Physical Therapy in Farmingdale

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, taking the lives of 17.7 million individuals a year. CVD account for 31% of annual deaths, therefore the World Health Organization (WHO) organized a day to raise awareness.

As of 2013, the WHO committed to reducing CVD related cases by 25% by 2025. Take the time today to become knowledgeable about your heart health, and make the promise to look after your heart.

What is cardiovascular disease?

Cardiovascular diseases are any disease involving the heart, the vascular function of the brain, or diseases affecting the blood vessels. Some of the most common cardiovascular diseases include coronary heart disease, such as a heart attack, and cerebrovascular disease, such as a stroke. As the strongest muscle in the body, your heart is imperative to your health so avoiding prominent risk factors for CVDs is very important.

What are the risk factors for CVD?

• Check your blood glucose levels: High blood sugar is a token symptom for diabetes. The risk of a cardiovascular incident is increased substantially with diabetes. It is important to screen for diabetes in high-risk patients and to keep sugar levels under control.

• Check your blood pressure: High blood pressure is one of the main causes of cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, there are often few or no symptoms which accompany high blood pressure, making awareness difficult.

• Check your numbers: A doctor can advise you of your weight, cholesterol levels, and BMI and assess your risk for CVD.

• Know the signs: Over 70% of heart attacks and strokes occur at home, where a family member is present. Talk to healthcare professionals about finding out the signs and symptoms of a heart attack and stroke to help be aware ones in case of an emergency.

How can you help your heart?

• Eat and drink healthy: Cutting down on high sugar snacks and beverages can help lower blood glucose levels and blood pressure. Limiting your alcohol intake can also benefit your heart health.

• Get active: Thirty minutes of moderate activity 5 times a week is a healthy goal. Although fitness cannot directly treat cardiovascular diseases, exercise and fitness can help promote your overall health. If you are looking to take on an exercise program to improve your fitness, physical therapy near Bethpage can help make a difference in your health and help keep your heart strong.

• Say no to smoking: Two years after quitting cigarettes, CVD is drastically less likely. After 15 years without smoking, the risk for CVD will return to the levels of a nonsmoker. Not only will avoiding or quitting smoking help you, but it will benefit your loved ones. Inhaling second-hand smoke can also increase the risk of developing CVD. Quitting smoking, or not smoking in the first place, is the best thing you can do for your heart.

Physical Therapy near Bethpage

If you’re looking to improve your heart health, consider getting active with Farmingdale Physical Therapy East. We offer a range of rehabilitation services including physical therapy near Bethpage and conditioning programs which help maintain the health of your heart and overall body and mind. Contact us today to book your appointment!