February is Heart Month

DID YOU KNOW?

• More than 1.6 million Canadians are living with the effects of heart disease and stroke
• 9 in 10 Canadians have at least one risk factor for heart disease and stroke
• Each year, there are more than 60,000 visits to the emergency department for stroke, many of which are preventable with a healthy lifestyle.

RISK FACTORS YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT:

• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Being overweight
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Physical inactivity
• Smoking
• Stress

RISK FACTORS YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER:

• Age
• Gender
• Family History
• Ethnicity
• History of stroke or TIA (transient ischemic attack)

Cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke) is a leading cause of death for Canadian men and women, so it’s important to understand how to prevent them. The more risk factors you have, the greater your risk is.

You may have heard the term “metabolic syndrome” -- this refers to a group of risk factors that increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. These factors include high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity (particularly abdominal fat), high blood sugar, and low HDL (“good”) cholesterol. Three or more of these conditions need to be present for an individual to be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. If you are diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, your provider may prescribe medications and recommend lifestyle changes to reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Know your risk and if there are factors that you can do something about, but you need some help to know what you can do, please call the office at (705) 569-3244 to make an appointment with your primary care provider.

The Temagami Medical Centre and Family Health Team…
committed to keeping you as healthy as possible!