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February 14th is Valentine’s Day, which provides us all with hopefully a little love, and also a nice annual reminder to check in on our heart health.
Did you know that every 90 minutes a New Zealander dies from heart disease? Luckily there are several ways you can lower your risk of heart disease to prevent serious illnesses such as a heart attack or stroke.
• Know your numbers – an ideal blood pressure reading is 120/80 mmHg. You probably have high blood pressure if the readings are more than 140/90 mmHg. As there are usually no symptoms, the only real way to tell if you have high blood pressure is to have it measured by a health professional.
• Check your cholesterol. A healthy cholesterol level is important for a healthy heart. If you haven’t had your cholesterol tested before, perhaps now is the time. Check with your GP.
• Understand your pulse. A normal heart rate is 60-100 beats per minute when resting. Sometimes an irregular heart rate or heart palpitations are signs of a problem that needs to be checked out by your GP.
• Are you too short for your weight? Managing your weight can keep your heart healthy. A health professional can calculate your ideal weight using your height.
• Research indicates that adequate magnesium intake is associated with decreased risk of heart disease. Always ask your pharmacist which magnesium product to take, as some supplements are not well absorbed and won’t work very well.
• Studies show that Omega-3 may lower the risk of heart disease. Check with your pharmacist for a recommended Omega-3 dose for heart health.
• Manage stress and be active: both will help you reduce your heart disease risk.
• Quit smoking: Smoking increases your risk of heart disease. If you want to give up smoking, see your pharmacist, who are now able to prescribe Nicotine Replacement Therapy and give counselling.
• Manage your medicines. If you are taking medicines for heart health, make sure you are taking them correctly. For instance, some need to be taken with food to work properly while others need to be taken on an empty stomach. Just ask your pharmacist. Personalised sachet packs are simple to use and a great reminder system if you are taking multiple medicines.
• There is a free online heart health assessment tool called My Heart Check at www.heartfoundation.org.nz
Pharmacist
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