I was talking today with a client about a 41-year-old father of four, who suddenly died of a heart attack.  These tragedies always provide an opportunity to reflect on life.  This was especially true for my client, whose husband has a family history of heart attack (his father passed away in his early 40’s from a heart attack).

Her husband, even with his family history, believes that heart attacks are completely preventable.

Once she said this, I listened more intently.  I was intrigued to hear her explanation of how he feels he can beat his genetics.

It turns out that her husband does what most of us don’t – he gets heart screenings regularly.  He knows his family history and instead of burying his head in the sand, he faces it head on with heart screenings every six months. 

His philosophy is that he can prevent a disastrous, life-altering event, by staying aware of any changes that may be occurring his is heart and blood vessels.

This made sense.  Heart attacks are, indeed, completely preventable with regular monitoring of the status of the heart and blood vessels. 

This got me thinking.  Couldn’t most, if not all, negative health conditions be prevented by maintaining and monitoring the parts of the body that “malfunction” and create these problems?

Think about it.  Most cancers caught in the early stages are completely curable. 

• Breast cancer can be detected early through regular self-breast exams, mammograms, and clinical breast exams .
• Colon cancer can not occur without a polyp.  A colonoscopy detects polyps, which can be instantly removed, essentially taking “cancer seeds” out of your colon.  In this sense, colon cancer is completely preventable. (Colonoscopy screenings should begin at 40 if you have a family history and 50 for everyone else).

Certainly, you can not feasibly screen every last inch of your body, however, it is fairly simple to hone in on the areas that you should screen early and regularly.  Ask yourself these questions:

• What conditions developed in my parents, brothers, and sisters?
•  Given my current lifestyle (i.e. exercise status, diet, smoking status, stress level, sleep habits), to what conditions could I possibly be contributing?

If the list is still too long, to know where to start, try this:

• Screen for the most life threatening.  I recommend following the example of our prudent friend mentioned above who gets his heart screened every six months.  Even if you are unable to commit to such a rigorous schedule (which may not be necessary for you anyway), go for a baseline screening. 

 In fact, even the most apparently healthy person can have a heart attack when the condition of the heart is unknown.

• Change your lifestyle to lessen your risk.  It is no secret.  Stress + smoking + high fat, crummy food + little sleep + no exercise = stroke, cancers, heart attack, and the list goes on and on. 

Changing is beyond difficult, but not impossible.  Small change leads to lasting change, so don’t feel that you have to change everything at once.  Any step, no matter how small, toward health will improve your health. 

Remember, the disastrous event is the one we are trying to prevent. 

In that effort, though, you may have to deal with the “smaller” issues that are uncovered from the screenings.  An artery may need to be unblocked, a lump removed, or you may require bypass surgery. 

That said, I would absolutely choose to drive myself to the hospital for a planned bi-pass surgery rather than being “driven” by an ambulance or, in the case of the 41-year-old father of four mentioned above, passing away in the emergency room.

We change the oil in our cars, take them for tune ups, we fertilize our lawns, and prune trees.  Isn’t regular maintenance on our bodies just as important? 

What screenings will you schedule?

  Watch this short video about how heart attacks develop usually without you even knowing it. 

Also, the man mentioned above gets his heart screened by Heart Check America. I do not endorse them in anyway, however, this may provide a starting point for you on where to look to get screened.

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