Healthy Living for Women
"Heart Disease"
|
View Healthy Living for Women: Heart Disease |
The Basics on Heart Disease:
- The American Heart Association says women with heart disease should not start taking hormones to prevent heart attacks since the research on that type of treatment is not complete.
- Heart disease tends to run in families.
- You can reduce your risk for heart disease by quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and limiting alcohol consumption.
- Medication to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure can be beneficial to women.
- Hormone therapy to prevent heart disease can be replaced by other medications and soy products.
- Diabetes is such a strong risk factor, it is equivalent to having heart disease. Stress, anxiety and depression are also risk factors for heart disease.
- Symptoms of heart disease include: heaviness in the chest which can sometimes spread to one or the other arm, the back, neck shoulders, jaw or ears; shortness of breath, sweating or dizziness during exertion; overwhelming fatigue; these symptoms should be evaluated.
- A healthy diet is very important. The American Heart Association recommends increasing soy in your diet and using it in place of other proteins and fats.
- Small amounts of alcohol can help protect the heart but if you don't drink, it is NOT recommended that you start for purposes of heart disease prevention. A small amount would be 3 _ to 4 oz. of wine a day. More than that can contribute to the RISK.
- Red grape juice can raise the good cholesterol in your body, as can exercise.
- Black tea and Earl Grey tea benefit the inside lining of the blood vessels in the body.
Please go to United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania for links to local resources and information.
