The Heart Healthy Family

On this episode of The Wellness Conversation, the discussion focused on heart health and its impact on families.

Hosts Marcus Thorpe and Lindsey Gordon sat down with cardiologist John Hatanelas, DO, and NBC4 anchor Jerod Smalley to explore how understanding your heart can help you make healthier choices.

“We have to be active. We're meant to be active,” Dr. Hatanelas said. “In terms of what plugs up the pipes, you can just imagine putting food down the kitchen sink. If you put too much down, eventually it tends to plug up. Maybe we're not quite built for that, and we don't know quite how to process it … I think the biggest thing is what we put in our body and then how we treat our body through exercise and activity.”

Smalley knows firsthand how crucial heart health is. Before turning 40, he suffered a stroke, despite being in great shape and having no prior warning signs. While his physical fitness played a key role in his recovery, many people aren’t as fortunate. Dr. Hatanelas emphasized the need to rethink medicine, shifting the focus from treatment to prevention by helping people break harmful habits.

“We know that a lot of cardiovascular disease is preventable, but it's a bit of a paradigm shift that will have to happen within medicine,” Dr. Hatanelas said. “I think the biggest thing people can do is advocate for their families themselves by trying to eat to heal, not just pleasure and reward.”

While some risk factors for heart disease are beyond our control, leading a healthy lifestyle can make a significant difference. Smalley recalled a conversation with OhioHealth neurologists, who told him his overall health likely played a key role in his recovery.

“They were like, ‘if you hadn't been in good shape, you might have had a very different outcome.’ The best thing you can do is be proactive instead of reactive,” Smalley said.

To listen to the full episode, click here.