Are you Doing All you Can to Prevent a Heart Attack or Stroke? From the Harvard Heart Letter

BOSTON—That’s the central question posed—and answered—in the January 2012 issue of the Harvard Heart Letter. In keeping with the self-improvement resolutions that accompany the New Year, this issue of the Harvard Heart Letter revolves around the goals of the Million Hearts Initiative. Million Hearts is a comprehensive, collaborative campaign to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes over the next five years through simple, effective, and inexpensive actions, the ABCS:

• taking daily low-dose Aspirin, if prescribed

• managing Blood pressure and Cholesterol levels

• quitting Smoking

In addition to reviewing the most current targets for blood pressure, cholesterol, and smoking cessation—and pragmatic strategies to help people hit them—the January Heart Letter adds D (for Diet) and E (for Exercise) to the Million Hearts alphabet. Because eating healthfully and staying physically active are important contributors to preventing cardiovascular disease, this issue offers practical advice on how to develop good habits in these two areas. It’s not as difficult as people make it out to be!

The January Heart Letter also explains how federal, state, and local governments can help people achieve the Million Hearts objectives. In a Q&A session with Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (which, along with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is spearheading the Million Hearts campaign), readers are encouraged to meet the Million Hearts objectives by teaming up with—and challenging—their health care providers. Read a full-length article from this issue: “CDC director explains simple steps to saving lives”

Also in this issue:

• Weight loss, alone, can decrease the risk of heart disease

• Handheld ultrasound devices can monitor heart failure

• Heart-valve replacements: mechanical or tissue?

• Should I switch to generic Lipitor?

The Harvard Heart Letter is available from Harvard Health Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical School, for $29 per year. Subscribe at www.health.harvard.edu/heart or by calling 877-649-9457 (toll-free)