With February being American Heart Month and today being Valentine’s Day it was quite obvious that the most appropriate topic of today’s blog entry be about… the heart.
Whether you are celebrating this Hallmark holiday with your sweetheart or having an anti-Valentine’s Day party; today’s focus on the actual heart beating inside each and every one of us will apply to you. The matters of the heart, such as love, compassion, heartaches, etc. will not be the discussion. Instead lets explore the differences between women and men with heart disease.
These are some important differences between men and women experiencing a heart attack:
· Women experience different types of pain with a heart attack such as more subtle chest soreness, shortness of breath with or without chest pain, back pain, jaw pain, aching in one or both arms, extreme fatigue, nausea, lightheadedness, flu-like symptoms, heart palpitations, heartburn or indigestion.
· Female symptoms of a heart attack are often overlooked because they are not as obvious as a man’s symptoms of crushing chest pain. This often delays a diagnosis in women.
These are some controllable risk factors to reduce your risk of heart disease:
· Exercise- at least 30 minutes 4 days a week with reaching your maximum heart rate. To determine your optimal heart rate you take 220 minus your age=X, Your maximum heart rate is +/- 11. For example if you are 30 years old you would take 220-30= 190 so your maximum HR is 179-201.
· Smoking cessation is encouraged if you are currently smoking.
· Diet- watch for hidden sodium and sugars, eat foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, eating whole grains. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables and lean proteins. Limit saturated and trans fats in your diet. Portion control is also very important.
· BMI (Body Mass Index)- An ideal BMI is 20-24 for healthy weight. Less than 20 is considered underweight and above 24 is considered overweight. If you are not sure what your BMI is you can ask your provider.
· Following a treatment plan put in place by your provider to manage your hypertension, high cholesterol, or diabetes.
· Adequate sleep-getting 8 hours of sleep each night is encouraged and if you are still feeling tired after that then an evaluation for sleep apnea, insomnia, or restless leg syndrome should be evaluated.
· Stress management- we all experience stress, what differs is how we manage that stress. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, exercise, and massage are helpful. If you feel that your stress is not controlled with those methods counseling or medication may be necessary.
Women’s Care Specialists is one of very few OB/GYN practices in the area that participate in the HeartCaringÒ Program. We providers feel that it is extremely important that women receive the most thorough examination and are fully aware that many women only see their OB/GYN for their medical care. Although our focus is intended to assess for female cancers and address family planning issues, our main focus is the overall health of all of our patients. Since heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, it would be neglectful to not address these health issues.
We all need to take a bit of a lesson from good ‘ole St. Valentine and listen to our hearts, what it is saying emotionally as well as physically, and learn to love our self and take care of our heart.
The following are some informational links about the heart:
· Heartcaring.com- this site is an excellent resource for health that is gender- specific. Outlining the risks of heart disease and how you can improve your overall health.
· It’s just a little heart attack- This is a YouTube video by Elizabeth Banks that everyone of us females can relate to and the common signs and symptoms of a heart attack. www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JI487DlgTA.
· Pumps your blood- This is another YouTube video by Potsie from Happy Days that illustrates the flow of the blood through your heart. www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_d0ykpzQgy.
FEB