February is Heart Month. And during this month, there are messages everywhere about the importance of maintaining optimal heart health. Experts say Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. Doctors at Spectrum say there is still a lot of “MIS-information” about heart disease and they’d like to change that.
“All of this is about education because the risk of developing heart disease is a lifetime risk of developing it, so the more you know early on, the better you will be prepared for the future and likely prevent some of these things from happening to you.”
Dr. Milena Jani, a cardiologist at Spectrum Health Fred and Lena Meijer Heart Center, says education is key as it relates to heart disease. She says many people don’t educate themselves about heart disease until they’re forced to. But she says, people should take the time to evaluate potential risk factors in their lives, like a family history, being overweight, smoking and high cholesterol. During Heart Awareness month, Spectrum Health has developed a true-false test about heart disease. Dr. Jani answered a couple questions for us.
The first question on the test says a heart attack means your heart has stopped working:
There are 8 questions on the test. To finish the test, you can find it and more information about hearth health, at spectrumhealth.org/heart.
Dr. Jani along with her colleagues will speak at a free dinner presentation on heart health Thursday, February 22nd at Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. You can register at spectrumhealth-dot-org.
