Women's Number-One Killer
Cardiovascular Disease is the Number-One Killer of Women.
Who knew? And yet women die from heart disease six times more than from breast cancer. Twice as many women die from heart disease as from all cancers put together! More women than men die of heart disease each year. But women receive only:
• 33% of the angioplasties, stents, and bypass surgeries that are performed;
• 28% of implantable defibrillators; and
• 36% of open-heart surgeries.
And women comprise only 25% of participants in all heart-related research studies (Journal of the American Medical Association, vol. 266, 1991, p. 559).
In reality, I don’t feel like a survivor of heart disease. Why not? Because heart disease doesn’t go away. I survived the 1994 Northridge earthquake. When I was pregnant in the summer of 1978, I survived climbing the Desert Fortress Masada, overlooking the Dead Sea in Israel. The term “survivor” represents what I’ve lived through or persisted through, like plants survive the frost. Yes, I did survive what I experienced in June 2003. I am surviving—and actually learning to thrive with heart disease. I’m thankful to wake up every morning, and every day I try to make right choices.
I am a mother, a grandmother, a daughter, and a sister. I have successfully climbed the corporate ladder and have had the same ladder pulled out from under me. I am writing this book for:
—all the women I speak to, 90% of whom do not know or have not accepted that heart disease is our number-one killer.
—the women who believe that ignorance is bliss.
—the women who haven’t heard the news that it does matter if your father, uncle, or grandmother had heart disease.
—the women who believe that women—especially young women—are not supposed to have heart disease.
—the women who have given up listening to their bodies because every time they go to the doctor it’s dismissed as neurosis.
—the women who simply don’t want to be bothered, who are determined not to travel down the road I want to take them.
This article puts a face to women’s heart disease: mine. I am your neighbor, your sister, your co-worker, the woman next to you panting on the treadmill—and yes, that’s me you see Saturday morning at the grocery store. I am not a doctor, and this article isn’t a medical guide, nor is it another article filled only with facts, figures, and data. It’s an honest account by someone who has lived through the trials of life and matters of the heart. Women relate to women, especially a woman who shares what’s happening deep within her chest. Once you see my heart, your own heart will become clearer. You will find the power to stand eye-to-eye with your doctor and represent yourself truly.
I mean to empower and encourage you to take better care of yourself, to be your own advocate and trust your God-given intuition. Trust yourself. Love yourself. This is the heart of my message to you.
Even before I was diagnosed with heart disease, I was well aware (thanks to my family history) of how heart disease affects one’s life and one’s family. I even bought a book called The Complete Idiot’s Guide to a Happy, Healthy Heart. Did I read it? No, I was an idiot and waited until I had heart disease to pull it off my bookshelf.
Since being diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD), I’ve learned so much about sudden cardiac arrest—the hard way. The most common underlying reason for sudden death from cardiac arrest is fatty buildups in the arteries that block blood supply to the heart muscle. About 335,000 people a year die of coronary heart disease without being hospitalized or admitted to an emergency room—more than 930 deaths every day. That’s about half of all deaths from heart disease. And the victims may not even know that they have heart problems!
Please try to imagine yourself in my place. As mothers, we have so very many things that we can reflect on and feel good about. But there’s a dark side of motherhood also: the nurturer’s fears for those little beings whom she has ushered into this world. Mothers never, ever cease feeling responsible; they never outgrow the urge to protect. And now, suddenly, my ongoing ability to protect my daughters had been placed at terrible risk. I am one woman speaking on behalf of the six million women who live with heart disease. I have a voice to speak, arms to hug my family, eyes to see my surroundings, and a mind to see my future. A half million women each year do not have these same opportunities.
Stop smoking/ know your cholesterol numbers and what they mean/ know your own blood pressure/ are you diabetic – take it to heart, it’s a big risk factor for heart disease. Exercise 30 minutes a day. Try and lose some extra weight if you need too. Learn how to deal with stress, try and remove the stress, seek professional help if you can’t deal with the stress. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Wine is okay to drink in moderation, but I get all my anti-oxidants from an whole food orchard blend.
Contact me at loistrader@msn.com for more information on how to stay heart healthy. http://loistrader.com
