Heartbeat is a Love-Beat
If you are of a certain age, you will remember that the title of this blog was the title of a 1973 song by The DiFranco family.
Happy Valentine's week. I hope you and your sweety have a great day.
The month of February causes us to think of hearts and is an ideal time to remind women of the necessity of monitoring their heart health.
Go Red For Women
The American Heart Association campaign Go Red For Women advocates for more research and swifter action for women's heart health.
Some common misconceptions and myths about women and heart disease:
- Heart disease is for men; cancer is more of a threat for women.
- Heart disease is for older people.
- If your fit, you don't have to worry about heart disease.
- I don't have symptoms.
- Heart disease runs in my family, so there is nothing I can do about it.
Causes and prevention of heart disease:
- Heart disease causes 1 in 3 women's deaths each year, killing approximately one woman every minute.
- Ninety percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease.
- Since 1984, more women than men have died each year from heart disease, and the gap between men and women's survival continues to widen.
- The symptoms of heart disease can be different in women vs. men. These symptoms are often misunderstood.
- While 1 in 31 American women dies from breast cancer each year, 1 in 3 die of heart disease.
Prevention:
- Don't smoke
- Manage your blood sugar
- Get your blood pressure under control
- Lower your cholesterol
- Know your family history
- Stay active
- Lose or manage your weight
- Eat healthily
The above information is from The American Heart Association.
For more information on women's heart health, go to:
