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American Heart Month
Over forty years ago, Congress first requested that the President designate February as American Heart Month. I am pleased to report that every year since 1964, the President has designated the month of February to highlight the importance of heart disease awareness and prevention. This year, I am honored to once again co-sponsor a resolution in the House of Representatives in support of the goals and ideals of American Heart Month and National Wear Red Day. This resolution, H.Res. 1039, unanimously passed the House of Representatives earlier this month.
Unfortunately, heart disease is the leading cause of death in our country, taking over 600,000 lives each year. It will affect men and women in all age groups and will include individuals of every race. It is projected that over one million Americans will have a heart attack in 2010 and another 800,000 will have a stroke.
There are many factors that play a role in heart disease, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and physical inactivity. Fortunately, we can control many of the causes behind heart disease through changes in our lifestyle. Even small adjustments in our day-to-day activities can dramatically reduce the likelihood of several types of heart problems. For additional information on how you can decrease your chances of having heart disease, please see your healthcare professional. You may also wish to visit the National Institutes of Health website on heart disease prevention at: http://health.nih.gov/topic/HeartDiseasesPrevention.
The other piece of good news is that medical research has improved our ability to fight heart disease by developing new technologies to detect heart disease. We are also now able to identify many of the factors that increase the risk of obtaining heart disease. In addition, innovative and cutting-edge treatments are helping people survive and recover from heart disease, allowing thousands to live active and productive lives. I applaud the work of the many scientists, researchers, physicians and other healthcare professionals throughout our nation who work every day on finding a cure.
I am pleased to be a strong supporter of efforts to raise awareness of heart disease prevention throughout our communities. It is vital that we are all educated on the risk factors as well as heart disease prevention ideas. I will continue my efforts in Congress to help further highlight the dangers posed by heart disease to ourselves and our families. I hope that you will join me in support of American Heart Month.