It’s
February – time to think of past loves, new loves and your own heart.
Heart
disease is the number one killer for women in the United States – a stark fact
and that could lead one to avoid checking on heart health. While there are risk
factors you cannot change, such as family history, there are many you can
control.
How many
times have we skipped a walk outside and around the office because we feel 15
more minutes at the desk will get us home sooner? Being sedentary is something
we can change in short order.
February,
for our network of sorority women, is a good time to take stock. While we’re
often busy taking care of others, we can easily neglect ourselves. Take a
heartbeat second to please check in during American Heart Month and see
what you might need to know.
Why do
we need to remain vigilant about our hearts?
According
to the National Coalition for Women with
Heart Disease, this is a disease that is less understood in women, leading
to misdiagnoses and delayed treatment. Roughly, only a quarter of the research
published in major U.S. internal medicine and cardiology journals report
gender-specific outcomes – leaving women at a loss for reliable medical
information.
Women
frequently ignore symptoms or believe that nothing is critically wrong when
they suffer general issues of “fatigue,” for example.
Some
warning signs that should be on your radar screen (and shared with sorority
sisters, friends, colleagues and family members):
- Discomfort, tightness, uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing in the center of the chest lasting more than a few minutes, or comes and goes
- Crushing chest pain
- Pressure or pain that spreads to the shoulders, neck, upper back, jaw, or arms.
- Dizziness or nausea
- Clammy sweats, heart flutters, or paleness
- Unexplained feelings of anxiety, fatigue or weakness - especially with exertion
- Stomach or abdominal pain
- Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing
Celebrate
the month with a heart assessment as you send out your special Valentine’s to
loved ones near and far. And here’s a free banner you can use on your website
or blog from The
Heart Truth, a project of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
You
won’t regret taking the moment to be better informed.
