Give a Little Love to Your Heart

 

Last month during a live game of “Monday Night Football”, fans and viewers witnessed a rare injury occur on national television. During the first quarter of play, Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin was tackled by a Cincinnati Bengals receiver whose shoulder appeared to collide with Hamlin’s chest. After getting up from the tackle, Hamlin immediately stood for a brief moment before collapsing onto his back. 

 

In an official statement after the incident, it was revealed that Hamlin had suffered cardiac arrest. Thankfully with the support of certified athletic trainers and medical professionals, Hamlin has started his road to recovery. With the attention surrounding this event and February being American Heart Month, now might be the right time to discuss the value of caring for your heart.

 

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, but there’s a lot you can do to prevent it. Taking time to care for your heart can be challenging as you go about daily life. But it’s easier than you think to show your heart the love it deserves each day. Small acts of self-care, like taking walks, getting quality sleep, and cooking healthy meals, help your heart.

 

We caught up with Dr. Muhammad Mustafa, a board-certified cardiologist at Bond Clinic, to get his thoughts on how to maintain a healthy heart. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Monitor all risk factors closely to keep cholesterol down, blood pressure under control, diabetes regulated, body weight-optimized, physical activity consistent and most importantly do not ignore any cardiac symptoms such as chest pain, palpitations, and shortness of breath or lightheadedness,” said Dr. Mustafa.

 

Self-care includes being patient with your body. You may not see or feel the results of your efforts right away, but small steps can lead to big progress. When we take care of ourselves, we can show others the importance of having a healthy beating heart.

 

Bond Clinic has several cardiologists available to support your heart. Dr. Karan Bhatia, Dr. Muhammad Mustafa, Dr. Jose R. Vigoreaux, & Dr. E.H. Willard are all accepting new patients at our facilities. Visit our cardiologist page to learn more about our team or call us at 863-293-1191. Show your support for a healthy heart, by wearing red during February!