The specialists at the Hurley Vascular Center understand that wellness and prevention are the keys to having a healthy heart and circulatory system, and our entire staff is committed to helping you get healthy, stay healthy and live a healthier life. Here are seven simple steps to avoiding heart and vascular disease, called Life’s Simple 7™:

• Stop Smoking. Smoking greatly increases your risk of heart attack and stroke. At Hurley, we can help you stop smoking. Click here for more information.
• Maintain a healthy weight. If you have too much body fat, especially at the waist, you’re at higher risk for heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. 
• Get active. To have a healthy heart, regular physical activity is important. This can include walking, jogging, basketball, handball, football, soccer...almost any kind of exercise.
• Eat better. A heart-healthy diet including fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, seeds and whole grains. Try to cut out (or at least limit) soda, fried foods, starch, fast food and fatty meats, and choose fat-free or low-fat dairy products.
• Control your cholesterol. Read food labels to make sure you’re buying foods low in saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol. You can lower your cholesterol by changing your diet, exercising, losing weight and/or taking medications.
• Manage your blood pressure. High blood pressure makes your heart work harder and puts more strain on your arteries, so it’s important to get it checked regularly. You can lower your blood pressure by changing your diet, exercising, losing weight, limiting your sodium (salt) intake and/or taking medications.
• Control your blood sugar. Diabetes seriously increases your risk of heart disease. To help you manage diabetes or pre-diabetes, Hurley offers several highly-respected Diabetes Education Programs.

Vascular Screening

Early detection of vascular disease is vital and can mean the difference between life and death. In most cases, when diagnosed early, vascular disease can be treated effectively. Strokes due to carotid disease can be prevented if diagnosed early and medical treatment is undertaken. There are several simple screening tests that detect problems, all of which are non-invasive and painless. For a complete listing of these tests, click here.