Keeping your heart-health in check and always on its everyday A-game
Written by Palesa Mbatha
As we approach salt awareness month annually observed in March, we can collectively agree that our heart is the most hardworking organ in our bodies. Our hearts beat every second, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with no rest. Medical Professionals all around the world encourage us to take care of our hearts from an early stage so that our hearts can continue to take care of us until the later stages of our lives.
The hard reality still remains a fact that we are all prone to heart-related conditions whether we inherit them from our family history or we attract them through the unhealthy lifestyle choices we make.
To date, health statistics reveal that heart-related diseases and strokes are among the top causes of death, that are commonly influenced or aggravated by conditions like hypertension (high blood pressure) and maintaining higher than medically acceptable cholesterol levels. There are other underlying medical conditions (such as diabetes) and other unhealthy habits (such as excessive sodium intake and smoking tobacco) that put us at risk of developing heart-related diseases, which unfortunately may lead to death if not treated timeously.
Fortunately, with the correct attitude and mindset we can control our food and lifestyle choices, inclusive of our sodium (salt) intake. It is important to know that too much sodium causes the body to retain water that causes an increase in hypertension and in-return puts a strain on our blood vessels, kidneys and heart.
What you put on your plate has a significant influence on every aspect of your heart health. A healthy nutritious diet with moderate sodium intake plays a major role in your heart health and can help reduce the risk of Heart-related diseases.
What happens when you put your ‘’heart-health’’ at risk:
- Compromised Circulatory Disorders, such as fatigue or in extreme cases, chest pains.
- The heart serves as a power supply for your whole body, therefore without the power supply other organs cannot function to their optimal capacity which increases the risk of the entire body system deteriorating and eventually shutting down if it is not treated in time.
Top 5 tips to help take better care of your heart-health:
- Reduce your sodium (salt) intake
- Eat a nutritious heart-healthy balanced diet
- Exercise
- Manage stress
- Go for routine wellness check-ups at an Alpha Clin Clinic in your community. Book your wellness checkup at AlphaCare bookings
Immediately seek help or visit an Alpha Pharm Pharmacy in your community when you experience any of the following signs:
- Chest or back pain
- Difficulty breathing or speaking
- A rise in hypertension (blood pressure)
- Loss of vision
- Numbness or weakness
