Heart Disease

Representatives from Washington County joined Tuesday night with the American Heart Association in Franklin and Fulton counties in Pennsylvania for an introduction to a new regional effort to raise funds to battle the nation's No. 1 killer. Tuesday's event at Bulls & Bears restaurant on South Potomac Street included testimony from people who have benefited from the research financed by the American Heart Association's fundraising efforts. "The fundraising event has been renamed the Mason-Dixon Start!

Author and TV news guest Joe Piscatella has spent a lifetime talking to Americans about making good healthy choices. But he's not very optimistic. Americans eat too much. They work and play while sitting still. They smoke. We know these are not good for health, but we do them anyway. "Frankly, we know a lot about (health)," Piscatella said. "The question today is, if we know so much, ... why don't we change our behavior?" His conclusion: People coast until they hit a personal crisis.

On a recent evening, my son was sitting in our kitchen quietly reading his health book while I was doing the dishes. "Listen to this, Mom: 'Some scientists believe that people who are always pushing themselves have a greater danger of heart disease than those who "take it easy. "'" I wasn't sure how to respond. Why did he pick that passage to read out loud to me? Does he think I'm driven? Does he think I push him? Does he think he pushes himself too hard? Or did he just find that section interesting?

Q: My husband can't wait for the next snowstorm ... he loves to shovel snow! However, he is 75 and I worry about his health. Can you provide some tips that would help him ... and me? A: Well, how about buying your husband a snow blower for his birthday? If he insists on staying with his shovel, here are a few suggestions from a variety of Internet sources. For people older than 60 who lead sedentary lives or who have heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or who smoke, shoveling snow can increase the incidence of heart attacks.

HAGERSTOWN -- Arm curls with bottles of water at the desk chair. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Dusting off that hula hoop in the attic. They are activities that can add up during the day to help establish a healthy heart, said Elisabeth Yeun, a clinical dietitian at Washington County Hospital. Yeun was one of the experts Thursday at Robinwood Medical Center hoping to help women understand the importance of heart health. The Women's Health Forum aimed to dispel the myth that men are more likely to suffer from heart disease, said Pam Peitz, head of cardiac rehabilitation at Washington County Hospital.

A report released earlier this year by the Centers for Disease Control suggests that racial and ethnic minorities and people with low incomes are more likely to suffer from cancer, diabetes and heart disease than whites and people with higher incomes. The 2007 National Healthcare Disparities Report, released in February 2008, examined the quality and access to health care for sub-populations throughout the U.S, looking mostly at 2004 and 2005 data. The report determined that disparities in quality and access for minority groups and poor populations had not been significantly reduced.

When we think of heart disease, we often think of men, but heart disease also is the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S. In fact, one in every 2.5 American women will die of heart disease or stroke, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. By comparison, one in 30 women will die from breast cancer. Assess your heart disease risks Risk factors you can't change include: · Being age 55 or older for women (45 or older for men). · Having a family history of early heart disease - your father or a brother diagnosed before age 55, or your mother or a sister diagnosed before age 65. Risk factors you can change include: · Smoking · Having high blood pressure · Having high blood cholesterol · Being overweight or obese · Being physically inactive · Having diabetes February is American Heart Month and a good time to evaluate eating and lifestyle patterns that might help reduce your risk factors and improve your overall heart health.

Often, when Tim Higgins is preparing dinner, he starts in his yard. This time of year, he harvests root vegetables such as beets and carrots for dishes such as grated carrot and beet salad. The salad is one of two dishes Higgins will prepare Thursday, Feb. 7, during a cooking demonstration that is part of Wisdom from the Heart: Heart Healthy Eating. The presentation is a women's health forum presented by Washington County Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation and Congestive Heart Failure programs and Women's Specialty Associates.

GREENCASTLE, PA. - Thirteen became a lucky number Sunday for more than 500 people participating in Franklin and Fulton counties' Heart Walk, which in its 13th year raised just short of $150,000 for the American Heart Association. "Last year, we raised $111,000," event organizer Sharon Strike said. Clear skies and good spirits prevailed on the damp day that brought out young and old to fight heart disease and stroke. "We've had teams and sponsors who really raised more money than they have before," Strike said, noting that 650 people and 70 teams registered.