A Heart-To-Heart With Naomi Judd

Nearly 84 million Americans suffer from some form of heart disease. Naomi Judd is on a mission to make that number much smaller. The six-time Grammy award winner, best-selling author, songwriter, and actress recently spoke to HealthPoint about her ongoing work to educate people about the practical, day-to-day changes almost anyone can make to dramatically lower the risk of heart disease.

Why are you so motivated to raise awareness about heart disease?

I guess you could say it’s in my genes. All of my family on my father’s side passed away because of heart disease. My dad spoke unfiltered Camel cigarettes, and my mother, who worked as a cook, would serve us meals with gravy on everything except our shoes. Like many people today, they just didn’t know the causes of heart disease. When I worked as a registered nurse, I would get so frustrated seeing patients who had survived a heart attack or stroke being sent home without any education or support about how to manage their disease. I knew they would go back to their same unhealthy habits and start smoking again or eat a diet loaded with fat and salt.

So education is critical in preventing heart disease?

Absolutely! People need to know what causes heart disease: high blood pressure, being overweight, family history and not getting enough exercise. Of course, in my opinion, the primary cause of heart disease is stress. More heart attacks occur on Monday morning than during any other time of the week. That really shows how much stress, especially in the workplace, contributes to heart disease. If you have a job you don’t like, if you’re in a bad relationship or facing a stressful situation and don’t have a strong support group of family and friends, it’s going to affect your health.

So what do people need to do to prevent heart disease?

Diet plays an important role. When you open your refrigerator door, you’re really opening a medicine cabinet that can heal or damage your heart. So find out what foods are heart-healthy. If you smoke, stop. If you’re overweight, lose those extra pounds. Get at least 30 minutes of heart-pumping exercise every day and find ways to reduce the stress, whether it’s listening to your favorite music or practicing meditation like I do.

I’d also recommend two books by Dr. Dean Ornish, a world-renowned cardiologist who served as a physician consultant for President Bill Clinton. In Reversing Coronary Artery Disease, Dr. Ornish really shows how diet, exercise, stress reduction and other lifestyle changes can reduce heart disease. Love and Survival tells the inspiring stories of people  who almost died from heart disease but now live healthy and happy lives because they had the right information and used it to transform their lives.

Any final thoughts?

Recent studies have shown that our genetics are only about 1/3 responsible for how healthy we are and how long we live. The other 2/3 is up to us. It’s very empowering when you know that you are largely responsible for your physical health and well-being. It’s a real cause for hope.