DISEASE OF THE MONTH


HEART DISEASE

Women's health is very different than men.  Women have advantages over men 
in some areas due to the influence of hormones and have disadvantages in others. 
For many years in the United States, studies were done on diseases but for the most part, 
the studies were done using men only as test subjects.  This is now changing,
as more women are volunteering for studies and the results are encouraging, promising 
and significant.
  

Women are becoming empowered to "helping women", as evidenced by the recent studies on 
breast cancer, ovarian cancer and heart disease.








Statistics on Heart Disease




Some statistics on Heart Disease are very frightening for women:  


  •   Heart Disease is the number one (#1) killer of women in the USA. It claims more lives
 each year than all forms of cancer combined.


  •   Women are less likely than men to survive a heart attack. Reasons for this are 
unclear but may be due to risk factors of heart disease 
being different between men and women.


  •   Smoking and being overweight are more of a risk factor for heart disease 
for women than for men.


  •   Premenopausal women who smoke and use birth control pills are about 40 times
more likely to have a heart attack than a man.





    There are some positive changes you can do to reduce 
your heart attack and heart disease risk:


  •  lose weight

  •   exercise

  •   control your blood pressure

  •   decrease your sugar intake

  •   decrease your cholestrol level to below 200

  •   stop smoking


    
Factors increasing the risk of heart disease:

      family history

      being overweight

      being diabetic

      doing NO exercise

      having high blood pressure


    Even having a few risk factors doesn't mean you can just ignore the obvious. There is a 
growing concern over the nation's health nowadays and heart disease with its many facets
is one disease you can overcome and be victorious. 


    Research is currently pointing to individual cases where reducing risk factors has led 
to partial or entire elimination of heart disease and its many co-diseases, ie...high blood pressure, 
diabetes, high cholesterol, angina and eventually, heart attack.
    


    By careful attention to diet, exercise, risk factors and stress reduction, many women would improve their health.  As in all cases, before beginning any nutrition/exercise program, 
it is IMPERATIVE  to consult your physician first.  Your physician in knowing your health, 
might have ideas you should include.




    



    
 Links to other sites on the Web
    


 American Heart Association
    


 Womencare Clinic
    


 Healthwise
    


 Good Medicine Magazine
    

    



    © 1997 robinhutchens@geocities.com
    




    


    

    

    

    
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