Top 10 tech tips for healthier heart By Family Features The message that a healthy lifestyle helps protect your heart isn’t new. If you’d like to do more to take care of your heart, here are 10 ways technolog y can make that easier. 1. Stop smoking. Apps such as Smoke Reducer for Android, and iQuit for iPhone can help you wean off tobacco. You can also use the Firefox add-on Quitomzilla, which shows you how much mone y y ou s av e b y not smok i ng , t he nu mber of cigarettes not smoked, and the overall time since your last smoke. 2 . Stay w it hin a hea lt hy weight range. Make it easier to monitor your weight-loss prog ress w it h the iHealth Wireless Scale. You can track your weight over time, and see results in relation to daily activity, time of day, diet, exercise, and more. The scale lets you set a milestone and share your results with doctors, fitness buddies and family. The free compa nion iHea lt h Sca le app works with iPod touch,
iPhone and iPad. Learn more at www.ihealth99.com. 3. Limit alcohol and caffeine. Keep t rack of how much you’re d r i n k i ng w it h t he Dr i n k Cont rol or A lcohol Monitor apps for iPhone, or the SoberApp for Android. They estimate your blood alcohol content and let you k now whet her or not you shou ld d r ive. To mon itor your caffeine intake, try the Caffeine Zone 2 for iPhone a nd iPad, or t he Ca f feine Monitor app for Android. 4. Take care of your teeth. Resea rch suggests t hat there may be a link between per iodont a l d i sea se a nd heart disease. Go online and check the American Dental A s s o c i a t i o n’s d a t a b a s e at w w w. A DA .or g to f i nd ora l hea lt h care products that have the ADA sea l of approval. At the ADA website,
you can also watch videos on a variety of oral health care topics. 5. Keep tabs on your blood pressure. The Mayo Clinic recommends you monitor y ou r b l o o d pr e s s u r e a t home and visit your doctor regularly. With the iHealth Blood Pressure Dock, (www. i hea lt h99.c om), you c a n acc u rately mea su re you r blood pressure, track your read i ngs over t i me, a nd share that information with healthcare providers, friends and family members. The Dock comes w it h a blood pressu re a r m cu f f a nd doubles as a charging station for your iPod touch, iPhone and iPad. The companion iHealth app is available for free. 6. Reduce stress.
device, like the StressEraser, to help you rela x by synchronizing your breat hing a nd your hea rt rate. If having too much on your plate a nd too ma ny i nter r upt ions causes you stress, tr y Quiet Hours. It let s you shut dow n you r computer’s communication Make it easier to monitor your apps, like instant messaging, weight-loss progress with the for a specified period of time.
iHealth Wireless Scale. You can track your weight over time, and see Healthier Heart results in relation to daily activity, page 5 ‰ time of day, diet, exercise, and more.
Knowing your family's medical history can help you identify patterns that might be relevant to your own heart health.
Managing diabetes, arthritis or allergies can be overwhelming. Safe disposal of the sharps used to treat them doesn’t have to be.
Try a portable biofeedback
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If you or a loved one use sharps at home, Maine law allows for their disposal in your household trash if these steps to safety are followed. Place sharps in a puncture-proof container like a detergent bottle, red sharps bucket from your pharmacy or needle clipper. When full, secure with tape, label “Do Not Recycle” and throw away. Please never toss loose sharps in the trash or toilet which puts your family at risk for accidental sticks.
More on safe disposal or a free needle clipper: (207) 287-7854 | www.maine.gov/dep/sharps
This message brought to you by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection
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