Be proactive: Watch for signs and take action to protect your heart.
I attended the South Jersey Go Red for Women breakfast last week, where I sat uneasy in my chair, along with a group of other professional businesswomen sporting red dresses and red suits, once again listening to these harrowing statistics:
- Heart disease is STILL the number-one killer of women, taking the life of one in three women every year;
- Women STILL account for more than 60 percent of all stroke deaths in the country; and
At all ages, more women than men die from stroke.
It all sounded so depressing. And many of us talked of feeling defeated. When you hear statistics like that you just want to bury your head in the sand. And yet, that’s probably the worst thing you can do. Statistically speaking, people who make conscious, positive choices about their health, live longer.
But is that any surprise?
Cardiologist Dr. Annie Peter from The Heart House doesn’t think so. She’s a firm believer in women (and men) being proactive with their heart health.
She said that education was paramount. The more you know, the better. For example, she talked about some of the signs to watch out for and warned that many women experience non-traditional indicators (like pain in the right arm, instead of the left or mild rather than crushing pain in the chest). Her best advice: If you feel like you’re having a heart attack, you need to get to your doctor without trying to guess what you might have. If you lead your doctor to believe that it may just be acid reflux or heartburn, she will start looking in that direction. Unless you come right out and say, “I might be having a heart attack,” she will not make assumptions.
Peter also mentioned that many women downplay their symptoms—they think they’re too young for a heart attack or simply don’t have all the indicators of a heart attack. Many doctors minimize women’s symptoms—or worse, write them off as stress or hypochondria.
Bottom line: More than knowing traditional and nontraditional signs of a heart attack or stroke, be overly cautious. Pay attention to what your body is trying to tell you and seek help. Don’t try to be a Wonder Woman.
Aside from paying attention to symptoms and keeping in touch with your doctor, Peter also gave us actual steps to take toward prevention. Here are the ones I wrote down:
- Exercise at least 30 minutes daily. That means getting your heart rate up to at least 80% of its full workout potential: break a sweat. You don’t have to kill yourself, but you do have to sweat, which means that the heart muscle is being worked and strengthened.
- Read labels and KNOW what you’re eating. Don’t just be a passive eater, eating whatever is placed in front of you. If you go out to restaurants, ask for dressings and sauces on the side. Avoid food labeled with excessive amounts of salt, saturated fat and preservatives. Be proactive with your diet.
- Know the limits of what you’re supposed to be eating and how to stick to those limits. For example, high blood pressure is rarely seen in those who consume less than 1.2 grams (1200 milligrams) of sodium per day. One teaspoon of salt weighs roughly 5 grams. Are you eating too much salt?
- Know yourself. Does coffee give you heart palpitations? While there is no definitive research to date on whether or not coffee causes heart attacks, it’s best to listen to your own body; if it rejects or acts strangely to certain foods, those too are signs; listen for them. I know I can only handle about one cup of coffee a day. Any more than that and I get dizzy, sweaty and shaky!
- Get educated. Do you know your BMI (body mass index)? Do you know what’s healthy? Do you know your cholesterol levels? As Dr. Vagnini said last week, these are “Silent Killers.” But if you know them, you can regulate them.
Suggested products of the week:
The American Heart Association says: “Increasing omega-3 fatty acid consumption through foods is preferable. However, those with coronary artery disease may not get enough omega-3 by diet alone. These people may want to talk to their doctor about supplements. And for those with high triglycerides, even larger doses could help.”
