My Heart to Yours

This being Breast Cancer Awareness month, most people believe that it is the number 1 killer of women; WRONG! Don't get me wrong, It's an insidious disease that needs to be eradicated. That being said, we must not turn our attention away from the true epidemic in women's health; Heart Disease.

Heart Disease is the cause of 43% of deaths among women every year. The saddest part of this is, so much of this death is avoidable. It a severe lack of knowledge, both in the medical arena and general population, that contributes to these deaths.

We have all been under the false assumption that the surest sign that you're having a heart attack is chest pains, when in fact, most women suffering a heart attack never even experience this symptom. It has also been assumed that heart attacks are more of a man's disease, therefore, attention, time and treatment have all been geared toward the men.

Think about this statement from an article on americanheart.org, "women are less likely than men to receive recommendations from their doctors for preventive rehabilitation to protect them against heart attacks and death," according to a study published in an issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. That's truly terrifying!

Here are just a few of the examples of the types of symptoms women experience while having a heart attack. After you read these you may understand how it is so easy for most women to shrug them off as nothing.

1. Pain in the shoulder
2. Pain in the neck
3. Pain in the jaw
4. Shortness of breath
5. Quick onset of nausea

These symptoms can be confused with any number of other problems. The bottom line is this, you are the best advocate for your health. Take the time to educate yourself, and demand to be taken seriously if a medical professional tries to blow you off.

I hope this helps to start you on your way to improving the quality of your life. Remember, every day is a new day!

Bye for now, talk to you later