Heart Disease

  Proverbs 17:22  

 

February is Heart Health Month. Most women don't know their biggest health threat. It's not breast cancer. It's not AIDS. It's heart disease. Yet many women still think heart disease is a man's disease. Heart Disease is the #1 Killer of Women.  On February 21, 2015, we celebrate  "Go Red " Sunday, we have asked the women and men in our congregation to wear a red  as a powerful visual reminder to take care of their hearts. Our wives, mothers, daughters, nieces, and granddaughters need to learn the truth about heart disease:

• One of every four American women dies of heart disease.
• About 6.6 million American women have coronary heart disease.
• Heart disease can permanently damage your heart and your life.

But there's good news too; "Go Red "Sunday main purpose is to remind everyone, women in particular-that our hearts are not only important spiritually, but physically as well. To have a healthy heart, it is critical to know the risk factors for heart disease-that is, the behaviors or conditions that increase your chance of getting heart disease. They are:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes and prediabetes
• Smoking
• Being overweight or obese
• Being physically inactive
• Having a family history of early heart disease
• Having a history of preeclampsia during pregnancy
• Unhealthy diet
• Age (55 or older for women)

• Having just one risk factor increases your chance of developing heart disease. And your risk skyrockets with each added risk factor.
• Now that you know The Heart Truth about the dangers of heart disease, it's time to take action to protect your heart. Martin Luther King said: "The belief that God will do everything for man is as untenable as the belief that man can do everything for himself. It, too, is based on a lack of faith. We must learn that to expect God to do everything while we do nothing is not faith but superstition."

 

God has given us the job of keeping ourselves healthy. For women, the caretakers in our lives-this means taking time to care for themselves. We all have the power to prevent or control heart disease, and we can do this by taking simple steps. Here's how:

• Don't smoke, and if you do, quit. Women who smoke are two to six times more likely to suffer a heart attack than non-smoking women. Smoking also boosts the risk of stroke and cancer.
• Aim for a healthy weight. It's important for a long, vigorous life. Overweight and obesity cause many preventable deaths.
• Get moving. Make a commitment to be more physically active. Aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week.
• Eat for heart health. Choose a diet low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol, and moderate in total fat.
• Know your numbers. Ask your doctor to check your blood pressure, cholesterol (total, HDL, LDL, triglycerides), and blood glucose. Work with your doctor to improve any numbers that are not normal.
• Heart disease is more prevalent among African American women than white women, as are some of the factors that increase the risk of developing it-high blood pressure, overweight, and diabetes.
• Making the changes that lead to heart health is not always easy, but with God's help, we can find the courage and strength to take action. And I ask all of you to look around at the women in our congregation in their red dresses and offer them your prayers and your hand to help support them in achieving healthy hearts and longer life.