By John M. Clymer The FDA has issued guidelines to gradually reduce dietary sodium, a cause of hypertension, heart disease, and kidney disease. The guidance is intended to “Support and extend [the food] industry’s voluntary efforts to reduce sodium across the range of commercially processed, packaged, and prepared foods.” “Doctors are …
Stroke Discriminates and It’s on the Rise.
Stroke Discriminates and It’s on the Rise. We need to help people control their blood pressure now. By Warren A. Jones, MD, FAAFP and John M. Clymer There are at least two reasons why high blood pressure is called “the silent killer,” and both are underscored in a new research report published today in Hypertension, co-authored by …
A Real Way to Strengthen the U.S. Response to COVID-19 That’s Ready to Roll
John M. Clymer Executive Director National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention As Congress and the Trump Administration negotiate over the next COVID-19 legislative package, they have an opportunity to strengthen the nation’s response to the pandemic, blunt the health impact of COVID-19 and, at the same time, increase health …
USA TODAY Article Underscores National Forum’s Strategy of Working with Mayors to Improve Cardiovascular Health
By: John Clymer Today’s USA Today cover story makes clear why the National Forum’s work with mayors to improve health in their communities is so important. People trust mayors more (74%) than governors (68%) or President Trump (44%) for information about the spread of coronavirus, according to a Harris Poll-Center for American Political Studies …
How Real People Can Cut Their Risk of COVID-19 and Stroke
Columbia, SC Mayor Steve Benjamin and National Forum Board member and Black News Channel host Mark McEwen take to the radio airwaves to discuss the importance of preventing and controlling high blood pressure to reduce one’s risk of stroke, heart disease, kidney disease and, now, COVID-19. These two influential African American men share their …
COVID-19 and People with Heart Disease: 4.8.20 Update
Dear National Forum Members, Stakeholders, and Mayors in Move with the Mayor™, The National Forum continues to drill down to help you answer questions about people with heart disease and diabetes being at risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Two questions we’re hearing this week are Who should wear a face covering and when? and If …
COVID-19 and People with Heart Disease: 3.27.20 Update
Dear National Forum Members, Stakeholders, and Mayors in Move with the Mayor™, CDC this afternoon gave a briefing on people who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. The briefer reported that, “Data clearly show people at older ages have higher risk.” This includes people over age 50, especially those over 65. Additionally, people …
COVID-19 and People with Cardiovascular Disease
National Forum Members and Stakeholders, All of us are inundated with information related to COVID-19. The National Forum provides the following information to answer a question we keep hearing, “When experts say people with serious heart conditions may have higher risk for severe illness, who exactly do they mean?” According to current …
Wall Street Journal Amplifies Warnings Sounded in National Forum Signature Reports & Backs Call To Action for Earlier CVD Risk Factor Intervention
The Wall Street Journal last Friday amplified the warning sounded by the National Forum in its 2017 and 2018 signature reports, Wrong Direction and Losing Ground. In her lengthy WSJ piece, Betsy McKay alerted readers that after decades of public health success that slashed death rates from heart disease and stroke, America is backsliding. Her …