American Heart Association

National ambassador Damar Hamlin is asking you to join the #NationofLifesavers. Learn CPR at http://spr.ly/6046PI9h8.

Spending time with pets is proven to boost your physical and mental health. Pets help their humans: 🐾 Be more active 🐾 Feel less social anxiety 🐾 Find a sense of purpose 🐾 Ease anxiety and depression 🐾 Lower blood pressure

Sloan and Scarlett were both born with congenital heart defects. 1-year-old Scarlett’s CHDs are correcting themselves, but Sloan’s were more serious. She was born with tetralogy of Fallot, caused by a combination of four heart defects and had surgery when she was just weeks old. One day, the energetic preschooler will need another surgery, and she will always be under the care of a cardiologist. Sloan and Scarlett’s parents, Alora and Taylor, knew nothing about CHDs when Sloan was born. Alora reached out to other moms for support. “You feel so alone,” she said. “Nobody in my family or any of our friends knew what a congenital heart defect was. It was scary. I did research and found out it’s the No. 1 birth defect. Every 15 minutes, a baby is born with a congenital heart defect. You read that and think, ‘How do people not know about this?’” Becoming informed about CHD buoyed Alora and her determination to help others. She began volunteering for The Children's Heart Foundation, which works together with the American Heart Association to raise awareness and fund CHD research. When the family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, she brought the Congenital Heart Walk to the city. “We’re growing every year and I love it,” she said. “Moms here are extremely happy to be part of it. I want parents who are going through this to know that you are not alone. There is a support system here for you and there is a light at the end of your tunnel.”

Since the American Heart Association’s founding 100 years ago, we’ve seen profound scientific advances in heart disease and stroke prevention. What will the next century bring? Experts predict some high-tech innovations. As risk factors such as high blood pressure and obesity rise, helping teens and young adults understand the long-term consequences for their heart and brain health is crucial. Genetics-related technologies and wearable devices could help. "If we can create a map of human health and show people where they are on that map, it might help them understand why they need to prevent the conditions that lead to cardiovascular disease," Dr. Adrian Hernandez said. "We could show people how those risks add up." In the future, wearable technology could evolve to include devices implanted in clothing or eyeglasses that gather data not just from the wearer but from their environment Mobile CT scanners that can fit in an ambulance would allow faster diagnosis and treatment of strokes. ECPR, or extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, allows a machine to pump blood for the heart. “There are some pretty exciting opportunities here to save lives,” Dr. Sarah Perman said. Along with these advances comes the critical need to eliminate racial, ethnic, gender and socioeconomic health disparities. "More attention needs to be paid to ensure that all people have the same chance to age with a healthy heart and a healthy brain," Dr. Aparicio said. "If the root causes of health disparities are not addressed, these populations are going to be more at risk." Two ways to address the most deeply entrenched disparities are ensuring that no group is left out of research and increasing diversity in the medical field. "In communities with the greatest health disparities, we need to take action to improve trust in the health system," Dr. Hernandez said. "And we need to make sure we improve access to health care everywhere." #AHABoldHearts

Nearly half of U.S. adults have hypertension, and only ¼ report achieving recommended levels of physical activity that help lower blood pressure and curb CVD risk. Get the latest data published by the American Heart Association in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health: http://spr.ly/6042nUdUk

PULSE CHECK! 🌡️ The care of a manager is directly correlated to the productivity AND well-being of an individual employee. And if you’re a manager, we hope you take this to heart for your teammates. #WellbeingWorksBetter

"You cannot have health without the land." The Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska is working to achieve food sovereignty, overcome generations of health disparities, and reclaim their traditions.

Habit stacking is how to get new #HealthyHabits to stick! Just make your new, healthy habit a part of something you already do every day. Before long, it will be part of your routine. Here are a couple ideas to get you started.

Healthy eating is far from im-pasta-bowl. It’s all about balance: Eat more healthful foods like fruits and vegetables, and limit less healthy things like sugar and red meat. (Aren’t these cheesy jokes grate? Food puns are how we casser-roll.)

You’re off on your summer adventures when suddenly, you’re dizzy and everything’s a little fuzzy. Is it a heatstroke? A stroke? Both could be deadly. Luckily, you saved this handy flowchart to help you correctly identify your symptoms, and you remembered F.A.S.T. to identify a stroke: Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to call 911. If you appreciate life-saving education like this, click the link to donate and help us create more resources that empower a heart-healthy world. http://spr.ly/60489kaKQ