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Heart Healthy Lifestyle Changes
By: Monica Duvall, M.D.
Celebrating American Heart Month every February provides an annual opportunity to reflect on our lifestyle choices, and how these impact our cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the leading killer of both men and women in the U.S. (and increasingly, worldwide). CVD includes Coronary Artery Disease, Stroke, and Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). Many of the biggest risk factors for CVD-related morbidity and mortality are preventable and modifiable. Smoking, overweight/obesity, poor diet, and inactivity all contribute to increased CVD risk. Modifying these risk factors, in turn, can prevent/improve other well-known risks, including Hypertension, Diabetes, and High cholesterol.

Smoking is perhaps the biggest modifiable risk factor for CVD—don’t start! Stopping smoking will start lowering one’s cardiovascular risk within months, and within years, a former smoker’s risk is equivalent to that of a nonsmoker. It really is never too late to quit, from a cardiovascular perspective. 

Common Winter Health Problems and Solutions
By: Charlotte Scott, MSN, CRNP
As winter sets in and we enter the coldest months of the season, we often start to feel and see the effects on our health. Winter poses unique health problems that we do not generally see throughout the year due to colder temperatures, less hours of daylight and less access to fresh and healthy foods. If we are aware of what may be coming our way over the next few months implementing a few easy things into your life can prevent winter from getting the best of you. 

The topics discussed in this article include:

  • Common cold/flu/sore throat/cough
  • Dry skin
  • Poor indoor air quality
  • Seasonal depression or winter blues
  • Weight gain

IT'S FLU SEASON - GET YOUR SHOT TODAY!
The span of time in which the influenza virus is at its most contagious is widely referred to as “ flu season .” This period generally occurs during the colder months of the year: fall and winter. Influenza activity often begins to increase in October and November and typically peaks between December and February , and can last as late as May.

IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN YOUR FLU SHOT PLEASE CALL OUR OFFICE TO SCHEDULE AT 215-735-7992.

WE CAN GET YOU IN AS SOON AS THE NEXT DAY.
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