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Marble Falls workshop on heart disease prevention July 8

marble falls first baptist church heart disease prevention

Making changes to your diet could reduce your risks of heart attacks, strokes, and Type 2 diabetes by up to 80 percent, along with adding exercise if you’re inactive. First Baptist Church Marble Falls’ Legacy Ministry is hosting ‘Preventing and Treating Heart Attacks and Strokes,’ on Monday, July 8 at 10 AM at the church, 901 La Ventana Drive in Marble Falls. The program, presented by Marble Falls Area EMS paramedic Vaughn Hamilton, will look at preventive and care measures for cardiovascular diseases.

If a person picked up a newspaper and read that researchers had developed a drug that cut heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular disease risks by 80 percent, everyone would take notice. Right?

“It would be the biggest news in scientific history,” said Marble Falls Area EMS paramedic Vaughn Hamilton. “Yet, we know how to do those things and they come without any negative side effects. I’m not saying it’s easy, but we know how to reduce those rates.”

Vaughn will discuss those methods as well as other issues around cardiovascular health and disease during his presentation, “Preventing and Treating Heart Attacks and Strokes,” at 10 AM on Monday, July 8 at the First Baptist Church Marble Falls. The program will be in room G201.

The church’s Legacy Ministry is hosting the free program for the public.

While most people equate heart disease and Type 2 diabetes with older adults, Hamilton said everyone should be aware of the risks associated with heart attacks, strokes, and even cancer.

“It’s like putting money away for retirement the day before you turn 65 or whatever age you want to retire,” he said. “You’d end up living on the streets. I know it’s not something a young adult who sees themselves as healthy wants to think about, but we probably need to start thinking about (cardiovascular disease) when we’re young and healthy.”

Hamilton noted that younger people are having heart attacks as well, something health officials attribute to obesity. In the end, it comes down to individual choices when trying to prevent 80 percent of heart disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes, as well as reducing risks of 40 percent of the cancers out there.

“They’re largely caused by lifestyle choices that we make,” Hamilton said. “And we can modify those. I’m not saying it’s easy, but we can do it.”

The big three risk factors are poor diet, inactivity, and smoking. He’ll go into a bit more depth about those risk factors and what people can do about them during the July 8 program.

Along with prevention, Hamilton will go over some of the current treatments that are available for cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, and strokes.

“We’ll cover as much as we can in the time we have,” he added.

The church is located at 901 La Ventana Drive in Marble Falls.