Happy Valentine’s! This month is American Heart Month, so in honor of yours, here’s great advice from the American Heart Association (AHA). Their website is a remarkable resource of research, advice and easy-to-use tools. And if you haven’t seen the “Just a Little Heart Attack” video yet, do it now, here.
Remember:
- Heart disease is the number one killer of women.
- And 80 percent of cardiac events in women could be prevented if women made the right choices for their hearts involving diet, exercise and abstinence from smoking.
Signs language
- Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
- Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
- Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
- Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
- As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.
Rate your risks
You can control these:
- Cholesterol
- Blood Pressure
- Smoking
- Physical Activity
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Stress
- Birth Control Pills
- Alcohol & Illegal Drugs
But not these:
- Age
- Gender
- Heredity and Race
- Stroke
Check out these links
Grab your recent lab results and take this test: It’s the Go Red Heart CheckUp. You’ll need cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, etc. Then download these Living Guidelines for Women and keep them handy. Yes, you’ve seen some of them before, but just reading is not the same as doing. Find a buddy and get with your heart-health program.
Finally, 80 percent of cardiac arrests occur at home or work, so learn the new Hands-Only® CPR. No more mouth-to-mouth. Unfortunately, less than one-third of those people who experience a cardiac arrest at home, work or in a public location get help. First, call 911, then push hard and fast in the center of the chest. Do watch the video on the link above for clarity about this life-saving technique.
You gotta’ have heart. Here’s to taking great care of yours!
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(Photo courtesy: © Gökçe Büyükerşen Göksel | Dreamstime.com)