HSHS Medical Group
Breese, IL -(Effingham Radio)- You’re there to help your children with their homework, and you remind them to brush their teeth.
But have you helped them do something good for their hearts lately?
You may think that only grown-ups need to be concerned about having a healthy heart. But it’s never too early to start establishing a heart-healthy lifestyle for your children too.
“Because kids rarely get heart disease, people often don’t realize they can develop risk factors for heart attack, or even stroke, when they grow up,” says Scott Marrus, MD, cardiologist at Prairie Cardiovascular in Breese. “However, the gradual buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances in the arteries can begin in childhood.”
“Adults are at higher risk for experiencing a heart attack or stroke when they develop risk factors such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure as children,” says Jonathan Hoskins, MD, family medicine physician at Clinton County Rural Health in Breese. “Parents can help their kids avoid heart disease in adulthood by helping them make healthy choices now.”
Give These Suggestions A Try:
- Serve up good eats. Saturated fats and trans fats can raise the risk of heart disease. When shopping for your family, choose foods that are lower in saturated fat—such as lean meat and low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese—and limit foods that have trans fats—such as cookies, cakes, crackers and frozen pizza.
- Also aim to serve five fruits and veggies a day, and cut back on sweetened drinks. Make sure plenty of healthy food choices are available at home.
- Invite your kids into the kitchen. Let your kids help you prepare healthy meals. It’s a great way to teach them about good food choices.
- Encourage exercise. Kids who are 6 years and older need 60 minutes of daily activity. Make being active a family affair. Go on walks or bike rides; play sports together; or engage in fun, active games (hoops, anyone?) with your kids.
- Get your children checkups. Along with assessing overall health, a doctor can check a child’s weight, blood pressure and cholesterol. Be sure all the adults in the family get their checkups too.
Dr. Hoskins is accepting new patients at Clinton County Rural Health, located at 9401 Holy Cross Lane, Breese, Illinois. For an appointment with Dr. Hoskins, visit 618-526-7271.
Dr. Marrus is accepting adult patients in Breese, Greenville and O’Fallon. For an appointment with Dr. Marrus, call 618-233-6044.
Sources:
- American Academy of Pediatrics; American Heart Association; UptoDate ###
About HSHS Medical Group
HSHS Medical Group is the physician organization of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS). Launched in 2009, HSHS Medical Group is a critical component of the HSHS Care Integration strategy, which focuses on bringing physicians, technology and patients together to improve the overall health of our communities. Today, HSHS Medical Group is comprised of over 1,300 colleagues in locations throughout central and southern Illinois. HSHS Medical Group is powered by the Franciscan history of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, and our faith-based identity led us to the single most important tenet of the HSHS Medical Group philosophy — patient-first care. For more information about HSHS Medical Group, visit HSHSMedicalGroup.org.
About Prairie Heart Institute Of Illinois
The Prairie Heart Institute of Illinois (PHII) is a community-based network of hospitals that offers cardiovascular programs staffed by the nationally recognized Prairie Cardiovascular, the largest group of cardiologists in the tri-state region. Because of the Prairie Education and Research Consortium (PERC), network hospitals of PHII also have access to drugs and treatments not widely available. The network hospitals of PHII offer the highest level of cardiovascular care possible in their communities. When more specialized care is needed, it is available in Springfield, O’Fallon or Carbondale.
About Hospital Sisters Health System
Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high quality, Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our 15 Local Systems and physician practices in Illinois (Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, O’Fallon, Shelbyville and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan, and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.
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