Keep a blood pressure monitoring device in your family's medicine cabinet and use it regularly. Besides controlling your weight, regular exercise can help you develop and maintain good heart health. Try to exercise at least half an hour every day. Something as simple as a regular walking regimen can have enormous benefits. Talk to your doctor.
Researchers continue to study whether hormone replacement therapy can help reduce cardiac risk.
However, your doctor can help you decide whether the therapy's potential benefits might be worth giving it a try. Now there are two free and easy ways to find answers to these and all your personal and family health questions. E-mail your health questions and staff will respond with information or refer you to the resources you need. Browse the center's lending library of over 1,500 books, journals, brochures, videos and audiotapes or try an online medical search. The fully staffed center is open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is located on the first floor of Lutheran General Hospital.