February Webinar Covers Heart Health, Empowering Your Best Life
To recognize American Heart Month, local health professionals discussed the importance of cardiovascular health during a webinar, “Heart Health & Empowering Your Best Life,” on Feb. 15.
Two esteemed cardiologists joined the virtual conversation about maintaining heart health: Dr. Pilar Stevens-Haynes, of Mount Sinai South Nassau, and Dr. Stanley Katz, of Peconic Bay Medical Center. Cona Elder Law Senior Partner Melisa Negrin-Wiener led the discussion. The webinar was presented by Schneps Media, the parent company of Long Island Press.
The doctors spoke about heart disease risk factors, preventing heart disease, and the roles of diet, fitness, and sleep in prevention. “We want to prevent disease before it happens,” Dr. Stevens-Haynes said.
The webinar also touched upon the different symptoms of heart disease for men and women, as well as misconceptions that women aren’t at risk for heart problems. “In an emergency situation, you should make sure you get an EKG,” Dr. Katz noted.
Stevens-Haynes added that calling an ambulance in an emergency situation is important, “especially in women because we tend to want to downplay – take the attention, take the [ambulance] ride because it can save your life.”
In addition, they stressed the importance of regular exercise and a healthy diet for preventing heart disease. “If you want to take less medication, then eat properly. Avoid fatty foods, the foods that you know are not good for you,” Dr. Katz. said.
“Get moving,” Steven-Haynes said. “It takes very little – 10 minutes – two songs of dancing, a short, brisk walk, you would be surprised at the positive impact it has.”
She added that smokers are at a much higher risk – “there is no pill that can reverse the effects of smoking,” she said, recommending that smokers seek out programs that can help them to quit.
Negrin-Wiener also discussed legal health and having your advance directives in place, securing peace of mind for your family if an illness surfaces or when a crisis occurs. She reviewed Power of Attorney, Health Care Proxy, Living Will, and Last Will and Testament.
“It’s important that you have all of your ducks in a row before a crisis,” she said. “No one has a crystal ball. We can take really good care of ourselves healthwise but you can still have an accident or injury … If you’re not properly prepared from a legal perspective, you can have more problems.”
For more webinars, visit SchnepsMedia.com/webinars.
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