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A Woman's Body- A Woman's Heart By: Kathleen Sands, ED.D- Contributing Writer
Upon hearing the words 'heart attack', the first image that comes to mind for many of us is that of a middle-aged man clutching his chest just before keeling over. Typically, we do not envision a woman like ourselves who may be experiencing dizziness, nausea, fatigue and/or shortness of breath rather than severe chest pain. But we should.
"A man's heart is not a woman's heart; his pain is not her pain..."
According to the 2006 U.S. News and World Report Special Women's Health Guide, "A man's heart is not a woman's heart; his pain is not her pain. And a standard response to a common medical complaint might work for him - and kill her. Cardiac health, traditionally considered a man's concern has been one of the most fruitful areas of research and one of the most urgent. Heart disease kills more women than all types of cancer put together..."
As Dr. Christine Northrup, author of "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom" reminds us - this menace is the number one killer of all women - taking one life per minute. Like many of us, I had known for some time that cardio-vascular disease presents more of a health risk than breast cancer. However, I was both startled and disturbed to learn that 64% of women who lose their lives in this fashion had exhibited no prior symptoms.
Now that these statistics have gotten our attention, what can we do? First and foremost, we need to educate ourselves. As with much else in life, the subject is complex. However, a good starting point would be to get acquainted with one's particular set of risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, or family history. Websites such as http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/atpiii/calculator.asp and http://www.reynoldsriskscore.org/ are designed to guide you through the process of self assessment. Should you find yourself in a medium to high-risk category, issues such as medications and the appropriateness of the newer, non-invasive screening procedures would be something to consider and discuss with your physician. In fact, it is in the mid-range group that 70% of heart attacks take place. Prevention is of course, key.
Clearly, certain behaviors like smoking are to be discouraged, while others like regular exercise
Although the risk of having a heart attack is still greater for men, more women die from heart disease than men. In part, this is due to the fact that we do not fare as well during surgery. It is also vital to keep in mind that it is not solely post-menopausal women who present the greater risk. Diminished levels of estrogen may explain why women tend to experience heart problems at a later age than men, often not until their sixties. But it is not just older women who need to be vigilant. According to Noel Bairey Merz, MD, Medical Director for the Women's Health Program at Cedars-Sinai Center in Los Angeles, "Young women especially are probably receiving less evaluation and care." In fact, the mortality rate for younger women having a heart attack is double that of a man's. A recent study reported by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that in the United States women between the ages of thirty-five and forty-four make up the only group for whom this eventuality is actually on the rise.
The outlook, however, is not bleak. Again, according to USN&WR, "Only recently has medicine begun to acknowledge that the wondrous differences between men and women go well beyond size and body parts and a willingness to ask for directions. But things are changing fast now - and the implications for diagnosing, preventing, and treating disease are potentially huge." Thankfully, we have entered a new era and not just in terms of more sophisticated medical technology. The doctor-patient relationship is also undergoing an evolution - picture a "Father Knows Best" authority figure dispensing advice to a wide-eyed, uninformed docile patient, graduating to a more participatory team model. Women, particularly middle-aged and older, are only too familiar with having their concerns discounted, minimized or even ignored. We may outlive men in part because we are less reluctant to ask for help when in distress - which might mean making and keeping a doctor's appointment. But once we are there, it is imperative that we be heard. If we are not, it is time to look elsewhere.
However, along with a more egalitarian doctor-patient relationship comes increased responsibility for individuals to actually participate in their own health care. We're all grown up now. We need to do our homework. No one else - not our parents, spouse or doctor - can make us eat our vegetables, get on that treadmill or quit smoking. In short, we need to do our part. We need to take care of our hearts.
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are to be encouraged. Nevertheless, there is much to learn. For example, although one half of all heart attacks happen to women with normal cholesterol levels, it pays to know your numbers. Especially significant is your ratio. Just take your total number and divide by your HDL or "good" cholesterol. The result should be four or less. This constitutes your lipid profile and is one part of the larger puzzle. Copyright © WTCB- Women Taking Care of Business, Inc. ® All Rights Reserved See Terms of Use for this website |