Description: Prevention is better than a cure.

It is a familiar phrase used by doctors to get their patents to make smarter choices about their health. Sometimes it works and sometimes not.


Cox News Service file photo
(ENLARGE)
Smart choices will help keep the Christmas holiday season healthier, experts say.

But at this time of year, that advice is especially true for people with or at risk for heart disease, said Dr. Sunil Rao, a cardiologist at Duke University Medical Center. The rate of heart attack and heart disease-related deaths are highest in December and January.

A study done by the center in 2005 found that the rate of heart attack-related deaths in December, 21.7 percent, was higher than in other months, 20.7 percent, Rao said. The fact that heart attacks tend to be larger and more severe and the death rate is higher during December and January months should encourage people to be more aware of their bodies and their behavior, he said.

"Remember what a heart attack i