Celebrate a Heart Healthy WI - Let's Go Smoke-free!

Thanks to Luke Rollins of the American Heart Association for this Heart Month guest post!

Smoking is a major cause of cardiovascular disease which includes coronary heart disease and stroke, the nation's No. 1 and No. 3 killers.

When the chemical cocktail from smoking tobacco or breathing in secondhand smoke hits the bloodstream, it damages arteries, the heart, brain and other major blood vessels. Clots in arteries are more likely to form as a result, causing a heart attack or stroke. Smoking also lowers the level of HDL or "good" cholesterol.

And remember, it is not just smokers who are at risk. An estimated 35,000 nonsmokers die from coronary heart disease each year because of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Health, healthcare, and healthcare reform cannot advance in Wisconsin until Wisconsin takes secondhand smoke seriously.

Let's celebrate a heart healthy Wisconsin.

Let's go smoke-free!

Luke Rollins is the Senior Director of Wisconsin Advocacy for the American Heart Association Midwest Affiliate