Are you taking care of your heart this Feb-ibig month? While we are spending time with our loved ones—family, friends, and romantic partners, we also need to take care of ourselves by staying healthy. Our heart may be one of the major organs in our body, but it can be prone to many problems. Even though COVID cases are going down, we still need to keep our health up to protect ourselves from other diseases and conditions.
Cardiovascular diseases are a group of diseases that affect your heart and blood vessels. Most common among these are ischemic or coronary heart diseases, heart problems caused by the narrowing of arteries. The buildup of plaque from excess cholesterol and fat builds up in the arteries, lessening the amount of blood your heart needs to keep it well-functioning. This then makes it difficult for the heart to both receive blood and pump it to other parts of the body. This problem of blood circulation also increases the risk of strokes and heart attacks.
The clogging of your arteries does not happen overnight. Rather, it is a result of many risk factors, including an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, smoking, and drinking heavy amounts of alcohol. You may also be at increased risk for different cardiovascular diseases—coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral artery disease— if you have hypertension, diabetes, or are simply of old age.
Clearly, this is a serious problem. The Department of Health (DOH) reports that cardiovascular diseases are actually the number one cause of death in the Philippines, with 110,332 deaths in the Philippines from January to October 2021 being caused by ischemic heart disease.
Dr. Sonny Viloria, Integrative Medicine Specialist and Wellness Expert, advises that the best way to combat these heart problems is a healthy lifestyle. As lockdown restrictions are easing up, we can now get some physical activity through cycling or jogging—with your mask and vaccine, of course. It is also important to make some changes to your diet to better protect your health—try to lessen your intake of high-fat and salty foods that block your arteries and replace these with more nutritious foods such as oatmeal, bananas, and leafy greens. Especially in the pandemic and work-from-home lifestyle, it’s also important to find healthy coping mechanisms for stress—pet your dog, read a book, or talk to a friend!
Dr. Viloria also highly recommends taking Organique Acai Premium Blend, a superfood drink rich in anthocyanin and vitamin C. Studies suggest that it can help improve blood circulation, since it helps decrease your cholesterol levels. Its high antioxidant and vitamin content will also not only protect your heart, but the rest of your body as well!
To know more about Organique Açaí Premium Blend visit organique.com.ph or call hotline, 0969-1754233. Available in all Mercury drugstores, S&R outlets and other major drugstores and supermarkets near you.