Men & Women and Heart Attack Symptoms

Men & Women are different!  Sure we have the ability to do many things in life on an equal basis!  But, we do react to things in many different ways!  Like Heart Issues!

Check this out!

Know the Symptoms

The first step toward surviving a heart attack is learning to recognize the symptoms. The most common signs of heart attack in both women and men are:

• Unusually heavy pressure on the chest, like there's a ton of weight on you

  Most heart attacks involve chest pain or discomfort in the center or left side of the chest. It usually lasts for more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain. It may even feel like heartburn or indigestion.

• Sharp upper body pain in the neck, back, and jaw

  This symptom can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, shoulders, neck, jaw, or upper part of stomach (not below the belly button). Pain in the back, neck, or jaw is a more common heart attack symptom for women than it is for men.

• Severe shortness of breath

  This symptom can come on suddenly. It may occur while you are at rest or with minimal physical activity. You may struggle to breathe or try taking deep breaths. Shortness of breath may start before or at the same time as chest pain or discomfort, and can even be your only symptom.

• Cold sweats, and you know it's not menopause

  Unexplained or excessive sweating, or breaking out into a "cold sweat," can be a sign of heart attack.

• Unusual or unexplained fatigue (tiredness)

  Sudden and unusual tiredness or lack of energy is one of the most common symptoms of heart attack in women, and one of the easiest to ignore. It can come on suddenly or be present for days. More than half of women having a heart attack experience muscle tiredness or weakness that is not related to exercise.

• Unfamiliar dizziness or light-headedness

  Unlike in the movies, most heart attacks do not make you pass out right away. Instead, you may suddenly feel dizzy or light-headed.

• Unexplained nausea (feeling sick to the stomach) or vomiting

  Women are twice as likely as men to experience nausea, vomiting, or indigestion during their heart attack. These feelings are often written off as having a less serious cause. Remember, nausea and vomiting may be signs that something is seriously wrong, especially if you have other symptoms.

If you have any one of these symptoms and it lasts for more than five minutes, call 9-1-1 for emergency medical care. Even if your symptoms go away in less than five minutes, call your doctor right away—it could be a sign that a heart attack is coming soon. Don't waste time trying home remedies or waiting for the feelings to pass on their own. Remember, quick treatment can save your life.

What do you think!  Before the wedding, my mother-in-law had a small heart attack!  Five minutes before out son & his awesome new wife had to keep it together before they tied the knot!  And they were incredible!!

My mother-in-law complained of nausea, had cold sweats!  As the symptoms show above, men & women at times demonstrate heart issues in many ways, sometimes the same and often in different ways!

Check out:  Heart Attack Symptoms

Wedding and Heart Health

This weekend we gained a new daughter-in-law in an awesome wedding!  So, what does that have to do with heart health?  OK, I will set the stage!

Almost all the people have been seated for the wedding to begin.  Meanwhile, in the lobby, the grooms grandmother was preparing to enter the chapel.  She was not feeling well.  She had been sick that week, feeling tired & sick in the stomach.  She felt faint & passed out for a few seconds!  5 minutes before the wedding!

To make a long story, short, grandmother had a mild heart attack!  The ambulance came, many medically trained people attending the wedding did a remarkable job!

The bride and groom were awesome!  They calmed their grandmother & handled the situation with incredible calm!!!

The friends and family at the wedding showed their caring & love, and still had a great time at the wedding!!

More to come this week on heart issues!

New Lipid Level Data

The US is doing a better job lipid levels!  Of course, more people are taking medication!!!!

Take a look at the article at:

Lipid levels improve across US over 20 years: NHANES

Some interesting details:

1 - total cholesterol fell by 10 mg/dL over the 22-year study period, LDL fell by 13 mg/dL, and HDL levels rose by 2 mg/dL. Triglycerides fell by 8 mg/dL over the whole period, despite having risen in the initial few years.

2 -  "Unfortunately, the average body-mass index and level of activity in adults are not as favorable, and this may be part of the reason that the age-adjusted mean triglyceride level increased in men and in women between 1988 and 2002,"

3 - They also found that from 1988 to 2010, there was an increasing trend in the percentage of adults taking lipid-lowering medications (from 3.4% in 1988-1994 to 9.3% in 1999-2002 to 15.5% in 2007-2010. Among men and women age 50 years or older, increases in use of lipid-lowering medications of up to 35% were observed.

4 - the prevalence of obesity among adults remains high, at more than one-third of the population

Learn more about the heart!

Learn more about the heart!

Take a look at this video found at : Heart Health - Health Matters - Dr. Kirk Peterson

Heart disease is the leading cause of death and disability in men and women in the U.S. Fortunately, exciting discoveries and advances are continually being made in this area. Join host Dr. David Granet and noted cardiologist, Dr. Kirk Peterson, head of UC San Diego's Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center, as they discuss the latest diagnostic and treatment measures. The value of receiving care from a comprehensive center is also touched upon. Series: "Health Matters" [9/2011] [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 20860]

What do you think?

Heart Healthy Snacks!

Its 7:30 PM.  We sit down to watch our favorite shows - NCIS, Monday Night Football (And now we have Thursday & Sunday Night Football!), American Idol, or re-runs of Seinfeld?  And it happens!  I NEED A SNACK!!!!!!

Check out the article -

6 unexpected heart-healthy snacks

Here are the highlights!

Here are 6 on-the-go snacks that can, surprisingly, help your heart. Fortunately these foods are common items that we often have in our refrigerator and pantry.

Popcorn: Popcorn delivers polyphenols—antioxidants linked to improving heart health. Gram for gram, popcorn boasts three times more polyphenols than kidney beans (the highest vegetable polyphenol source) and four times more than cranberries (the best fruit source), according to recent research out of the University of Scranton. Get a yummy, super-easy recipe for Cheesy Popcorn here.

Dark Chocolate: Researchers have discovered that eating moderate amounts of flavanol-rich dark chocolate has a blood-thinning effect, which can benefit cardiovascular health, and it may also boost the immune system by reducing inflammation. Some research also suggests cocoa may help lower blood pressure. Find a recipe for heart-healthy French Silk Pie and more chocolate recipes here.

Yogurt: Research shows yogurt may protect against gum disease. And people with gum disease—which affects up to 50 percent of American adults—are twice as likely to suffer from heart problems. (Find 10 healthy recipes using yogurt here.)

Apples: Apples were associated with a lower risk of death from both coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease in the Iowa Women’s Health Study, which has been tracking 34,000-plus women for nearly 20 years. Finnish researchers found that frequent apple eaters had the lowest risk of suffering strokes compared with nonapple eaters after studying dietary data collected over 28 years from 9,208 men and women. (Find a recipe for Apple Cupcakes and more heart-healthy apple recipes here.)

Nuts: Nuts are chock-full of vitamins, minerals, heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and low levels of saturated fats. Research suggests that people who eat nuts—walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, pine nuts and peanuts (which actually are legumes)—two to four days or more per week have a lower incidence of heart disease than people who eat them less often. Eat more with delicious recipes for Spiced Spanish Almonds and more nut recipes here.

Raisins: Raisins may help protect both your gums and your heart. Research has shown that antioxidants in raisins fight the growth of a type of bacteria that can cause inflammation and gum disease. And dealing with gum disease can help you avoid heart disease. Last summer, a major heart journal and a major periodontal journal simultaneously published a consensus paper that outlines the link between the two diseases: inflammation.

What do you think? - Here is my ranking of the treats!

1 - Dark Chocolate  2 - Popcorn  3 - Nuts  4 - Yogurt  5 - Apples  6 - Raisins

Back from Indianapolis!

One of the advantages of retirement & good health is you are able to do the things that you wanted to do, but could not do when you were in the working world!  Well, just got back from cheering on my Green Bay Packers!

Here are a few health issues I noticed while traveling.

1 - My retired buddies all have health stories - from heart disease to the meds we take, from our important our spouses are to our friends support, and things like our diet, exercise, or mental approach to our health! Traveling allows friends to share!

2 - Walking up stadium steps & seat locations - our seats were interesting!  Top row!!!  The last 20-30 steps were straight up!  Our hearts were pumping!  Our seats were difficult to get to - what if someone had a health crisis?  When you travel and where you travel to, should be analyzed.

3 - Eating out. When you travel, what you eat can be a challenge.  Getting your family or buddies to agree on a restaurant.  Deciding what is good for you on the menu?  Can a cheat on my diet - JUST A LITTLE!

All in all, traveling with friends and sharing time together is something that is special.  The only thing that can make it better is having the team you are cheering for WIN!  Come on Packers!!!!!!  If your fans travel 10 hours to cheer you on win!!!!!!!!!!

Clogged Arteries: Steps to Clear Them from Plaque – Updated Article With New Information

Cleaning those arteries!  What you eat may help clean the arteries check out this article at:

Clogged Arteries: Steps to Clear Them from Plaque – Updated Article With New Information

I have tried to change diet and introduce new foods.  The article points out..........

To clear clogged arteries, exposure to free radicals must be reduced or eliminated. Adding antioxidants to your diet should do the trick to help break the clogs. Antioxidants can be added in the form of supplements or just via foods that contain them. Clogs take years to form, so it might take you some time to repair the damage and clear clogged arteries. Your nutritional formula will need to be balanced carefully so that you can dissolve the clogs, while feeding the necessary nutrients to the arteries and surrounding tissues. Important vitamins to include in your diet are Niacin, A, B1, B6, C, E, D, Pantothenic acid, Inositol, Choline, Calcium, Iodine, Potassium, Magnesium, Chromium, Selenium, Manganese, and folic acid.

I have also tried a new juice - pomegranate!

Researchers have also found that pomegranate juice prevents the arteries from hardening, as well as reversing the progression of disease. In the study that was conducted, the effects of pomegranate juice were tested on human cell samples taken from blood vessel lining. The cells were then subjected to severe physical stresses, the kind that may occur when one’s blood pressure is too high. Those cells, which were treated with pomegranate juice, showed evidence of having significantly less damage from the stress. Additional studies done on mice demonstrated that pomegranate juice slowed down artery hardening significantly.

Research continues!