Whether you live in a city where smog forecasts are routine or in a less populated place, tiny pollution particles in the air can lead to big problems for your heart.
Pollution can come from traffic, factories, power generation, wildfires or even cooking with a wood stove. One of the most common indoor sources is smoking — a danger to the person lighting up and to those nearby.   LEARN MORE about the effects, risks, and precautions that can help heart patients and others.

Please welcome the newest member of our Facebook community, The American Stroke Association! Like their page and give a shout out to a stroke survivor!

The American Stroke Association is a division of the American Heart Association dedicated to prevention, diagnosis and treatment to save lives from stroke — America’s No. 4 killer and a leading cause of serious disability.

Let's work together to end stroke!

It’s been a remarkable time for health policy in PA! 

Last week, Senate Bill 351, PA’s Good Samaritan bill, unanimously passed the Senate. This bill will protect PA’s citizens, businesses and off-duty first responders from personal liability when they are trying to do the right thing in an emergency. Stay tuned as the bill moves to the House!

On May 22nd, House Bill 1400, legislation that would recognize Primary Stroke Centers in PA and lay the foundation for improved care for stroke victims, gained final passage through concurrence from the House and is headed to the Governor’s desk. Thanks so much to our volunteers and stroke advocates who have been working with us on this important legislation since 2006. What a great way to wrap up American Stroke Month!

We couldn’t do it without you—the volunteers and advocates who reach out to your lawmakers letting them know that heart-healthy policies are important to the people of Pennsylvania. THANK YOU!

What helps your heart can help your brain, too. Following a heart-healthy lifestyle can lower your chances of having a stroke, and it can also make a big difference in your mental abilities as you age.

In fact, getting plenty of physical activity, eating a healthy diet and other behaviors that strengthen your heart can have a profound effect on the way you think, how you act and what you remember.

“Most people don’t understand the connection between heart health and brain health, and as doctors we’re learning more every day,” said Ralph Sacco, M.D., chief of neurology at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami and past president of the American Heart Association. “New studies have shown that the risk factors that can lead to heart disease and stroke, such as physical inactivity and obesity, also contribute to dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, memory loss and cognitive dysfunction.”

Learn more about the connections between heart disease and stroke.

As we celebrate May as American Stroke Month, you have the power to improve stroke care throughout Pennsylvania by ensuring a very important bill that would improve stroke care makes it to the Governor's desk!

Last Fall, the House of Representatives unanimously passed House Bill 1400, legislation that would recognize primary stroke centers and lay the foundation for improved stroke care throughout our communities. The Senate recently unanimously passed House Bill 1400, with a technical amendment that added a definition for “licensed acute care hospital,” and is back before the House for concurrence.

Help PA's stroke bill clear this final hurdle before Stroke Month ends!  Click here to ask your Representative to concur on Senate amendments to HB1400 and ask Governor Corbett to sign House Bill 1400 in Law when it reaches his desk.

Thank you for making a real difference for PA's stroke victims this American Stroke Month!

African Americans have high rates of stroke risk factors, including family history of stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure.  But, there is hope. You have the power to fight stroke - and win!

By following these three simple steps, you can help protect yourself against stroke:
  
•Reduce your chances of having a stroke by learning the risk factors and working with your doctor to help reduce your risk.

•Recognize the warning signs of a stroke. Stroke is a medical emergency. Every second counts!

•Respond by calling 9-1-1 immediately if you or someone close to you is having warning signs of stroke. Then check the time. When did the first symptom start? You'll be asked this important question later.

Learn more about African Americans’ risk for stroke at PowerToEndStroke.org

Every 40 seconds someone has a stroke.

By knowing the Warning Signs and risk factors for stroke,  you can help yourself or a loved one reduce the risk of having a stroke and suffering severe disability or death.

Call 9-1-1 if you think you or someone you’re with is having a stroke.  

Learn more about stroke at American Stroke Association.

On March 14th, the House Health and Aging Committee held a hearing on the Ohio stroke bill, HB 427.  The legislation is six years in the making.  Back in 2006, Ohio released the Burden of Stroke in Ohio report, which looked at available data and compared it to the ideal system.  While many improvements have been made, legislation is now needed as the next step.


Advocates providing testimony included Jim Bischoff, Dr. Irene Katzan and Dr. Torbey.  Each provided a different view of the system and answered many questions by the committee.

Congratulations to these advocates and all of the advocates who have sent message to legislators on this issue.  While it may have taken many years, we have taken an important step forward!

If you haven't yet taken action, click here to send a message to your lawmaker today!

• Having diabetes for 10 years or more triples the risk of stroke.
• Stroke risk increases 3 percent each year among people with diabetes.
• Preventing or delaying onset of diabetes may help reduce the risk of stroke. 

Understanding your condition and how to manage it can increase your confidence in making changes to improve and maintain your health.

Let's Talk About Stroke is a series of downloadable Patient Information Sheets, created by the American Stroke Association, that presents information in a question-and-answer format that's brief, easy to follow and easy to read.  They also provide room for you to write down questions to ask your doctor.  This can help you prepare to get the most out of your next visit with your healthcare professional.

Whether you or a loved one just had an acute event or are at high risk for stroke, these sheets will help you start taking action to reduce your risk and understand your condition.

Want more energy? 
We’d all like to be able to do more and feel better doing it. Most people who want more energy can get it. Following the steps below is a good start. You’ll feel more energetic, and feel better overall. You’ll also reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke.

• move more
• eat smart
• sleep
• lose a few
• lighten up

For more information on the 5 steps, click here.

Watch how we're advocating for change one day at a time.

30 years ago, the American Heart Association set out to make a difference in the lives of people struggling with heart disease and stroke. From every corner of the country, advocates like you stood up to be the cure, taking each challenge one day at a time and using small victories to make big changes.

Because of you, we're celebrating three decades of advocacy with You're the Cure. Because of you, we've raised millions of dollars in support of heart research. Because of you, lives are being saved every day.

Join us as we celebrate our You're the Cure advocates and all the successes we've achieved together. We invite you to start by watching the trailer of our anniversary video, highlighting stories from dedicated advocates like you.

What's the best gift you can give yourself? 


You’ve made a list and checked it twice — but what about your heart health during the holidays?  Have a plan as you go into the holiday season, and then go back to your usual heart-healthy routine (if you have one) once it’s over.  You can give yourself more freedom without losing control. 

Tips to manage the holidays. . . 

Please join the American Heart Association in an initiative to "shine a spotlight" on our nation's leading health problem by "turning the White House red" during American Heart Month 2012. 

It is vital that our nation's leaders continue their commitment to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes in the next five years by raising awareness in this public way.

Nearly 50 percent of women don't know that heart disease is their No. 1 killer and are still unaware of their own risk factors. There's no better time than February - American Heart Month - to build awareness of this leading killer of both men and women. 

Take action now! 

Swedish women who ate an antioxidant-rich diet had fewer strokes regardless of whether they had a previous history of cardiovascular disease, in a study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

"Eating antioxidant-rich foods may reduce your risk of stroke by inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammation," said Susanne Rautiainen, M.Sc., the study's first author and Ph.D. student at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. "This means people should eat more foods such as fruits and vegetables that contribute to total antioxidant capacity."

Oxidative stress is an imbalance between the production of cell-damaging free radicals and the body's ability to neutralize them. It leads to inflammation, blood vessel damage and stiffening.

...more

Having a transient ischemic attack (TIA), or "mini stroke," can reduce your life expectancy by 20 percent, according to a new study in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

"People experiencing a TIA won't die from it, but they will have a high risk of early stroke and also an increased risk of future problems that may reduce life expectancy," said Melina Gattellari, Ph.D., senior lecturer at the School of Public Health and Community Medicine in The University of New South Wales, Sydney and Ingham Institute in Liverpool, Australia. "Our findings suggest that patients and doctors should be careful to intensely manage lifestyle and medical risk factors for years after a transient ischemic attack."

The statistical analysis is the first to comprehensively quantify the impact of hospital-diagnosed TIA on life expectancy.

...more

Healthier Americans for a Healthier Economy features six case studies focused on the relationship between health and economic development. The report examines how health affects the ability of states, cities and towns to attract and retain employers, and how workplace and community wellness programs help improve productivity and reduce health spending.

According to the report, more than half of all Americans currently live with one or more chronic disease, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. High rates of these diseases, which in many cases are preventable, are associated with increasing health care costs.

Please click here to access the full report.

November is National Family Caregiver’s Month and every day more than 65 million Americans perform the challenging jobs of caring for a sick or disabled family member.

Remind the caregivers in your life to take care of themselves, too! 

As a caregiver, make sure to get professional help and follow doctors' orders for your mental and physical health. Keep your energy level up and reduce your risks by eating a healthy diet, getting regular physical activity and avoiding tobacco.

To do the best for your loved one, you must be in the best possible health yourself.

AHA Caregiver Resources