#HaveHeart this month
JOBURG - Show that you #HaveHeart and care for those around you in September during Heart Awareness Month.
In the fast-paced lifestyles – especially in Joburg – in this day and age, it is difficult to look after your heart.
So many working people find it easiest to skip breakfast before fighting traffic to get to work, grab some McDonald’s for lunch and acquire the family dinner at the local favourite takeout. With these eating habits, lack of physical activity and large amounts of stress, it is no wonder that so many people suffer heart attacks and strokes each year.
Cardiovascular disease is the second biggest killer in South Africa after HIV/Aids, with heart attacks accounting for about 210 deaths each day, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa (HSFSA).
Heart disease was once thought to be a disease of the elderly, yet it now affects young people, with more than half of the deaths occurring in people under the age of 65.
Caring for your heart means getting screened to know your risk and properly managing this risk through better living and treatment.
“Many of us don’t know if we are at risk of having a heart attack or stroke,” Dr Vash Mungal-Singh, from HSFSA, explained.
“For example, three in four people living with high blood pressure don’t even know they have it, and the only way to know is by getting screened.”
For Heart Awareness Month, the HSFSA is showing it does #HaveHeart by partnering with national pharmacy retailer, Dis-chem, which offers free health screenings throughout the month of September. This will include measurements for blood pressure, blood glucose and weight status, and no appointment is necessary.
Up to 80 percent of heart attacks in young people are due to lifestyle choices. “On a positive note, this means that by making small changes to your lifestyle, you can go a long way to preventing heart disease at a young age,” said Mungal-Singh.
Health is not something that can be bought, so HSFSA is encouraging the public to look after their hearts by making healthy lifestyle choices.
Details: www.facebook.com/HeartStrokeSA
