Many of us consider February the love month. We consider it as time of love and we celebrate it by showing feelings of love, affection and friendship. But little did we know that February, by law, is literally the Heart Month. By virtue of Proclamation No. 1096 signed on January 9, 1973, the month of February has been declared Philippine Heart Month. The proclamation seeks to promote awareness of heart disease as a serious and growing health concern among Filipinos.

World Health Organization (WHO) reported that Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally. CVD refers to a class of ailments that affect the heart and the blood vessels connected to it. An estimated 17.9 million people died from CVDs in 2016, representing 31% of all global deaths. Of these deaths, 85% are due to heart attack and stroke.

In the Philippines, deaths related to Non-Communicable Diseases account for approximately 67% of all deaths, with data attributed to: cardiovascular diseases (35%), cancer (10%), diabetes (4%), and chronic respiratory diseases (6%) (WHO Report on NCD Country Profiles, 2018).

You may not feel the urgency of this at the moment; but when the repercussions directly hit you, that’s when you start getting anxious. So, what to do now? How can we prevent ourselves from incurring such diseases? The answer is simple. We should keep our heart healthy.

The Department of Health (DOH) has provided useful tips to keep our heart healthy. These tips are (1) eat right, (2) manage stress, (3) avoid alcohol, (4) stay at a healthy weight, and (5) quit smoking. These are basic but doable tips that anyone can achieve. These tips have also been emphasized by the National Nutrition Council’s Ten Kumainments on how to live healthy, particularly on Kumainments No 8, “Hinay hinay sa maaalat, mamantika at matatamis.”, No. 9, “Panatilihin and tamang timbang.”, and No. 10, “Maging aktibo, iwasan ang alak; huwag manigarilyo.”

Various initiatives and events have taken place over the years for the celebration of Hearts Month. We have walkathons, free ECGs, Heart Fair and many more. People can also get involved in saving one’s heart.

In celebration of Heart Month, the National Nutrition Council also initiated the social media super heart campaign through Nutriquotes this February. To join this campaign, get on your social media accounts now and react LOVE on your favourite nutriquote (https://www.facebook.com/NNCR8/posts/2795518043839732) to spread awareness. NNC8 will give a special award for the Nutriquote of the Month with the most count of shares and love.

It’s the time of the year when we should be most aware of our cardiac health and all the things that could hurt it. For this month and beyond, let’s help spread the useful tips and get involved in activities that promote cardiovascular health awareness for everyone. We should love our hearts not only in February but for the rest of the days to come. #NASLabordo #DAFLendero