Community Hospital teaches heart health tips at Cardiology Conference

The Columbus Community Hospital hosted a Cardiology Conference last Thursday, Feb. 20. in the Columbus Wellness Center Community Room, educating attendees about heart health.

The conference included free cholesterol and A1C screenings, presentations from cardiology health and wellness experts, a healthy lunch and heart health resources to help build and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Guest speakers included cardiologist Dr. Kevin Rabii, pulmonologist Dr. Carl Dahlberg and others, covering a wide range of heart health and lung topics, including health screenings, diet best practices and other tips to ensure attendees stay on top of their heart and lung health.

Amongst some of those tips were important notes shared by Dr. Rabii, who encouraged attendees to take at least 2,500 steps a day or more, showcasing evidence that suggests a 50% lower chance of death or heart related incident if done.

Dr. Rabii also emphasized that aspirin shouldn’t be taken just because and is dependent on the person’s medical condition.

“For a normal person, we don’t general recommend aspirin as it can cause bleeding,” said Dr. Rabii. “It can even cause more bleeding than some blood thinners. At low doses it thins the blood and protects it. At higher doses, it could be more dangerous.”

Dr. Dahlberg showcased different case studies of patients he had seen throughout his career exhibiting a wide variety of symptoms and their different diagnoses.

“The lungs filter, sort and process foreign materials such as bacteria, pollen, spores, dust and pollutants,” said Dr. Dahlberg. “We only breathe 21% oxygen and primarily nitrogen.”

Dr. Dahlberg also highlighted how 100 cigarettes in a lifetime qualifies users to be considered “chronic smokers” and high risk for lung issues.

Those who signed up for the conference were treated to a heart healthy lunch, a salad with all the fixings, courtesy of Schobel’s Restuarant.