Your good health is not up to your doctors, your spouse, your health care provider, the government or anyone else - it's up to you! This responsibility is not limited to the way you live and your worldview, it extends to practical things like the type of health care coverage you have. For example, if you need heart or vascular surgery, can you go to the hospital that has the best results, or are you limited to the hospital that gives your health maintenance organization the lowest price?

Unfortunately, for many individuals, good health is not a priority. They usually are not concerned about their health if they have unmet basic needs and/or have a myriad of stresses. That is why many individuals give little concern to their health until they have attained a comfortable retirement - unfortunately, that may be too late.

To take control, you have to be motivated and knowledgeable - education is the key. A potential problem with education, however, is "information overload." There is so much information (and misinformation) on the Internet, in the media and elsewhere, that at times it is difficult to "separate the wheat from the chaff."
This is one area where the UA Sarver Heart Center, through its educational activities such as "Heart News for You" in our newsletters (are you saving yours?) and our public educational and outreach conferences can help. To help you focus on your cardiovascular health, the next couple of newsletters will outline the most important things you can do to prevent cardiovascular disease.