February is American Heart Month
Be good to YOUR "sweet" heart this month and every month!

Fact:
Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of American men and women

What you can do:

Take the American Heart Association Health Risk Awareness Quiz to find out if you are at risk
Have a blood pressure check - even if you are feeling fine
Have a blood test for cholesterol and lipids
Talk to your health care provider about heart disease and your personal risk
Do at least one thing to decrease your risk
Go for a walk
Check out, and take advantage of local nutrition, exercise and smoking cessation resources
Encourage family members, relatives and friends to make a healthy life change
Eat more carrot sticks and less french fries
Learn lifesaving CPR
Smoke more turkeys and less cigarettes

Holy Cross Hospital Community Wellness Center - 751-5740
smoking cessation classes and nicotine addition support group, nutrition education, free blood pressure checks

Taos Pharmacy - 758-3342
hypertension clinic including blood pressure checks, counseling, medication monitoring, and cholesterol and lipid blood tests

Taos Cardiac - Pulmonary Wellness Center 758-8270
cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs with physician referral. Clinical trial in hypertension beginning soon - call Paul Sands for more information

Taos Public Health Office - 758-2073
Blood pressure checks

CPR Classes - Francisco Guevara   737-9327
CPR Classes: Infant, Child, Adult, and Professional Rescurer

American Red Cross 1-877-983-9171

American Heart Association 1-800-242-8721
 

A Story Straight from My Heart by Richard Kuska  Right after supper on March 9th a numbing sensation started in my biceps. I took a couple of aspirin. A minute or 2 later this same numbing feeling started across my chest. I told my wife I felt "funny" and maybe ought to go to Holy Cross Hospital Emergency Room. By then the numbness was also becoming evident in my neck. I was very fortunate because we only live 3-5 minutes from the hospital, I took aspirin right away, and I was even dressed for bed because that is where I ended up for the next 8 days.  Without any prior warnings, family history or without high cholesterol readings, I still ended up with quardruple bypass surgery in Albuquerque Heart Hospital. Forty to fifty years of slow but steady clogging of my heart arteries finally caught up with me in one otherwise uneventful evening. The surgeon said my fast action with aspirin and a quick trip to the ER helped me avoid any permanent damage to my heart. I am now regaining my strength, exercising regularly, eating more healthy foods and enjoying life with my granddaughter Amanda.

Links to National Resources:
American Heart Association
InteliHealth Heart and Circulatory Information
Mayo Health Oasis Heart and Blood Vessels Center