Congressman Rick Boucher

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Additionally, the American Heart Association has launched the Go Red for Women campaign to build awareness of the prevalence of heart disease in women and to encourage women to live heart healthy lifestyles.

It is commonly known that heart disease is the number one killer in the United States; however, many do not realize that heart disease is the leading killer of women. In fact, cardiovascular disease claims more women's lives than the next five causes of death combined. Since many women are unaware of the severity of this health threat, lack of urgency in seeking medical attention for heart disease contributes to the deaths of more than 460,000 American women annually. This represents a rate of about one woman per minute.

Several simple steps can be taken to reduce your risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke. Maintaining a healthy weight, reducing your cholesterol and lowering your blood pressure all reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. There are many ways to achieve these goals:

· Be physically active every day: Studies show that 30 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week can help lower your blood pressure, reduce your cholesterol and maintain a healthy weight. Start slowly- any amount of exercise is better than none at all, and it is not necessary to join a gym to achieve better physical fitness. Take a walk with a friend or dance with a loved one.
· Reduce your stress: Some scientific research has shown a relationship between cardiovascular disease risk and stress. An excess of stress over a long period of time and unhealthy responses to it may cause health problems. Though it is impossible to eliminate all stress, resist the temptation to overeat or smoke during stressful times, and try some healthier ways to handle stress such as exercise.
· Manage diabetes: If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, it is important to ensure that you regularly visit your doctor and are taking steps to control the disease. People with diabetes are two to four times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease due to a variety of risk factors including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
· Stop smoking: Nearly 160,000 men and women in the United States die from cardiovascular disease attributed to smoking every year. Smoking triples the risk of dying from heart disease among middle-aged men and women.
· Limit alcohol: Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure, cause heart failure and lead to stroke.
· Choose healthy nutrition: Good nutrition can reduce your cholesterol, lower your blood pressure and help you maintain a healthy weight. Adding fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet and reducing your sodium intake can reduce your risk factors for heart disease.
· Get an annual checkup from your doctor: It is important to visit your doctor for an annual checkup in order to detect any changes in your heart health that might increase your risk for cardiovascular disease.

By taking simple steps to live a heart healthy lifestyle, Southwest Virginians can look forward to a time when heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular disease take a lesser toll on American lives.

For more information contact the local American Heart Association office at in Roanoke at 540-989-2810 or in Johnson City, Tennessee at 423-282-5388, or visit http://www.heart.org or http://www.goredforwomen.org.

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