February is American Heart Month and Kishwaukee Community Hospital had two different programs in recognition of heart attacks.

A heart attack is when lack of blood flow keeps blood from going to the muscle of the heart, said Dr. Todd Barrowclist of Kishwaukee Community Hospital. The symptoms of a heart attack may be a tightness in the chest, pain that may go to the shoulder, neck, arm or jaw, constant sweating and/or shortness of breath, Barrowclist added.

A heart attack, which is also the most common type of cardiovascular disease, is usually caused by smoking, not exercising and eating high cholesterol foods, said Registered Respiratory Therapist Denise Kennedy of Kishwaukee Community Hospital.

Kishwaukee Community Hospital offered a low fat cooking class and a CPR class in recognition of Heart Month. Participants in the low fat cooking class learned how to take conventional recipes and modify them into low fat recipes, Kennedy said. The CPR class was held to “recognize symptoms of a heart attack,” she said.

Kennedy said “college students are not likely to have hardening of the arteries which predisposes a person to a heart attack.” But she said to avoid having a heart attack, students should “start living a healthy lifestyle now.”