May is for Health

What's happening in May, you might ask? Well, in terms of what is happening in the world that is scheduled, we have Mother's Day (second Sunday in May), Armed Forces Day (third Saturday in May), and Memorial Day (last Monday in May). In addition, May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Bicycle Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, and National Stroke Awareness Month in the United States. We haven't listed all of the dates and awareness items for the month of May, but if you're curious, there are a number of events and observations that happen every month.

That being said, did you know that Mother's Day or some variation of the celebration of mothers dates back hundreds of years and is not something unique just to Americans? The Romans held a festival for Cybele, the Mother of the Gods, the Greeks held one for Rhea, a Titaness known as the mother of the Gods, and the Indians have a day honoring the mother goddess Durga which is still celebrated to this day in India. In the United States the tradition has Christian origins and is celebrated on the same date as the "Mothering Day."

Another May day celebrated in the United States is Armed Forces Day. Armed Forces Day occurs on the third Saturday in May. No, it's not Veteran's Day or Memorial Day. First observed on May 20, 1950, the day was created to honor Americans serving in one of the five United States military branches. Sometimes there are parades, receptions, open houses, or shows, but usually there are deals for military only benefits (ie: Navy Federal runs deals all month).

The last day we mentioned is Memorial Day which honors those who have died in the United States wars. Surprisingly, Memorial Day originated during the Civil War as a result of citizens placing flowers on the graves of those who were killed in battle. In 1971, Congress standardized the holiday as Memorial Day, since prior the observations differed based on who organized them.

There are also a number of month-long observations in May as well. For example, most people know that May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, but did you know that it's also Bicycle Month? National Bicycle Month is relatively new, established in 1956 the purpose is to showcase the benefits of bicycling. There are a variety of planned activities such as bike to work week, bike to work day, and bike day. It may be worth checking out your local chapter of the National Bike League to see what activities they have planned. A little sun and exercise can go a long way with cardiovascular health.

Speaking of cardiovascular health, well really vascular health, May is also Stroke Awareness Month. Strokes are relatively common, but how much do you know about them? Did you know that cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of death in 2020 and that 1 in 6 deaths from cardiovascular disease were due to stroke? Did you know that cardiovascular disease was still the leading cause of death in 2020 and was higher than the COVID-19 death rates? And though they did not make the very top, did you know that stroke deaths are consistently within the top 10 leading causes of death?

Getting treatment for a stroke is time sensitive, so it is important to let doctors know when the symptoms started and even what they were. Sometimes when a stroke occurs, symptoms can be minor, like temporary loss of balance or confusion, but sometimes the symptoms can be more severe where patients lose the ability to move half of their body including control over muscles in the face. What is more interesting is that roughly 80% of strokes are preventable via lifestyle changes.

Speaking of health, mental health is just as important as physical health. Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month? Mental health can even directly impact physical health - for example, did you know that stress can cause high blood pressure that can lead to a heart attack? Mental health isn't just about stress, though; mental health is your emotional, physiological, and social well-being and, like physical health, mental health is important at every stage of life. Organizations such as Mental Health American and NAMI run campaigns during Mental Health Awareness month and it may be worth it to go just to learn about mental health and available resources.