(Mirror Daily, United States) – February is the national month of the heart. And since March is approaching rapidly, the question on every doctor’s lips is: did you check your heart this month? The awareness campaign was meant to show men and women in the US that heart problems can be avoided by simply following some basic advice and regularly checking up on their health status.

Did you check your heart this month? If the answer is yes and you learned that you are at risk for developing a heart-related condition, then you must pay extra attention to managing your blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes or obesity.

Blood pressure is fairly easy to manage. There are special drugs that can be prescribed by your physician which can help you keep hypertension under control. Also, it is good to keep in mind the fact that hypertension in women usually manifests itself when the patient is overweight. Keeping your BMI in check is a very good way of also keeping your blood pressure constant and at normal levels.

When hypertension remains unthreatened, it could lead to serious disorders like stroke, heart attack, heart failure, atherosclerosis, eye damage and even kidney failure.

Cholesterol is a little bit less tricky to manage than blood pressure. You just have to be careful what you eat when it comes to trans fat, saturated fat and dietary cholesterol. Also, you must exercise regularly to keep fat away from your body and arteries.

Diabetes usually occurs in middle aged people that are overweight. Unfortunately, the condition is not curable, but it can be well managed through treatment. If you suffer from diabetes, especially type 2, which is insulin dependent, you must keep a strict and healthy diet. No fats, no sugar and very little salt. Diabetes is a good friend of high cholesterol and hypertension, so it is important, if you suffer from this nutritional disorder, to also check your cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Did you check your heart this month? If the answer is yes, and you’re fit as a fiddle, you’re not exactly out of the woods yet. The chances of developing a heart disorder are extremely high if you smoke, have a sedentary lifestyle, if you drink more than a glass of alcohol per day, or if you take drugs.

You should stop smoking and start working out. You don’t need a personal trainer, just a jog, a long stroll or a physical exercises routine that you can perform at home. All that matters is that you don’t succumb to sedentariness.

Doctors are not telling you to give up alcohol altogether, they just advise you to limit the drinking to a single glass a day. Also, if the glass happens to be filled with red wine, then your heart will actually thank you.

Of course, there are risk factors like gender, race, age, heredity and stress that cannot be controlled by the patients. In this case, the best course of action is to visit your heart doctor regularly and respect the course of treatment he offers you.

Image source: www.pixabay.com