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Cardiologist says quality of life is important

Daily Iowegian - 3/4/2019

Feb. 28-- Feb. 28--OSKALOOSA -- Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

A lunch and learn at the Mahaska Health Partnership campus highlighted heart disease. Cardiologist Philip Bear discussed ways to prevent heart disease and how to improve the quality of life for all people.

Bear said quality of life can mean different things to different people.

"[It's] what we strive for in life and the quality that we are able to achieve. I've distilled it down into three basic areas. Those areas are what really determines your quality of life. It's your mobility, your flexibility and your balance," he said. "We can take care of your heart and your cholesterol and your diabetes and your high blood pressure, but unless you have mobility, flexibility and balance, your quality of life's not going to be good."

As people get older, Bear said, mobility, flexibility and balance can be lost.

"It's a use it or lose it, as you all know," he said. "You can take six months to get in really, really good ship and a six-day hospitalization can wipe that out. It's not fair, but that's the way it is. Just like the heart's a muscle, all the muscles in our body need to be used, ligaments need to be stressed."

Mobility, Bear said, is how a person can get from one place to another. Flexibility is the ability to stretch and keep joints well-lubricated and active.

"And then balance. When I use the term balance, it's not just can you stand on one leg and how good are you with that, but balance in your life," he said, "between doing and being."

Motivation to make a change, Bear said, is a personal thing.

"It really is, it's from your heart. What makes you want to do these things," he said. "Getting into a routine of doing stretching or balance exercise takes discipline like anything else you do. Andd if you don't do it first thing in the morning or set aside a time, it's just not going to happen."

Bear said what he found is it usually takes some kind of an event such as an illness or the death of a loved one to make a change.

"I wish it didn't have to be that way," he said. "My job is to give you a toolbox to improve your life and your quality of life. And how you use those tools is your choice."

Heart disease risk factors

According to the American Heart Association, there are three major risk factors that cannot be changed: Increasing age, male gender and heredity.

There are risk factors that can be modified, however, including the following:

--Tobacco use

--High blood cholesterol

--High blood pressure

--Inactive lifestyle

--Obesity

--Diabetes

--Stress

--Alcohol

--Diet and nutrition

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