Every year, millions of people worldwide die from heart-related diseases. To raise awareness about cardiovascular disease prevention, February was designated as American Heart Month, according to the American Heart Association.
At Archbishop Carroll, the Medical Explorers Club is celebrating American Heart Month.
“AHM is a great way to spread awareness about cardiovascular health because cardiovascular diseases are not autoimmune or genetic, although some might be,” said Elizabeth Ayodele, junior and president of Archbishop Carroll’s Medical Explorers Club. “The Medical Explorers are celebrating AHM by spreading the word and awareness about the day,”
President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed in 1964 that February is American Heart Month, to help Americans prevent and learn about the heart and how to keep it healthy.
“It is essential to the health and well-being of our nation that our citizens be made aware of the medical, social, and economic aspects of the problem of cardiovascular diseases, and the measures being taken to combat them,” Johnson said in Proclamation 3566 — American Heart Month, 1964.
This initiative’s significance is that it promotes more research and attention to cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death back then and even today in the United States. Since the proclamation, the deaths have dropped by around a million per year, but it is still the highest cause of death.
There are many things people can do to celebrate American Heart Month and raise awareness. Staying active, eating a heart-healthy diet, and getting enough sleep are a few ways to prevent cardiovascular diseases.
Around Carroll, there are posters hanging in the hallway commemorating AHM with facts and tips to help keep hearts healthy.
