Living with heart disease: One woman's story
Filed under: Books, Women Heart Health
She was 39, athletic, a non-smoker and a healthy eater. Kathy Kastan thought she had taken all the right steps to prevent heart disease, and when she started to feel symptoms of a heart attack, she was shocked. She was diagnosed with a heart blockage and underwent lifesaving surgery but even after the surgery, she felt ill and anxious. She promised herself that if she ever got her health back, she would help others with her firsthand knowledge of heart disease. Well, She did get her health back and she's kept her promise. Kastan is now the president of the board of directors for WomenHealth: The National Coalition of Women with Heart Disease, and she's reached out to others in her situation by writing a book, called From the Heart: A Woman's Guide to Living Well with Heart Disease. To learn more about her story, check out this article.
None of us are immune to heart disease, and I'm glad Kastan is using her unfortunate experience to reach out to others who may living with this killer disease.
What you need to know about coronary heart disease
Filed under: Prevention, Research, Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health
How much do you know about coronary heart disease? I'll admit that I don't know much -- afterall, I'm young and healthy and far from heart problems ... at least I hope I am. But everyone should be informed about their health. We don't need medical degrees but we should know what risks we face and what arising symptoms could mean.Dr. Naidu of Heart Matters recently posted this info on coronary heart disease, including the risk factors and prevention methods. By living a healthy lifestyle, not smoking, being active and managing my stress, I'm doing pretty well at preventing coronary heart disease, and it's good to know what I'm doing right. Don't you think?
The truth about women and heart disease
Filed under: Women Heart Health
Although breast cancer seems to be getting a lot more press lately, the biggest threat to women's health today is actually heart disease. And although men are more often thought of when picturing a heart attack victim, the truth is women are actually more likely to both have heart disease and they're more likely to die from a heart attack in the weeks immediately following than men are. The Mayo Clinic has a handy quiz for women regarding the truth on a variety of health topics, heart disease and breast cancer included, and it's interesting to read the explanations after you take it because some of the answers are surprising!
Genes found that predict heart disease
Filed under: Family history, Research
Scientists in Europe have just found 6 specific genes that may be a key to heart disease. Data shows that people with variations in one or more of these genes have a much greater risk of suffering a heart attack or heart disease before the age of 66. These genes only seem to predict risk, however, not the definite future. Not everyone identified with a "genetic predisposition" ultimately gets sick, so it's still very much worthwhile to eat a heart healthy diet and get plenty of exercise.
10 things you need to know about your heart problems
Filed under: Drugs, Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health, Aging Heart Health, Surgery
You've been diagnosed with a heart problem. You have a lot of questions but you can't seem to get your head around this, this thing that's just been dropped on you like bomb. You probably feel very alone but believe it or not, situations like this are pretty common so WebMD has come up with this handy list of things you should ask your doctor about your heart condition. You need to know the facts, what can be done and where you'll end up on this roller coaster of life--and you might not know which questions to ask. Either that or you're too overwhelmed to think it through. You can even print the list out and take it to your doctor.
If you've gone through this before, what information did you find the most useful?
Heart health and family history
Filed under: Family history, Prevention
When we first applied for life insurance, my marathon running husband was shocked to find out that his premium would be twice as high as mine. The reason, according to our agent, was his strong family history of early heart disease. Though we knew that genetics play a role, we thought that a healthy lifestyle would balance things out. Not so, at least in the eyes of life insurance companies.A healthy lifestyle does have a significant impact on your heart health, but if you've been wondering just how much of a role family history plays in your personal risk of cardiovascular disease, check out this article from WebMD. It covers the basics of family history and may help initiate a conversation about prevention with your doctor.
Prevention zeroes in on families of heart disease sufferers
Filed under: Family history, Prevention
Earlier this year, my great-aunt passed away suddenly from an unknown heart condition. Her doctor recommended that all of her siblings, children, and nieces and nephews be screened for heart problems as well, flagging them at a higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease. Thankfully, no problems were uncovered, but they are now aware of the higher risk associated with having heart disease in our family.Scottish researchers believe that if family members of those with known heart disease were singled out as high-risk and their risk factors gotten under control, up to 40% of early deaths from cardiac events could be prevented. Even so, this type of flagging system is rarely used, even though it is common procedure among families with genetic cancers.
So if someone in your family has had some form of heart disease or heart attack, be sure that you know your risks. Talk to your doctor and tackle any problems that increase your chances of developing cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and protect your heart for the long haul.
Socioeconomics' role in heart disease
Filed under: Diet, Research, Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise, Smoking
What risk factors come to mind when you think of heart disease? Excessive body weight, sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, diabetes, smoking -- those seem to be universally accepted. But, a recent study published in the February issue of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine suggests that there is a risk factor that you may not have taken into account: Living in a low-income neighborhood.
Researchers from Stanford University examined data for the entire Swedish population, which consists of roughly 1.9 million women and 1.8 million men, all spread across more than 8,000 neighborhoods. Of the people selected for the study, they were all free of any prior history of coronary heart disease. They followed these individuals from 1996 through 2000 to identify initial occurrences of heart disease and subsequent deaths from it within a year's time.
It was discovered that the new cases of heart attacks and strokes were almost twice as high for women and 1 and a half times higher for men who lived in "high-deprivation" neighborhoods as those living in what were deemed "low-deprivation" neighborhoods. To determine what was considered low or high deprivation, the researchers relied on Census data, measuring an index of income, education, unemployment and welfare assistance.
Lending further credibility to the findings was the fact that even when individual characteristics (such as age, family income, marital status, or immigration status) were taken into account, the results remained unchanged.
The belief behind the findings is that people living in poorer neighborhoods have less access to fresh produce markets, and greater access to fast food restaurants. Ability to pay for higher priced, healthier foods also seems to be a major factor behind the researchers' data.
Living near traffic can cause a stroke
Filed under: Prevention, Research
There's getting to be less and less rural countryside on this planet as our population expands and our cities grow -- and unfortunately it's not doing good things for our health. Studies show that living near high traffic urban areas has a directly negative affect on heart health by increasing a person's risk for developing atherosclerosis and therefore also increasing a person's risk for heart disease and stroke. The biggest risk is for people living within 50 meters (or 160 feet) of major traffic. They suffer a 63% greater risk of heart problems compared to people living 200 meters or farther from traffic.But what do they consider major traffic? New York City I'm sure, but what about living near an interstate in Iowa?
Laugh away heart disease
Filed under: Prevention
Laughter is about more than just feeling happy in the moment, because it can do so much more than just boost your mood. Previously studies have shown that laughing can help alleviate stress and help people lose weight, and now there's evidence that it also helps fight heart disease. Laughing lowers blood pressure, increases blood flow to the heart, and even strengthens artery walls. So what are you waiting for? If spontaneous giggles aren't your thing, take a look at this video of a laughing baby that That's Fit blogger Adams Briscoe found. The giggles are contagious! You won't be able to help yourself.