Entry bubble Go Ahead, Wear Red on Friday

By: Sam | January 30, 2008 | Category: Health

Friday is the kick-off to American Heart Month and National Wear Red Day.  So grab your favorite red dress, tie, socks, sweater, or even lipstick and show your support for research and education about women and heart disease.red dress

Heart health is an important issue for me not only as a woman but also as someone who suffers from a heart condition. As a teen, I had open-heart surgery to repair my mitral valve and to remove a bacterial infection. After more than 10 years, I am, thankfully, doing very well, but the experience made me more mindful of learning as much as I can about heart disease.

So why should you wear red? Because heart disease is not just a “man’s disease”—it’s the number one of killer of women. In fact, one in four women dies of heart disease. But even with these shocking statistics, there’s hope. No matter if you’re 20 or 60, there are steps all women can take to lower their risk and protect their heart.

Here are some to start with:

And don’t forget to help spread the word about National Wear Red Day, and please feel free to share any heart health stories that you may have.

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Entry bubble Heart Attacks

By: Colleen | November 26, 2007 | Category: Health

Is it possible to have a heart attack at age 24? Because as I watched the Eagles give the Patriots a run for their money last night- it nearly happened. Suffice to say I went to bed merely heart-broken. Such is the life of a Philadelphia fan.

On a much more serious note, I was saddened to find out that a long-time friend of mine's father passed away this week from a heart attack. He was only 47. The news came as a real shock and wake-up call, particularly to my parents.

While my Dad is quite fit and healthy, his concern propted me to lead him to USA.gov. Conducting a search for "heart attack" revealed an abundance of information on various warning signs: shortness of breath, chest discomfort, upper body pain, and nausea. Other sites included prevention techniques: eating a balanced diet, getting plenty of exercise, maintaining regular doctor's visits.

There is also plenty of printed information to pass along to loved ones. The publications "Keeping your Heart Healthy" and "Aspirin for Reducing your Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke" provides key tips on preventing a heart attack and other cardiac diseases.

With proper lifestyle choices, heart attacks are stoppable. Tom Brady, however, might not be.

| Comments [1] | envelope Email This Entry | Tags: attack   cardiac   colleen   disease   eagles   football   health   heart   patriots