Give me five, for cleaner air! This is Humanitas motto, which invites everyone to take care of their heart. In fact, 90 out of 100 European citizens breathe in air that it too dirty or too polluted, well above the limited recommended by WHO-World Health Organization. Cardiovascular diseases kill 4 million Europeans each year and so many others remain severely disabled.
5 tips for better health heart
Give me five- the five pillars of the heart:
–Change habits!
-Use a bicycle instead of a car whenever you can
–Oxygenate your lungs in healthy, green environments from time to time
-Reduce the heating temperature in your home
-Educate your children about air pollution and why not to pollute
Pollution of the environment: pay attention to the heart’s health
“We have learned to better treat diseases such as thrombosis, but these are an epidemic on rise – says Dr. Lidia Rota, head of the Center for Cardiovascular Prevention and President of the ALT – Association for the fight against thrombosis and cardiovascular diseases in Humanitas. Also, these diseases not only affect the elderly, but young people as well: in children, they cause bronchial asthma and chronic inflammation of the tonsils and adenoids, making them vulnerable and exposed to the threat of viruses that swarm in the air, especially children that move around in wheelchairs the same height as the exhaust pipes of a car! “.
What can we do? “Each one of us – says Dr. Rota – has the responsibility to choose a proper lifestyle that does not add unavoidable risk factors, such as familiarity. Governments have the responsibility to make decisions that facilitate the adoption of a healthy lifestyle, such as pedestrian areas, incentives to use bicycles and ecological public transport, restricted use of the car, and to make laws that reduce pollution.”
“Pollution – adds Dr. Bernhard Reimers, head of Clinical Cardiology and Interventional Humanitas – also plays a role in the progression of atherosclerosis, which is cause of heart attacks and stroke. There is not a single factor such as diabetes or high levels of cholesterol that can be controlled with medication. However, greater attention to environmental protection required by citizens and doctors and made by politicians is surely also beneficial to our hearts. ”
Humanitas also teams up for the heart
Humanitas cares about the environment. In fact, the hospital is equipped with a trigeneration plant powered by methane gas that returns electricity, hot water and cold water for air conditioning. These equipment choices have had a lower environmental impact than the ones previously used in the 1990s, so pollution is greatly reduced. Moreover, Humanitas is performing works to improve energy efficiency, including the replacement of all indoor and outdoor lighting fixtures with LED technology lamps, which are activities that will help reduce the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in one year’s time.
