Tag Archive for: Prevention

Protect Your Heart: What You Should Know About Heart Disease

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Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, yet many people don’t fully understand the risks or warning signs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it accounts for about 1 in every 5 deaths each year. Understanding the risks and taking preventive steps can go a long way toward protecting your long-term health.

What Is Heart Disease?

Heart disease refers to a range of conditions that affect how well your heart pumps blood throughout your body. In many cases, symptoms are not obvious until a more serious issue develops, which is why it can go unnoticed for years.

When symptoms do appear, they may include chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breath, or an irregular heartbeat. Some people experience pressure or tightness in the chest, neck, jaw, or back, while others may feel nausea or even vomiting. If you experience any of these symptoms, it is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Why It Matters

Heart disease does not just affect a small portion of the population. It is widespread. In fact, nearly half of U.S. adults have some form of cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association.

If left untreated, heart disease can lead to serious and life-threatening conditions such as a heart attack, stroke, cardiac arrest, or heart failure. These conditions often develop over time and may not present clear warning signs until they become severe, which is why early awareness is so important.

Steps You Can Take to Reduce Your Risk

Many heart-related conditions are preventable through everyday lifestyle choices. Maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, and limiting foods high in sodium, added sugars, and saturated fats can all support heart health.

Regular physical activity, about 150 minutes per week, can also play a significant role, along with avoiding smoking and finding healthy ways to manage stress. In addition, keeping your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar within recommended ranges can help reduce your overall risk. Guidance from the CDC’s heart disease prevention resources reinforces the importance of these habits.

A simple reminder: You do not need to wait for a health scare to start paying attention to your heart. Preventive care, regular checkups, and understanding your risk factors can go a long way in protecting your long-term well-being.

If something does not feel right, don’t ignore it. Early action can make all the difference.

Sources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

American Heart Association

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Practical Wellness Tips for a Busy Holiday Season

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The holidays are supposed to be about celebration and connection, and some rest (hopefully). But the month of December often feels more like a marathon to get places and check off your never-ending “to-do” list. Between work deadlines, family obligations, travel, and a social calendar that somehow fills itself, the whole season can start to feel overwhelming instead of joyful.

If you’re trying to balance your job, personal life, and a budget that’s getting stretched thin, you’re not alone. A few simple habits can help you get through the season without burning out.

Aim for some balance when it comes to eating and your health. One of the biggest traps this time of year is thinking you need to be super disciplined about health. Small tweaks matter more than you’d think. Grab a protein-rich snack before heading to the party because it will help keep your energy steady and help you avoid overindulging at the party! Drink more water than you think you need, especially if you’re traveling or celebrating. And after a big meal, even a quick 10-minute walk can help your digestion and lift your mood.

Don’t sacrifice sleep. Late nights and early mornings are basically the norm in December. Sleep is one of your best defenses against stress, brain fog, and getting sick. Try to keep your sleep schedule consistent and give yourself a wind-down routine – do some stretching, journal for a few minutes, or put your phone away earlier than usual.

Build in breathing room. Between the gatherings and the pressure to make everything perfect, stress can pile up fast. Taking five minutes to step outside, taking some deep breaths, or sitting quietly can reset your nervous system and support your overall well-being. Mindfulness doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes it’s just noticing your breath or feeling your feet on the ground.

Move your body. Exercise in December doesn’t need to be a formal workout. Take a walk around the neighborhood to check out the holiday lights. Stretch between work calls. Choose to take the stairs. These little moments of movement do help—they keep your energy up, lower stress, and improve your sleep and mood.

It’s fine to scale back. There tends to be the expectation that you’re supposed to do it all – attend every event, uphold every tradition, make everyone happy. Remember – it’s okay to say no, to skip things, to protect some time for yourself. The parts of the season that matter most are the ones you have the energy to enjoy.

The holiday season doesn’t have to overwhelm you. With a bit of intention and some realistic expectations, you can end the year feeling good about being grounded, present, and ready for whatever comes next.

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Don’t Lose Sight of Diabetes

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Your vision can be damaged or lost without treatment.

There are about 29 million people who have diabetes in the U.S. today. If your doctor has told you that you have diabetes, you’re one of the 21 million who know. That leaves about 8 million people who have no idea they have it.1

Diabetes affects your body’s ability to use blood sugar or glucose. The most common form of diabetes is type 2, where the body does not properly use insulin, a hormone that helps the body use blood sugar for energy. This is called insulin resistance. At first, your pancreas makes extra insulin to make up for it. But, over time it isn’t able to keep up and can’t make enough insulin to keep your blood sugar at normal levels.1

Having diabetes puts you at risk for serious eye problems — all of which lead to poor vision and, for some, even blindness. Here are some eye conditions made worse by diabetes:

Retinopathy

The retina is the layer at the back of the eye containing cells that are sensitive to light. Retinopathy occurs when the blood vessels in the retina swell and leak fluid. New blood vessels can also grow on the retina, leaking fluid and stopping light form reaching it. This causes blurry vision and, in more serious cases, blindness.2

Cataracts

A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens, which lies behind the iris and pupil. The lens inside the eye works much like a camera lens, focusing light onto the retina for clear vision. It also adjusts the eye’s focus, letting us see things clearly up close and far away. The lens is mostly made of water and protein. The protein helps keep the lens clear and allows light to pass through it. As we age, some of the protein may clump together and start to cloud a small area of the lens. This is a cataract.3

Glaucoma

This is pressure in the eye, which causes harm to the optic nerve. Glaucoma impacts light perception. Without treatment, people with glaucoma will slowly lose their peripheral (side) vision, making them unable to see objects to the side and out of the corner of their eye. They feel like they’re looking at things through a tunnel. Over time, straight-ahead (central) vision may get worse until its lost completely.4

Light sensitivity

People with diabetes are more sensitive to the sun than people who don’t have it. This is because the drugs taken by people who have diabetes, such as those for high blood pressure, increase light sensitivity. Protecting your eyes from the sun’s UV rays is not only for people with diabetes. All people should take safety precautions to protect their vision. To protect your eyes you should:

  • Wear sunglasses that block 100% of UV rays, even on cloudy days.
  • Get Transitions®
  • lenses for your prescription glasses. They are as clear as regular lenses indoors, but turn as dark as sunglasses outdoors, depending on the strength of UV rays — reducing glare and making the eyes more comfortable. They also block 100% of UVA and UVB rays.
  • Choose bigger lenses to protect more of your eyes, and wear a wide-brimmed hat to block UV rays from the top and sides of your face.
  • Get contact lenses that filter out UV, but remember that they do not protect the area around the eyes. For complete eye protection, wear sunglasses that shield most of the eye as well.

People with diabetes need yearly eye exams4

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, taking the right medicine, watching your blood sugar levels, eating healthy and exercising can help you control it. It’s also important to get yearly eye exams, which includes dilation. With dilation, an eye care professional places drops in each eye to widen the pupil, which is the opening at the center of the colored part of the eye called the iris. Dilation is an important part of a comprehensive eye exam because it lets your eye care professional to see the inside of the eye.

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Sweet Talk For Healthy Blood Sugar

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Diabetes is a condition where the body can’t make insulin, or can’t use it well. Insulin is a hormone that helps our bodies get energy from the glucose in the food we eat. Without it, glucose levels in the blood stream are too high. Over time, this can cause damage to your body tissue and organs.1

There are three main types of diabetes.1

  • Type 1 diabetes can affect anyone, but most often it develops in children or young adults. People with this type of diabetes produce very little insulin, or none at all.
  • Type 2 diabetes is the most common type. People with type 2 diabetes either make too little insulin, or their bodies aren’t able to use it effectively.
  • Gestational diabetes (GDM) is a form of diabetes that appears during pregnancy. While GDM usually goes away after pregnancy, it puts women and their babies at higher risk for type 2 diabetes.

Read more

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Pre-Diabetes: Signs and Prevention

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What is pre-diabetes?

Pre-diabetes means your blood sugar level is higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. However, without intervention, pre-diabetes can become type 2 diabetes in 10 years or less.

If you have pre-diabetes, the long-term damage of diabetes – especially to your heart and circulatory system — may already be starting.

Here’s the good news: Progression from pre-diabetes to type 2 diabetes isn’t inevitable.

With healthy lifestyle changes — such as eating healthy foods, including physical activity in your daily routine and maintaining a healthy weight — you may be able to bring your blood sugar level back to normal.

STEP ONE: Know the Risks

People who fit the following descriptions are more likely to develop diabetes: Read more

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