Avoiding A Heart Attack

So far there have been 3 people close to me that have had a heart attack. Surprisingly one of those people were in their late 30s an age I consider quite young to be having a heart attack. I don't consider myself at a high risk for a heart attack. However, after seeing what my friend went through at 38, the pain, recovery, job loss, and medical bills, I've decided to do more investigation on the risks of having a heart attack.

You literally can do searches on having a heart attack and get millions of results. I decided to focus my search on prevention, mainly preventive screening.

With any preventive measures you should consult with a medical professional. These are the steps my nurse practitioner told me to focus on:

• If you smoke...Quit. If you don't smoke don't start
  
• Eat a healthy diet. Cut down on foods that are high in salt and saturated fat to lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
  
• Control your sugar intake if you have diabetes.
• If your overweight, lose weight
  
• Exercise. Try to workout to at least 30 min. of aerobic exercise at least 3 times a week.
• Control your blood pressure if you have hypertension.

What Do You Need To Be Screened For?

I think most people would agree that the health care system needs to change and will probably see a change in the near future. I think that is why preventive medicine has become so important. As medical care continues to be harder to attain for many people, preventive medicine helps with looking towards the future.

What type of medical problems can you be screened for?

There is actually more than I thought:

Coronary Artery Disease
Carotid Artery Disease/Stroke
Peripheral Artery Disease
Diabetes
Breast Cancer
Osteoporosis
Prostate Cancer
High Blood Pressures
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

The growth in health screening has expanded not only by the different disease preventions (see list above) available but by the access you have to screening. It's not only about seeing your doctor anymore. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are just as involved in health screening.

Doctors Office or Mobile Health Screening?

There are companies that offer a mobile way for you to get your screening by coming to you via your job or health care event such as a health fair. Which is a great idea because those that are afraid, don't have time, or don't have access to a doctors' office are able to get screened for health problems. So the next time you ask your self "Why get screened?" Think about how good it will feel to know more about your health and what health problems you can prevent.