Preventing Heart Disease is Easier than You Think

Feb. 8, 2010 - PRLog -- Staying heart healthy and preventing cardiovascular disease doesn’t need to be hard. That’s Dr. Jesus Mendiolaza’s message for Lee County at Lee Memorial Health System’s Feb. 23 Well Informed lecture from 5 – 6:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Place Coconut Point, 23120 Via Villagio, in Estero.

“Heart disease is a very serious problem to be sure. It causes more than 630,000 deaths each year,” Mendiolaza says. “But we could prevent so many of these deaths if people at risk made some easy and different lifestyle choices.”

Since February is American Heart Month and devoted to heart disease awareness and education, there’s no better time to take action. With each minute that passes, another life is lost to heart disease, and it’s just as likely to strike women as men.

Mendiolaza advocates a simple approach to prevent cardiovascular disease in adults with four parts, all of which he will discuss during his lecture.

•   Education on basic, primary ways to prevent cardiovascular disease that everyone should know
•   How to be proactive in preventing disease
•   Identifying risk factors and lifestyle modifications to improve your overall heart health
•   Diagnostic testing to help us determine your heart health

“Being aware of your risk and lifestyle factors is only half of the challenge,” Mendiolaza adds. “The hardest part is making lifestyle changes to ward off disease. By talking about simple changes people can make to reduce their risk, we’ll hopefully increase their likelihood of doing so and in turn, reduce their likelihood of suffering heart attacks or other problems.”

Mendiolaza will discuss more and answer attendees “burning questions” about preventing heart disease at Lee Memorial Health System’s upcoming Well Informed lecture.

Date:   Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010
   
Time:   5 – 6:30 p.m.
   
Location:   Hyatt Place Coconut Point, located at Coconut Point mall
23120 Via Villagio, Estero, FL 33928
   
Reservations:   239-433-8505 or www.HealthyBonitaEstero.org


About Dr. Jesus Mendiolaza
Dr. Jesus Mendiolaza specializes in non-invasive cardiology and cardiac imaging at Associates in Cardiac Care. Mendiolaza earned his medical degree from Federico Villarreal University School of Medicine in Lima, Peru. After three years in research with the University of California San Francisco and Stanford University School of Medicine, he completed an internship in internal medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago. He then completed his internal medicine residency and a fellowship in cardiology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Prior to joining Associates in Cardiac Care, Mendiolaza practiced with Anchor Health Centers in Naples, Fla. He is board certified in internal medicine and nuclear cardiology.

About Lee Memorial Health System
Open since 1916, Lee Memorial Health System is the fifth largest public health system in the United States and the largest community-owned health system in Southwest Florida. With more than 9,000 employees, LMHS is made up of four acute care hospitals and two specialty hospitals, as well as outpatient centers, walk-in medical centers and primary care physician offices.  An award-winning health care system, LMHS provides regional programs, such as our Trauma Center and Children’s Hospital, which serve our community members from Tampa to Miami. Visit www.LeeMemorial.org for more information.