With a stroke every 40 seconds counts, Do not wait to act!!!

A lot can happen in 40 seconds. A hummingbird will flap its wings 2080 times; the world’s fastest sprinter will cover close to 400 meters; a heart will beat about 60 times; and someone in the United States will suffer a stroke.

Luckily, it also takes just seconds to send a potentially life-saving message to our law makers.

Although much has been done, the reality is that stroke is still the No. 3 killer and No. 1 cause of devastating, long term disability in the nation.

We need to ensure that we are doing all we can to help prevent stroke, and when needed, providing the best treatment available to each and every stroke patient. Stroke can hit anyone, at any time, and patients need access to the best treatment available. Visit the link below to let members of the Public Health Committee know about ways they can support comprehensive systems of care for all stroke patients.

Please help the American Heart Association in its efforts to fight heart disease and stroke by visiting http://www.capitolconnect.com/yourethecure

Approximately 24 million people have diabetes mellitus (DM) and 57 million are at risk of developing it.  The increased risk is due to the fact that more and more people are overweight/obese and thus have impaired blood sugar control.

A recent study published in The Lancet followed 3,000 high-risk patients for 10 years.  The focus of this study was on preventing DM.  One third of the participants were told to eat a low fat diet and exercise for 30 minutes at least 5 days/week.  The goal was a 7% weight reduction in one year.  The second 1/3 were given Metformin, a diabetes medication to control blood sugars.  The remaining 1/3 received no intervention.

 Many people in the lifestyle group met the weight reduction goal.  However, many also gained some of the weight back over time.  The good news was that their risk of developing DM was still the lowest of the 3 groups although there was some weight regained. 

 After 3 years, the incidence of DM was decreased by 58% in the lifestyle group and 31% in the Metformin group as compared to the group with no intervention.  After 10 years, the lifestyle group and the Metformin group had a decreased incidence of DM by 34% and 18% respectively.

 Lifestyle interventions delayed the onset of DM by 4 years and the Metformin delayed onset by 2 years.  The greatest benefit of lifestyle changes was seen in the 60 year old and above group.  The diet and exercise lowered their risk of developing DM by 50%!

These results emphasize the significant benefit of healthy lifestyle changes in preventing DM.  These simple measures should be incorporated into everyone’s daily life.

 Remember….SMALL LIFESTYLE CHANGES YIELD GREAT HEALTH BENEFITS!!!

This is exactly what Heartstrong is trying to teach. For more info please visit www.heart-strong.com

The 34th Great American Smokeout, sponsored by the American Cancer Society, is scheduled to take place Nov. 19, 2009.  The purpose of this day is to help smokers quit by giving up tobacco for one full day with the hope that they will one day quit completely.
Although lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women, it is the most preventable form of cancer.  The American Cancer Society estimates that 161,000 people will die from lung cancer this year and there will be 220,000 new cases diagnosed.  How is this form of cancer prevented? The key is to never start smoking.  However, if you do smoke, quitting will decrease your risk of developing lung cancer.  Quitting also decreases your risk for heart attack and stroke.
 Two helpful websites with resources to help you quit smoking are:
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/subsite/greatamericans/index.asp
http://www.smokefree.gov/
JOIN THE GREAT AMERICAN SMOKEOUT on 11/19/09!!!!! 

YOU CAN DO IT!!!

 “If a Health-Care Bill Passes, Nurse Practitioners Could Be Key”, said a recent TIME article. Heartstrong also acknowledges the expanding role of Nurse Practitioners in the health-care debate and is celebrating National Nurse Practitioner Week from November 8th through 14th along with the over 147,000 nurse practitioners practicing in the United States today. Prevention of disease is the ultimate cure for our national health care crisis. Nurse Practitioners (NP) have been providing primary care in the U.S. for more than 40 years. They examine, diagnose, prescribe medication, treat, counsel and educate patients. NPs are different from other healthcare providers because they focus on the whole person when treating specific health problems and educating their patients. They have masters or doctoral degrees and receive advanced clinical training. NPs partner with their patients, assisting them in making better lifestyle and healthcare decisions. That’s our mission at Heartstrong. Please visit our website www.heart-strong.com