Give your Heart the Gift of Health

 February means Valentines for special people in our lives. So it’s a fitting time for American Heart Month. Heart disease is the number one killer of both sexes in the US.
Being overweight is a major cause of Coronary heart disease a condition in which a waxy substance, plaque, builds up inside the coronary arteries that supply oxygen-rich blood to your heart. Plaque can narrow or block the arteries and reduce blood flow to the heart, causing angina or a heart attack. Obesity also can lead to heart failure, a serious condition in which your heart can’t pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs.
Being overweight can cause high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood. If pressure rises and stays high it can damage your heart.
How much weight is too much? Doctors use a measure called body mass index (BMI). A 5’ 10” person who weighs 175 pounds has a BMI of 25, the upper limit for a healthy body. Gaining 30 pounds would push them to a BMI of 30, signaling a serious weight problem. At 245 pounds, the person would reach a BMI of 35 and would be considered extremely obese. Studies found that moderately overweight women (BMI 25 to 28.9) were twice as likely as slender women (BMI less than 21) to develop coronary heart disease, but with a BMI over 29 the risk nearly quadrupled. Likewise, a study of more than 29,000 middle-aged men found that a little heft (BMI 25 to 29) led to a 70 percent increase in coronary heart disease.
Give your heart a well-deserved break. A healthier heart is well within your reach. If you can lose just 10 to 20 pounds, your blood pressure will improve and other heart risks will lessen or subside. With each drop of your BMI your risks go down.
Being overweight or obsese is a disease and needs to be treated professionally. It’s preventable. Etcetera has been helping patients reach their recommended BMI for over 30 years. We have the tools and programs to make your weight loss journey easier and enjoyable. It will change your life – make 2016 your year of health and make your heart happy.
Call Etcetera Medical today at 661-259-8884 for more information and a free consultation.