February 1, 2012— Preferred Hearing Care is joining the Better Hearing Institute in promoting American Heart Month in February and National Wear Red Day® on February 3, 2012. Preferred Hearing Care will be raising awareness of the threat that heart disease poses and of the connection between cardiovascular health and hearing health.

As part of its outreach efforts, Preferred Hearing Care is urging people with heart disease to get their hearing checked. A free, quick, and confidential online hearing check at Preferred Hearing Care can help people determine if they need a comprehensive, objective hearing test by a hearing health professional. To raise awareness among local women that heart disease is their #1 health threat, Preferred Hearing Care will host Wear Red and Hear Your Heart Day.

When: Friday, February 3 2012

Time: 11:00 a.m to 2:00 p.m.

Where:  5 East Main St., Merrimac, MA.

The event will provide free hearing screening and heart healthy tips for all.  Women who wear red will receive a Special Gift.  Heart Healthy Refreshments will be served. “Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the United States,” says Nancy Sideri, Hearing Specialist and Owner of Preferred Hearing Care. “At Preferred Hearing Care, we want to help raise awareness of the serious threat it poses to each of us personally and to inform people of the connection between heart health and hearing health. We urge women and men alike to know their risks and to take action today to protect their heart—and hearing—health.”

The inner ear is extremely sensitive to blood flow. Studies have shown that a healthy cardiovascular system—a person’s heart, arteries, and veins—has a positive effect on hearing. Conversely, inadequate blood flow and trauma to the blood vessels of the inner ear can contribute to hearing loss.

On National Wear Red Day®, the first Friday of each February, Americans nationwide wear red to show their support for women’s heart disease awareness. Preferred Hearing Care’s activities are in partnership with The Heart Truth®, a national awareness campaign warning women about their risk of heart disease. The campaign is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in partnership with The Office on Women’s Health (OWH) and other organizations committed to the health and well-being of women.

“Our participation in American Heart Month and National Wear Read Day® enables the hearing health community to make an important contribution to saving millions of lives,” says Dr. Sergei Kochkin, Executive Director of the Better Hearing Institute. “This is an opportunity to highlight the connection that heart health has on hearing health and to empower people with that knowledge. People with heart disease should not have to contend with the additional toll that unaddressed hearing loss takes on their quality of life.”

Some Things to Know About Heart Disease According to the American Heart Association , heart disease is our nation’s #1 killer. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event, and about one every minute will die from one. But there is good news: There are things people can do to protect the health of their heart and reduce their risks—including adopting new habits, such as not smoking, following a heart healthy eating plan, maintaining a healthy weight, and becoming more physically active.

According to the NHLBI, family history of early heart disease and age are two key risk factors for heart disease. Controllable risk factors include smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, overweight/obesity, physical inactivity, and diabetes.The NHLBI says that the main warning signs for women and men are: Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back. The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.

The discomfort may be mild or severe, and it may come and go. Discomfort in other areas of the upper body, including pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach. Shortness of breath, which often comes along with chest discomfort. But it also can occur before chest discomfort.  Other symptoms may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or light-headedness.

About Hearing Loss: Numerous studies have linked untreated hearing loss to a wide range of physical and emotional conditions, including impaired memory and ability to learn new tasks, reduced alertness, increased risk to personal safety, irritability, negativism, anger, fatigue, tension, stress, depression, and diminished psychological and overall health. But eight out of ten hearing aid users report improvements in their quality of life.

For more information about women and heart disease, including materials such as The Healthy Heart Handbook for Women and fact sheets about women and heart disease, please visit  Heart Truth or call the NHLBI Health Information Center at 888-577-2961.