active, eat healthy and avoid weight
gain. Offering free, online resources like
CardioSmart’s Healthy Living tools can
provide patients with the added support
they need to have a heart healthy holiday
and promote better health in the future.
Remember the ABCS’ This Holiday Season
As the time when holiday parties,
visiting relatives and friends and
home from school kids invade the
normal routines of life, now is a good
time to remind patients and their
care providers about the steps they
can take to prevent heart attacks
and strokes through healthy lifestyle
actions through the ABCS offered by
the Million Hearts initiative, of which
the ACC is a part.
A
– Appropriate Aspirin Use:
During the holidays, the stress of
gatherings and shopping can affect
people’s physical and mental health.
Encourage patients to continue the
appropriate use of aspirin as a means
to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
B
– Blood Pressure (BP) Control:
With so much going on during the
holidays, people it’s easy to get out of
a normal routine. Remind patients to
continue their daily BP readings.
C
– Cholesterol Control: Many
holiday foods can contain high
cholesterol. Remind patients to eat
lots of fresh fruits and vegetables,
check labels on foods to determine
how much cholesterol is in it,
limit foods with high amounts of
cholesterol, and cook at home more
often.
S
– Smoking: Holiday parties and
gatherings are frequently held at
a restaurant or other venues. Promote
24
CardioSource WorldNews
JoAnne Foody, MD
Editor, CardioSmart
Medical Director,
Cardiovascular Wellness
Center, Brigham and
Women’s Hospital, Boston
the adoption and use of smokefree sites that allow attendees, and
workers, the ability to enjoy not only
heart healthy food, but smoke free
breathing. A new recommendation
recently released by the Community
Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Regarding Tobacco
Use and Secondhand Smoke
Exposure - Community Preventive
Services Task Force – recommends
comprehensive tobacco control
programs based on strong evidence
of effectiveness in reducing tobacco
use and secondhand smoke
exposure. Evidence indicates these
programs reduce the prevalence of
tobacc