As women, we are obsessed about our bodies. We fret over our hair, our skin, OUR WEIGHT. But one part of our bodies that we never seem to focus enough time on or seem to worry enough about is our heart. Yes, we may try to eat healthy, we may worry about things like osteoporosis and menopause but we don’t worry enough about the organ and muscle that keeps us going.
As women, we are more likely to get regular breast health screenings than we are tests to gauge the health of our hearts. It’s not that we care more about our breasts than our heart; it’s simply that we don’t know all of the risks associated with heart disease.
If you think that heart disease and strokes strike women who lead unhealthy lifestyles or women who have a family history of heart disease you aren’t alone in your thinking. Despite the attention on heart disease and its risk factors that the media has brought to our attention in recent years, many women, an alarming 79 percent in America according to The American Heart Association (AMHA) are still unaware of their risk. Unfortunately the rate at which heart disease is affecting women is rising every year. Heart disease doesn’t differentiate between continents or race. It can strike any women at any age. Many women aren’t even aware that they are at risk for heart disease or heart related problems. Furthermore, when a woman comes to the hospital in the middle of a heart attack or stroke, they are less likely to survive than a man.
The good news is that women have a chance to lower their risk of heart disease and stroke by making a few lifestyle changes. The type of lifestyle we lead has more of an impact on a woman’s risk for heart disease than researchers and doctors had originally thought and as the research on heart disease in women continues to grow, so does the school of thought that by making simple changes in the way we live, we can cut our risk by up to 77 percent, as discovered by the AMHA. But before we can make some changes, we must first identify our risks.
The more obvious risk factors to heart disease that we have little to no control over are:
• Family history
• Our age
• Our race
• Having ovaries removed or post menopause
The relation to family history and heart disease is just as important as it is to any other life threatening condition. In fact when assessing your risk for certain cancers or health conditions, your family history and your age are among the first two markers a doctor will take note of. As you age, the amount of oestrogen in your body lowers. It is thought that having more oestrogen in your arteries will provide some protection against heart disease because once a woman becomes post-menopausal, the amount of oestrogen in the arteries lowers and the risk of heart disease and stroke becomes higher. A woman of colour has a significantly higher risk, but ironically also has the least amount of awareness about her risk factors.
Once you recognise that there is little you can do to change some of your risks, you need to become more aware of the risks that you do have control over. Making the decision to lower those risks requires dedication to change not just your lifestyle but your way of thinking as well. Some of the risks factors associated with heart disease and stroke are widely known but include:
Weight – A healthy weight does more than just lower your heart disease risk. It also provides you with more energy, and can lower your risk of diabetes. Even if you aren’t considered obese, a person who is considered “overweight” has a significant heart disease risk.
Cholesterol – Regular cholesterol checks and lowering your LDL “bad” cholesterol can cut your risk of a heart attack. Once a woman becomes post menopausal, the LDL or “bad” cholesterol tends to rise.
Emotional Health – Though it is isn’t completely understood, a woman who is depressed or has a high level of stress has more heart related problems. Some of these include inflammation of the heart, blood clots, and especially high blood pressure.
Blood Pressure – This factor alone can cause strain on the heart and raise your chances of a heart attack by almost 50 percent.
Smoking - By not smoking you gain more health benefits than just heart health; smoking can aggravate other health conditions as well as place a strain on the heart.
Each one of these risk factors has the potential to be lowered. However, sometimes it requires a trip to the doctor to know whether or not you are at risk. Proper screenings and tests can alert you to the risk factors you may not have been aware of such as cholesterol and blood pressure.
Even if you don’t know whether or not you have high blood pressure or cholesterol, you can begin making changes before your first visit with doctor. Changes like food choices and your activity level can greatly lower your risk for heart disease and stroke.
Doctors and women alike tend to dismiss the symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. If you feel you aren’t receiving proper treatment or your questions aren’t being answered, seek out a doctor who will listen and properly screen you for heart disease risks. As a woman, you owe it to your body and your health to take care of your heart and treat it right.
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