For American Heart Month, we talked to cardiologist 特雷西·史蒂文斯(M).D. 1990年)，以及注册专业咨询师Shantai 麦克雷, m.s.A., L.P.C., about keeping our hearts feeling good, healing a broken (or damaged) heart and more.

Whether you plan to spend the holiday with your special someone or by taking part in some self-care, our two heart experts and UMKC faculty members can help make every day an opportunity to celebrate your heart, 不仅仅是情人节.

史蒂文斯 is a professor of medicine at UMKC, a cardiologist and medical director of the Muriel I. 考夫曼妇女心脏中心. She found passion for all things heart when she was working as a physical therapist at S不是 卢克医院的心脏病康复中心, and decided to attend the UMKC 医学院’s four-year medical program.

“I still remain so grateful for the education and experience in my four years at UMKC,” she said.

She has been a champion of women’s heart health throughout her career, and is passionate about educating people about ways to keep their hearts healthy.

麦克雷原本打算上法学院, 先是做了家事法庭案件经理, 在哪里 she found she had a gift for compassion and understanding. 她上法学院的计划仍然在望, but as she started her family she continued her work in the field of mental health, 药物滥用和家庭服务.

“At some point I had figured out that this is what I was supposed to be doing,” 麦克雷 said.

在获得咨询硕士学位之后, she started a private practice and eventually became an adjunct teacher in the psychology department at UMKC in 2022.

What does the average person need to know when it comes to taking care of our heart? 

史蒂文斯: 它可以归结为一个词，那就是“纪律”.” We can prevent traditional heart attack and stroke by 95% by engaging in lifestyle strategies. 这是我们知道要做的，我们只是没有去做. 吃健康的. 想想盘子，而不是拼盘. Half the plate is vegetables, a quarter fruit, a quarter protein. 保持简单. 保持活跃. 你不必是运动狂人，但要动起来. 做你喜欢做的事，强迫自己去做. M不是ain ideal body weight, don’t smoke, limit alcohol and avoid prolonged sitting. 久坐就像吸烟一样，对我们有害.

If we do those ideal lifestyle strategies, it reduces our risk by 95%. 如果你只选两个，你的风险会降低92%.

麦克雷: One of the things that I think is important both personally and in my position as a helper, 首先是, 鸣谢. 有时我觉得这是战斗中最重要的部分, 因为我们生活在一个生产力是关键的社会, and we continue to move and to go and to get involved and to be engaged, 而且注意力不够集中. There hasn’t been enough focus on making sure that you’re okay so you can be at your best when you’re doing all these things. Just be in 鸣谢 that there’s something going on, that you’re feeling something. 感觉一下也没关系. 因为我们在激烈的竞争中，我们不会总是停下来.

I give the example of putting my feet on the floor in the morning and asking myself, ”, 我?’ 不是身体上的， 在哪里 我? 我的感觉是什么? 我需要做些什么才能让自己到达一个更好的地方?

If we acknowledge it, then we can be prepared to work through it. 如果我们把它推到一边, that’s when it starts to build up and that’s when you start to have some of the larger issues.

哪些迹象可能表明我们的心脏不是处于最佳状态?

史蒂文斯: 如果你踩着油门，现在却无法加油, 你应该想想, “这是我的心吗??“任何限制你腰部以上的运动. We think of a heart attack as the Hollywood holding-the-chest-clenched-fist visual. 我们没有很好地询问胸痛. 不可能是胸部 疼痛 但是胸部 压力. 可能是消化不良, 呼吸急促（气促）, 肩胛骨之间疼痛, 牙痛, 肘部疼痛, 头晕. 我担心的一个症状是新的压倒性的疲劳. 腰部以上都可以, 包括疲劳, 你无法解释, 你应该问, “这是我的心吗??”

麦克雷: 你知道正常是什么感觉. When you notice you’re feeling abnormal or something’s off, you have to pay attention to that. If you’re in practice of checking in on yourself mentally or physically, 这样你就能更好地了解发生了什么. 如果你不习惯利用自己的情绪, 你可能感觉到了什么, 但不能认出它.

所以从这样的心态开始:“是的，我有感觉. 它们是正常的，我需要能够识别它们. 如果我能做到的话, then I can do something about it before getting to a point 在哪里 it's out of control.”

让我们谈谈破碎的心. 一个人怎样才能回到感觉良好的状态呢?

史蒂文斯: 永远不会太迟! We want to be on these healthy habits that reduce inflammation in our body. 消炎的生活方式至关重要, 采取健康的策略永远不会太晚.

麦克雷: 治疗不是线性的. You have to show yourself self-compassion and be really intentional about allowing yourself to feel. It is a process of grief when you’ve lost someone and it can be really impactful. Allow it to come when it does and don’t get into your head and judge yourself. 这只是增加了它.

The other thing I’ll say is still being intentional about connecting with people. 尽管很艰难, when your heart has been broken and trust has been compromised, 连接仍在愈合. 漏洞开始连接. 所以即使在你最脆弱的时候，你也需要这种联系. 也许是和父母或好朋友在一起. 你也可以亲近大自然或宠物.

How can we help the people around us take care of their hearts too?

史蒂文斯: 它非常敏感, especially if you’re in a culture 在哪里 people prepare food a certain way (with excess sodium or unhealthy eating habits). It’s hard to change, and disagreements break out when you try to change culture. It’s empowering people to understand that these lifestyle strategies make a difference. 即使你只做两件事. 治疗心脏病最好的方法是预防它. Being preventative is far easier up front than being reactive to crisis and chronic disease that could have been prevented.

麦克雷: When you’re talking about community, it’s just about being present. We live in a productivity-driven society, and we go and go and go. So, when we’re asking those questions and checking in with one another, 如果我们有眼神交流并且真诚, 然后它让人们觉得敞开心扉是安全的. If we allow ourselves to stop and really be present and intentional about connecting with one another, 然后我们就可以开始减少围绕情绪的污名.