One evening…Mary and her husband Tom were about to leave to go over to some friends house to play cards. Mary suddenly told Tom, “Ewe, I don’t feel well, I’m not sure I should go”.
“Really, what’s wrong”, asked Tom.
“I don’t know, I suddenly feel weak, and my jaw aches, and I’m having trouble breathing…It’s nothing”.
She was so coherent, Tom didn’t suspect a stroke, but could it possibly be a mild heart attack?
“Trouble breathing, really! Do you have chest pains”, he asked.
“No not really, I think I just put my new bra on too tight and it’s restricting my breathing”.
“C’mon let’s not take any chances, let’s take you to the medical center and get it checked out just to be on the safe side”.
A very wise decision. Although there were none of the classic symptoms of a heart attack that we were all brought up to recognize: chest pain, sweating, and weakness. Mary had the subtle symptoms that many women experience that are different than what typically men experience. Luckily, the medical staff was able to treat her in time.
It turns out, that in heart attack cases, up to a third of people will have more uncommon symptoms or no symptoms at all. Women, older adults, and diabetics are the most likely to have symptoms that aren’t commonly associated with heart attacks.
Women and Heart Disease – Little Known Facts
Did you know? According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S., killing just shy of 300,000 women as recently as 2017. That’s roughly 20% of all deaths to women.
About 6% of women over the age of 20, have some form of coronary heart disease. It didn’t matter if they were white, African American, or Hispanic. Luckily Asian American rates were roughly half.
Heart Attacks in Women Are as Serious as for Men, if Not More So
In her book, “Strong Women, Strong Hearts, author Miriam Nelson citied 25% of men die within one year of their first heart attack. But that number rose to 38% for women.
She went on to say that 18% of men experience a second heart attack within 6 years, and again that number rose to 35% for women.
With these staggering numbers, why is so little know about women and heart attacks in the American public?
An Interview with Dr. Miriam Nelson on Women’s Strength, Nutrition and Successful Aging
Take a Page from Breast Cancer Awareness
The organizers and fund raisers for breast cancer have done a fabulous job. The American awareness level is very high as a result of those efforts. And, more and more women are doing self-tests and getting their mammograms as a result.
We need an equal amount of awareness for women’s heart disease. Seven times more women die of heart disease than of breast cancer. It’s a wakeup call.
Heart Attack Symptoms are Different for Women
As with Mary, don’t expect your female loved one to suddenly keel over and complain of an elephant sitting on her chest. Again, women’s symptoms are oftentimes different. She may experience the following:
- Pain in the jaw, back, neck, stomach, or arm
Symptoms of a heart attack in women are different than those of men - Sudden, unexplained fatigue
- Confusion
- Shortness of breath during activities that didn’t previously cause breathing difficulty
- Vague chest pain that may feel more like indigestion
- A squeezing or tightness in the chest (could be mistaken as “bra tightness” in women), rather than the typical sudden, sharp pain
Is it Really a Heart Attack? Know Your Risk Factors
These symptoms are not one size fits all. For example, pain that feels like indigestion in a person who’s completely healthy could very well be indigestion.
In contrast, someone who has a lot of risk factors for heart disease could very well be having a heart attack and not simple indigestion.
If you have certain risk factors you may be in the high risk category for a potential heart attack.
People with a history of heart disease are most likely to have a heart attack. Smoking, not getting enough exercise, having high blood pressure or diabetes, and being overweight can all increase a person’s risk for heart disease.
Know Your Numbers
There’s an old adage, “You get what you measure”. If you truly want good health, know your critical numbers, especially when it comes to preventing heart disease. Work with your primary care physician, know your numbers and know the target range you should be in, and take corrective action where need be.
Lipid Panel
The lipid panel is a series of measurements taken from a blood sample. It generally measured in milligrams per decilitre, abbreviated as mg/dL. This is a serious biomarker and you definitely want to stay in the healthy range.
Total Cholesterol
The aggregate number is your total cholesterol. Here are the ranges:
- Desirable: <200 mg/dL
- Borderline: 200-240 mg/dL
- High Risk: >240 mg/dL
LDL Cholesterol
You probably heard there is “good” cholesterol and “bad” cholesterol, LDL is your bad cholesterol. This is the stuff that builds up along the inner walls of your arteries and can cause a blockage and a heart attack. There are dietary changes that can help bring down the number to the optimal range, otherwise your doctor may need to put you on a statin drug.
Here are the ranges:
- Optimal: <100 mg/dL
- Near/Above Optimal: 100-129 mg/dL
- Borderline High: 130-159 mg/dL
- High: 160-189 mg/dL
- Very High: >190 mg/dL
HDL Cholesterol
This is the good cholesterol that actually mops up the bad. Exercise is the best way to increase this number. In fact, some health experts feel that a high number can offset a high LDL number and not require medication.
Undesirable: <40
Desirable: > 60
Triglycerides
Triglycerides are a type of fat found in your blood, it’s what your body uses for fuel. But when the levels get too high it can lead to heart disease. Here are the ranges:
Normal: <150 mg/dL
Borderline High: 150-199 mg/dL
High: 200-499 mg/dL
Very High: >500 mg/dL
Natural Ways to Lower Your Cholesterol part 1
Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is more critical than cholesterol and should be monitored
often, especially as you age.
Blood pressure readings are made up of two values:
Systolic blood pressure is the pressure when the heart beats – while the heart muscle is contracting (squeezing) and pumping oxygen-rich blood into the blood vessels.
Diastolic blood pressure is the pressure on the blood vessels when the heart muscle relaxes. The diastolic pressure is always lower than the systolic pressure.
Blood pressure is measured in units of millimeters of mercury (mmHg). The readings are always given in pairs, with the upper (systolic) value first, and followed by the lower (diastolic) value.
The desirable blood pressure level is less than 120/80 mmHg.
If you are above this level you will want to reduce it. Exercise will definitely help in this end. But if your levels persist, your primary care physician may want to put you on any of the many drug alternatives there are.
Body Mass Index (BMI)
Being heavy on a bathroom scale is not the best method of whether you’re overweight. It also depends on you height. That’s why a BMI measurement should be monitored. It factors in the proper weight to height ratio. Strive to stay in the Healthy weight range.
Underweight <18.5
Healthy weight = 18.5–24.9
Overweight = 25–29.9
Obesity > 30
Here’s a free online tool to measure your BMI:
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm
Get an Electrocardiogram
An electrocardiogram (EKG) measures electrical pulses in your heart and can reveal a lot to your primary care physician. The test is quick, easy and affordable. Most doctors’ offices have them and perform them during your annual physical. If your doctor doesn’t routinely perform one for you, request it. It’s an ounce of prevention.
Prevention is the Best Strategy
The image of having a heart attack can be quite scary. But you don’t have to passively stand by and merely hope that you never have one. You can act today to make diet and lifestyle changes to reduce your odds.
Stress Control
One highly effective means to reduce the risk of heart disease is to manage
your stress. We often cannot eliminate stress in our lives but we can control our reactions to stressors.
Meditation
Meditation in the mother lode of stress relief. Daily meditation can go a long ways in how you respond to stressors. Suddenly molehills are no longer mountains. Practice meditation daily.
Gratitude
If you can wake up each morning and be grateful for all the things and people that you are blessed with, it’ll put you in a positive state for the rest of the day and do wonders for your health and wellbeing.
Exercise
Exercise will do wonders in mitigating heart disease. It will lower blood pressure reduce cholesterol, lose weight and offer a host of other positive health factors.
Ideally you want a blend of aerobic and strength training exercise in your week. If you don’t want to join a gym because of coronavirus, there’s a plethora of YouTube videos on exercises you can do right in your home. If you can, invest in a set of dumbbells for some strength training sessions.
Similarly there are YouTube videos for aerobics, but at a minimum go out for a walk. Better yet use your smart watch to measure your steps and shoot for that 10,000 steps per day.
Keep Moving
Good heart health and good overall health means don’t be sedentary, get out and just move. Play tennis, garden, walk, whatever you enjoy most.
HGH — A Natural Cure for Boomer Belly and Reversal of Somatopause
Nutrition
Good nutrition is key to preventing heart disease. Stay away from “fad diets”.
It’s not rocket science, adopt a holistic approach to primarily plant based whole foods. Minimize high glycemic heavy carbs, processed foods, and saturated fats. Smaller portions of protein have been linked to longevity, substitute fish for red meat.
According to Mariam Nelson, the data on fish is fascinating. Women eating 2-3 fish meals per week, broiled or baked (not fried), greatly reduces the progression of heart disease.
Tips from Dr. Joel Fuhrman are to merely eat a large salad everyday inhibit atherosclerosis and reduces buildup of plaque in your arteries.
Eat at least 1 oz. of raw nuts per day. No, not the ones cooed in oil and highly salted. According to the physicians health study it can reduce your chances of sudden cardiac death by 60%.
Finally substitute beans for meat protein. They’re low in calories and glycemic scale but high in Inositol pentakisphosphate a carbohydrate that offers protection against heart disease.
For more on a healthy diet to prevent heart disease refer to the tried and true The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute developed DASH diet:
Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally with the Simple DASH Diet
Live Like You’re in a Blue Zone
You may have heard of blue zones where there’s a high preponderance of centenarians. Although you may not to necessarily live to be 100, you probably want a long and robust life without chronic illness.
People in blue zones eat very little meat, eat fermented foods and get plenty of fiber.
How to get more fiber in your diet:
You’re Really Not Healthy Unless You Also Have a Healthy Gut — Here’s How
And by the way they get out and move every day and wake up to a total sense of purpose. Worth a try.
Love to see this every day !