Hearts are all a flutter around Valentine’s Day. Solantic Baptist Urgent Care and the American Heart Association want to make sure yours stays in top condition so that you and the ones who love you can rest assured. That’s why the AHA named February “American Heart Month.” It’s also why Solantic offers wellness exams and physicals that include heart health checks like EKGs and pulmonary function tests. According the AHA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control:

Solantic Baptist Urgent Care offers tailored physicals to help make sure you're in good heart health.

• Heart disease is the number one killer of women and men in the United States, killing about a half million people each year;
• Each year, more than a million Americans have heart attacks In fact, the first cardiac symptom experienced by 71% of the population will be a heart attack, and one victim out of three will die;
• 90% of Women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease;
• More than 82 million American adults - one in three people - are estimated to have one or more types of cardiovascular disease;
• About 2,200 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each day. That’s an average of one death every 39 seconds;
• Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death among women 20 and older, killing about one woman every minute;
• More women die of heart disease than the next four causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer.

To help keep your ticker going strong schedule regular physicals at your nearest Solantic Baptist Urgent Care center. We offer a range of age-specific physicals, including several designed specifically for athletes and executives. And we can tailor a wellness plan that addresses your unique health need and risks. Visit our website to find an urgent care center near you and register online for quicker service. No appointment is ever necessary and we’re open evenings and weekends to accommodate your busy schedule.

Solantic Baptist Urgent Care physicians and staff urge you to participate in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) World No Tobacco Day May 31, 2010. This year’s theme focuses on warning women about tobacco risks and delivers a stern message to tobacco marketers: Stop targeting women with manipulative, downright deceptive advertisements.

Smoking poses unique and potentially deadly health risks for women.

WHO researchers and smoking cessation advocates criticize tobacco marketers for what they consider insidious messages. Beautifully crafted print, television and online ads suggest smoking lends women a sexy, empowered image and that smoking light or low-tar cigarettes is safer than smoking regular cigarettes. Research shows that tobacco marketers increasingly are targeting women who live in low-income and middle-income countries, where women are gaining spending power and independence. Many of these women are, for the first time in their lives, enjoying the financial and social freedom to smoke tobacco, but lack the knowledge of the health risks that smoking poses.

WHO, and Solantic Baptist Urgent Care want to make sure our female patients of all ages are fully aware smoking causes an increased risk of:

- Infertility and trouble conceiving children;
- Cervical cancer, vulvar cancer and premenopausal breast cancer;
- Premature delivery, stillbirth, newborn death or reduction in breast milk for pregnant smokers;
- Cardiovascular conditions such as blood clots, heart attacks and strokes for smokers using hormonal birth control;
- Pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause ectopic pregnancies, pelvic adhesions and other fertility problems;
- Menstrual problems such as abnormal bleeding or amenorrhea (the absence of periods);
- Osteoporosis;
- Early menopause among women who start smoking as teenagers.

Women also are at risk for many of the same smoking-related medical conditions as men, such as mouth cancer, emphysema and lung cancer. Nearly 23 million U.S. women (roughly a quarter of the nation’s female population) smoke cigarettes, and more than 1.5 million teenage girls smoke. Despite the fact that smoking is the nation’s most preventable cause of death, smoking related conditions kill more than 140,000 U.S. women annually.

If you are a female smoker looking to kick the habit, don’t wait until May 31. In fact, don’t wait another minute. Contact Solantic Baptist Urgent Care at 904-223-2320 or via our online email form. Our wellness services including full physicals and screenings, and your Solantic Baptist Urgent Care physician can offer smoking cessation tips based on your unique lifestyle and healthcare needs.