– Heart disease is the number one cause of death in women, and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined.
– Heart disease claims 1 in 3 women in the US, killing approximately one woman every minute.
– More women than men die each year from heart disease.
– The symptoms of heart disease can be different in women and men and are often misunderstood.
– Excess weight is a significant risk factor for heart disease. Reducing weight can decrease the strain on your heart, decrease your blood pressure, lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglyceride levels, increase your HDL (good) cholesterol, decrease inflammation, and reduce your risk of diabetes.
Symptoms of a heart attack are often different in women than in men. While we commonly associate chest pain and radiating discomfort down the left arm for men, women more often experience less obvious symptoms.
* Shortness of breath: women often experience sudden difficulty catching their breath with their usual activities up to two weeks before a heart attack.
* Irregular pain in the lower or upper back may be an indication of stress to the heart muscle.
* Jaw pain: especially if it becomes worse with exercise and goes away at rest. Radiating pain to the jaw, neck and shoulder are often early signs of a heart attack.
* Flu-like symptoms are often reported weeks and days before a heart attack. Be on the alert if this occurs.
Trust your intuition. Women often report that they “just knew something wasn’t right”. Trust your heart! So take action now to protect your heart! Eat healthy, lose weight and open your heart to more love!
Other article by Dr. Christine: How to Avoid Dangerous Ingredients & Be a Smart Label Reader
