Keeping Your Heart Healthy

MRMS Students Participate In Project-based Effort

Maury River Middle School held a luncheon in February to raise awareness of heart disease, showcasing work from students and featuring a talk from Dr. Jeffery Todd of Carilion Clinic.

As part of a project-based learning initiative, middle school students prepared booths for guests to visit, including a demonstration on the effect of blocked arteries and a station teaching proper CPR technique.

Students also put on a fashion show, wearing dresses borrowed from Becky’s Bridal in Buena Vista, and accompanied by music from the school’s jazz band, walking in honor of someone in their lives who had been affected by heart disease.

“The event was great,” said Tasha Polly, who teaches physical education at Maury River. “It was a chance for them to interact with the community, and they got to be a lot more hands on.

“They were really excited about it; they love having that interaction with the community.”

Polly said this project-based learning experience was especially personal to students.

“This one I think was more personal, because they were walking in honor of someone in their lives who has been affected by heart health, specifically women’s heart health,” she said.

“So they really had to think about how that had impacted them and their families. It was a more reflective experience.”

Dr. Todd spoke about some of the issues he treats in his practice, as well as about some common risk factors and ways to avoid them.

He listed the top 10 risk factors for heart disease, including high cholesterol, diabetes and family history.

“Just because you have issues with this doesn’t mean you’re destined to have this problem, but these are things, some you can control, some you can’t,” he said.

Other factors Todd highlighted, such as diet, could be changed.

“Your diet certainly plays a role,” he said. “I would say the lean proteins, salmon a couple times a week, and really avoiding lots of processed foods and simple carbohydrates.

“Alcohol is a big offender,” said Todd. “Currently no degree of alcohol is considered desirable or safe, certainly for men. More than two a day is a higher risk, for women one a day, mostly due to changes in body size.”

He also recommended regular exercise.

“Exercise helps you in a lot of ways,” he said. “Don’t smoke, limit alcohol. The current exercise recommendation is moderate exercise. You don’t have to be hardcore – it’s 150 minutes of moderate exercise, so 30 minutes, five days a week. You get a few days off.”

For those who may already be receiving care, Todd closed with some recommendations for being a patient.

“You ought to know your history, and know your diagnosis as best you can. You ought to know your medicines, what they look like, why you take them, their names and their doses, as best you can,” he said.

“Another thing I’m fond of saying is, don’t make your own diagnoses. And it’s not because I’m sensitive about you invading my turf; it’s because you may be wrong, and your doctor may believe you,” said Todd.

He also recommended that patients keep track of their own records.

“But if you don’t see people all in one health system I highly recommend trying to keep your own records because otherwise everything’s just delayed,” he said. “Print out your labs, and keep your x-ray reports and all that.”