GoHealth Urgent Care Recognizes American Heart Month

ATLANTA, Feb. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- GoHealth Urgent Care, one of the fastest growing urgent care companies in the U.S., is recognizing February's American Heart Month by sharing tips for a heart-healthy lifestyle. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., and one in four deaths are caused by heart disease each year. Not all heart problems come with clear warning signs, but there are several pointers individuals should be aware of to reduce the risk of heart disease and heart attack. 

"Since heart disease is so pervasive in the U.S., it's crucial to spread awareness of the risk factors, including obesity, inactivity and high blood pressure and cholesterol," said Dr. Robert Korn, GoHealth's New York medical director. "It is our hope that by encouraging everyone in our communities to lead healthy lifestyles that protect the heart, we can save more lives from this disease."

In order to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stay heart healthy, Dr. Korn encourages people to seek expert care from a physician and follow advice that includes:

• Maintain a healthy weight. Are you 40 pounds overweight? Try picking up two 20-pound bags of groceries and carry them around all day. You probably feel exhausted, sore and cranky. Now put the groceries down. Feel better? Losing an appropriate amount of weight will make you feel better, too, and will also help reduce the risk of heart failure and coronary heart disease.
• Clear out the junk. Did you know eating junk foods causes you to want to eat more junk foods? It's true. Your body needs to generate insulin to absorb all the sugar in junk foods you're eating like candy, ice cream and other sweets. However since these foods don't exist in nature, the body has a hard time regulating how much insulin to generate in response and typically produces too much. Too much insulin lowers blood glucose, causing hunger to strike quickly and the cycle continues. Break this cycle by steering clear of carbohydrates, sugars and processed foods.
• Avoid salt. While salt is part of a healthy diet, you only need two grams per day. Read the labels on the food you eat, and you will be amazed at how much salt is included in fast food and packaged products. All that excess salt raises blood pressure and makes your heart work harder. The less work the heart has to do, the healthier you will be.
• Look for warning signs. Early detection of heart disease can lead to treatment that will slow or stop the progress of the disease before it irreversibly damages the heart muscle. In general, any symptom above the belly button that is triggered by exertion and is relieved with rest is concerning. Cardiac pain can even occur at rest for some, including those with diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and a family history of heart disease. The most common symptoms of heart disease include squeezing chest pain or heaviness, but symptoms including jaw pain, shoulder pain, toothache, indigestion, shortness of breath, sweating and more can also be linked to heart disease. All of these symptoms can be a result of blockage in the arteries that supply oxygen to the heart muscle and allow it to pump. Subtle signs of heart disease can be difficult for even experienced physicians to identify and often require sophisticated blood and exercise testing or advanced imaging techniques. When in doubt, seek medical care right away.

"As we recognize February's American Heart Month, we are pleased to offer expert insights from Dr. Korn as part of our commitment to fostering a culture of wellness and care," said Todd Latz, CEO of GoHealth. "From collaborating with leading health systems to creating convenient and consumer-focused urgent care centers, we will continue to do our part to empower people to make healthy lifestyle choices."

To learn more about GoHealth Urgent Care, please visit www.gohealthuc.com. If interested in speaking with Dr. Korn for further information and advice related to reducing the risk of heart disease, please contact [email protected].

About GoHealth
At GoHealth Urgent Care, we place the needs of our patients first by providing an effortless patient experience, a welcoming culture of care and seamless integration with market-leading health systems and our communities.  GoHealth operates urgent care centers in the New York and Portland, OR, metropolitan areas, is currently developing urgent care centers in the San Francisco Bay Area and has plans for additional expansion in multiple markets. GoHealth's current partners include health systems that are at the forefront of care delivery innovation, including Northwell Health (f/k/a/ North Shore-LIJ), New York's largest health system, Legacy Health, the largest nonprofit, locally owned health system in the Portland-Vancouver area, and Dignity Health, the nation's 5th largest health system. GoHealth Urgent Care is a dba of Access Clinical Partners, LLC, a TPG Growth portfolio company. TPG Growth is the middle market and growth equity investment platform of TPG, which has approximately $78 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.gohealthuc.com.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160202/328769LOGO

SOURCE GoHealth Urgent Care

Related Links

http://www.gohealthuc.com