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Heart
Chest
Pain Chest pains can indicate a life-threatening
event. Know which hospital provides 24 hours emergency
cardiac care and know CPR. If symptoms occur, call 911
or have someone take you to the hospital. There are
two types of chest pain requiring immediate attention.
The first is angina. This is chest pain resulting from
a partially blocked artery in your heart. Some of the
symptoms are pressure and pain located in the center
of the chest, pain traveling to other parts of the
body and pain that occurs during emotional and
physical stress.,p> The second type of chest pain
requiring immediate attention is a heart attack. Some
of the warning signs are a crushing and squeezing
sensation of the breastbone, shortness of breath,
dizziness, pain radiating down the left side of the
body, gray color of the face and lips, and sweating.
If you experience either type of chest pain, immediate
action is essential.
Exercise Regular aerobic exercise
can help improve your cardiovascular health. You can
feel, look and work better! You can improve your
circulation and your ability to breathe. Exercise can
help you fight anxiety, stress and depression. A
regular walking program of 30 to 60 minutes, three to
four times a week, can help condition the body. If
you've not exercised regularly, check with your doctor
first. Be sure to drink plenty of water before, during
and after exercise. If it's too hot to exercise
outdoors, try an indoor facility. You should avoid
walking during the hottest part of the day. Wear
comfortable shoes and clothing. Besides walking, other
aerobic workouts are hiking, jogging, bicycling,
swimming, playing tennis, racquetball and basketball.
Remember, exercise is good for your heart.
High Blood
Pressure Blood pressure is the push of blood against the
wall of the arteries. High blood pressure means the
heart is working harder to pump blood. It is often
called the silent killer because it has no symptoms.
Yet 90% of the cases of high blood pressure have no
specific cause, but there are contributing factors.
Beyond your control are the factors of age, race,
family, history and gender. The older you are, the
more at risk you are. The disease is more severe in
African Americans. It runs in families and men are
more likely to develop it than women.
The controllable factors are obesity, salt intake,
alcohol consumption, oral contraceptives and lack of
exercise. If a woman is pregnant, high blood pressure
can develop in the last three months of pregnancy. If
a woman has already reached menopause, her chances of
high blood pressure become greater. Your doctor may
suggest you lose weight, exercise regularly, limit
your salt intake, and, if necessary, prescribe
medication.
Women's Heart
Disease Heart disease is the number one killer of
American women. Yet it is still thought of as a man's
disease. Six times as many women will die from heart
disease than from breast cancer. What can you do? Know
the warning sign of angina; it feels like a pressure,
heaviness or squeezing across the middle of your
chest. It comes on gradually and then fades away.
Report these symptoms to your doctor immediately.
After menopause, or hysterectomy, a woman's
cholesterol level begins to rise bringing with it the
risk of heart disease. Diabetes is a contributing
factor as well as family history. Other factors
include the increasing number of women in the
workplace, maintaining constant stress levels, being
overweight and not getting enough exercise. Overweight
women are also at a higher risk as are short women.
Know your risk factors and change the things you can.
Risk
Factors Heart disease and disease of the blood vessels
are the number one killers today. In fact, every
thirty-four seconds, someone dies of a heart attack, a
stroke or some other heart-related condition.
Fortunately, if you know the risk factors for these
diseases, you can take preventive measures to lower
your risks. One of the most significant risk factors
is family history. Another factor is age. The older
you get, the more likely you are to develop heart
problems. Gender also plays a role. Men are more
likely than women to suffer from heart disease.
While there's not much you can do to change your
family history, gender and age, there ARE other risk
factors you CAN control. If you smoke - quit. If your
blood pressure is high, or your have diabetes, see
your doctor regularly to keep these conditions under
control. Try to reduce the stress in your life. If you
are sedentary or overweight, start exercising
regularly and shed those extra pounds. Remember, with
education and a bit of behavior modification, you can
reduce your health risks significantly.
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