Women's Warning Signs of a Heart Attack

The "Hollywood Heart Attack," where the character, clutching his chest, slumps to the floor immediately, does sometimes happen. But many heart attacks do not mimic this model. In particular, women's symptoms of heart attack may be very different from men's in both quality and severity.

It can be too easy to brush these more subtle symptoms aside; as one woman in my cardiac support group said, "Compared to childbirth, this is nothing!" But of course, they are something. And the sooner you pay attention and get help, the better the outcome.

Because I paid attention to a small signal, and took action immediately, I have almost no heart damage and was able to return to a full life immediately.

So I'm going to provide some descriptions here that might give women a clearer picture of what to look for.

Chest discomfort:
Men typically experience crushing chest pain and pain radiating down one arm. Some women do also, but many women do not. I only experienced one second of pressure in the middle of my chest, accompanied by a complete lack of breath - once again for one second only. Luckily, I paid attention.

Another woman I know reports that she felt as if her chest were on fire.

Any pressure, squeezing or burning in the center of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes or comes and goes is a warning sign.

Upper body discomfort in one or both arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach:
One woman I knew had pain in her jaw; another was awakened in the middle of the night by very painful elbows, which she fortunately recognized as being related to her heart. Others tell of pain in the neck, the shoulder or across the shoulder blades.

At a talk I gave recently, a woman told me of a pain in her jaw. She had been checked for both a dental problem and a tempero-mandibular joint problem, but no evidence of either had been found. Should she see a cardiologist, she asked? I almost shouted, "Yes!"

Any pain in the upper body that can't be explained should be suspect and you should take action. See a cardiologist; if the pain is marked or persistent, dial 9-1-1 and go to the ER.

Shortness of breath, with or without chest discomfort:
Once again, when there is no rational explanation, such as allergy problems or just having run up a flight of stairs, you should be suspicious of shortness of breath.

Dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting, nausea and vomiting, cold sweats:
I began to experience nausea and lightheadedness a few days after my experience with pressure (I had already seen a doctor, who found nothing wrong with me). It could have been a virus, but I had no temperature. Taking your temperature is a good idea before you decide it is a virus and dismiss the idea of a heart attack.

After I got to the hospital, I began to experience severe gastric distress, a little like the commercials for acid reflux disease, with figurative nuts and bolts revolving around in my stomach! A doctor asked me, in fact, if I did have acid reflex disease, and when I said no, it was another factor on which they decided to do angioplasty (go in and see if there was blockage).

I know of a young woman athlete who began to faint after she finished races. She, in fact, had an undiagnosed congenital defect of a heart valve for which she needed surgery.

So, once again, if there isn't a good explanation for the symptom, seek help.

Feelings of anxiety, fatigue or weakness - unexplained or on exertion:
I have met at least one woman heart patient who tells of being overwhelmed by inexplicable anxiety as her major symptom. Once again, there was no precipitating event in her life, so it was a very suspicious episode.

The extreme fatigue that a heart attack sufferer experiences is like having a hole in your "fuel tank" from which all the energy has drained out. One woman I know told me that she was so tired she lay down on her bed, and, feeling cold, wanted to pull the covers up but she couldn't because it was too much effort. That was when she realized she needed to get to a hospital.

Take Action

There is an e-mail that keeps circulating on the internet, with advice about heart attacks. Some of it is good advice: carry an aspirin and take it immediately if you believe you are having a heart attack. In fact, crunch down on it and wash it down with a full glass of water.

But this e-mail always ends with dangerous advice: "Call and friend or relative and wait by the door," presumably to have that person take you to the hospital.

This is the message health care providers want you to hear: Do not drive yourself or ask a friend or family member to drive you.

If you have any of the above symptoms, dial 9-1-1. If you are having a heart attack, emergency responders can start treatment in the ambulance. This can be crucial.

Women, who are often reluctant to have a fuss made about themselves, will dial 9-1-1 in a minute if a loved one is threatened, but will not do so for themselves.

Those few minutes in which you wait for help can make all the difference in the world between life and death, or between a quality life and an impaired life. One of the possible consequences of heart attack is loss of oxygen to the brain, causing irreversible damage. You could survive, but only as someone very dependent on others.

The last message I like to leave women with is this: strive to live the heart-healthy life, and you will feel better than you have in years. Would you like to wake up every morning eager to start the day, with the kind of zest you had as a child? You can do it! The women in my support group, cardiac survivors all, glow with health.

The path to heart health is the path to joy. And who doesn't want joy?

Lynette Crane, M.A.(Psychology) and Certified Life Coach, is a Minneapolis-based speaker, writer, and coach. She has more than 30 years' experience in the field of stress management. She currently works to provide stress and time pressure solutions to harried women, those women who seek "Islands of Peace" in their overly-busy lives. Her talks to groups of what she calls "harried women" are receiving rave reviews. Visit her website at http://www.creativelifechanges.com/ to see more in-depth articles and to view her programs.

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High Cholesterol - Signs, Symptoms, Causes

High cholesterol is what the average person calls it. The medical term is hypercholesterolemia and it is a risk factor for heart disease.

No signs or symptoms are usually visible until the problem becomes significant. Occasionally, yellowish patches appear around the eyelids or in the outer margin of the iris of the eye. Lumps may form in the tendons of the body, especially in the Achilles tendon.

But most of the time, the fatty waxy yellowish substance lodges inside the walls of the blood vessels, where you cannot see it. That's why you must have your blood levels checked on a regular basis, even if you feel healthy. It could be a family issue you are unaware of.

One of the rare causes of hypercholesterolemia is genetics. It is then referred to as familial hypercholesterolemia. There are actually two genetic mutations, one being much rarer than the other. The rarest form can cause severe cardiovascular disease during childhood. People with the more common, but still rare form tend to develop cardiovascular disease between the ages of 30 and 40.

If members of your family have died from heart attacks at relatively young ages, the reason could be familial high cholesterol. It is in your best interest to get a blood test.

Watch Your Diet

Excessive dietary intake of saturated and trans-fatty acids is the most common cause of hypercholesterolemia in the Western world. Dietary cholesterol was at one time blamed, but most research indicates that cholesterol-rich foods like eggs can be consumed in moderation. For example, eating three eggs per week is okay.

Some people have switched to a vegetarian or vegan diet. Usually the result are quite remarkable. Meat, especially red meat, is a source of saturated fat that can cause high cholesterol.

Get Moving and Keep Going

Another common cause is lack of physical activity. Physical activity is one of the only things that raise HDL levels. HDL is considered "good" cholesterol, because it carries the yellow goo out of the bloodstream. LDL particles are the ones that "stick around" in the blood.

You Have Heard the Warnings Repeatedly

Smoking and alcohol consumption in excess of one or two drinks per day are other causes of high cholesterol. Both smoking and alcohol can cause the liver to produce more LDL particles.

Anyone who is obese should have their HDL and LDL blood levels checked regularly. Obesity raises triglyceride levels. Triglycerides are fats in the bloodstream. Triglycerides include free fatty acids and the cholesterol particles we have been talking about. When a person has high cholesterol, their total blood triglycerides are also higher than normal.

Age a Factor -?

Getting older is a possible cause, although not necessarily inevitable. Dietary changes and improved nutritional status can combat high cholesterol regardless of a person's age.

A number of other health problems can cause hypercholesterolemia including:

* Hypothyroidism
* Pancreatitis
* Type II diabetes
* Nephrosis
* Cirrhosis and other liver diseases

Certain prescription medications can also cause the health problem including progesterone, corticosteroids, anabolic steroids and diuretics. No drug is without risk and many of them have a negative effect on liver function. Anything that messes with the liver can cause hypercholesterolemia, as well as other health problems.

While statin drugs are the usual treatment of choice, they too are risky. It is possible to lower high cholesterol naturally without drugs. Now that you know some basic causes, you'll learn how in my next article.

Please click the CHOLESTEROL link below in the resource author box.

Thanks for reading the article. Please visit http://www.healthybodysupplements.com/ for 5 more articles that may help with Cholesterol Problems CHOLESTEROL.

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Cardiovascular Disease - Signs - Symptoms

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the US. It is one of the four leading causes of US fatalities that have been directly linked to diet.

Specifically, diseases affecting the heart and circulatory system are related to deficiencies in certain nutrients and excessive intake of others. By definition, that is an imbalanced diet.

Excessive intakes of all of the following are associated with circulatory diseases:

• Saturated fat
• Omega-6 fats
• Trans-fats, which are man-made, non-essential and are not a part of any healthy eating plan
• Salt/sodium

In addition, diets that are high in processed foods and simple sugars can lead to type II diabetes. People with type II diabetes have an increased risk of heart disease and peripheral vascular (blood vessel) diseases.

Inadequate intakes of any of the following can increase a person's risk of heart attack, stroke and other circulatory issues:

• Omega-3 fatty acids
• Potassium
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin K
• Folate/folic acid
• B-complex vitamins
• Magnesium
• Selenium

In truth, chronic inadequate intake of any essential nutrient or trace element can lead to cardiovascular disease. A general lack of fruits and vegetables in the American diet is another problem, because fruits and vegetables provide fiber and phytochemicals important for circulatory health.

Years ago, just following WWII, the US government realized that heart attacks were killing an increasingly large number of people in the US. After Eisenhower had a heart attack while he was in office, the government decided to sponsor scientific research concerning the causes and risk factors of heart attack. These same causes and risk factors were eventually related to stroke and other circulatory issues, as well.

The research has not stopped. It has been ongoing for decades. Doctors have closely followed all of the residents of a single small town, recording information about what they eat and other lifestyle factors. Smoking cigarettes was one of the first causes identified. It was relatively easy to see the connection there, but there were still many questions to be answered.

To date, the causes and risk factors of cardiovascular disease that have been identified through this ongoing research include:

• High LDL coupled with low LDL cholesterol
• High blood triglycerides
• High blood pressure
• Type II diabetes
• Obesity
• Family history (sometimes due to genetics, sometimes due to the family diet)
• Physical inactivity
• Excessive alcohol intake
• Stress

Many of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease are related to each other and all except for the last four have been directly linked to unhealthy diet. Even stress can be reduced with a healthy eating plan, while an unhealthy eating plan can increase stress in the body.

Sadly, there may be no symptoms until a person has a heart attack or a stroke. This is why high blood pressure is called the silent killer.

Regular medical check-ups are essential to monitor the first four risk factors, although prescription medications may not be the right choice for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. In my next article, you will learn about the ways to reduce your risk and possibly prevent these deadly diseases naturally.

Please click link on Cardiovascular Disease below in the resource author box.

Thanks for reading the article. Please visit http://www.healthybodysupplements.com/ recommended Nutritional Supplements and Vitamins that may help Prevent Cardiovascular Disease.

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The Importance of Knowing the History of Heart Disease and the Signs of Heart Disease

It is undeniable that heart disease is the leading cause of most countries in the world especially in the United States, Canada, England and Wales. In the United States, statistics say that about 25% of all the deaths are caused by heart diseases. This should then alarm everyone to take care of their heart. One way of doing that is to know the history of heart disease including the different signs of heart disease.

Heart disease is a general term that is used for the disorders that affect the heart. There are several types of heart disorders which include cardiomyopathy, cardiovascular disease, heart failure, ischemic, coronary, hypertensive, and valvular heart disease. History taking is very important for health care professionals especially when you are suffering from a heart disorder. They need to know the history of a heart disorder that you have for the proper diagnosis and especially for the treatment methods that need to be carried out. When you go to your doctor and you are being asked a lot of questions about the history of heart disorder, you have to patient and answer truthfully since the information they are asking for are vital.

There are different signs of heart disorders for the different types but there are common warning signs that you need to be aware of. The most common manifestation is chest pain or chest discomfort. There a lot of conditions that can cause chest pain but it should never be ignored. Chest pain is actually a term is used to describe discomforts such as pressure, pain, choking, numbness or squeezing that is felt at the chest and neck area, upper abdominal area including the head, the jaw and the arms. This can last for a few seconds to several days and it can be rare or frequent.

One of the common signs of heart disorder is palpitation. This refers to the awareness of the heartbeat, and most of you would have probably experienced it already. This is often described as a skip in the heartbeat wherein there is a pause that is followed by an unusually strong heartbeat. It can also be described as rapid or irregular heartbeats. This is a common sign of cardiac arrhythmia wherein the heart has abnormal rhythms. Another common manifestation is dizziness or light-headedness. This is of course indicative of several other disorders such as anemia, dehydration, diabetes and a lot more but it can also be a sign of heart disease. It should be properly evaluated by a doctor to learn the underlying cause.

Fatigue and shortness of breath are also common signs of heart disorder. Fatigue happens when you are always tired and unable to do your usual daily activities. This is often accompanied by somnolence or sleepiness at daytime. Although these can be caused by other disorders, proper evaluation is necessary since it can be a sign of heart failure. Meanwhile, shortness of breath is a common sign of respiratory disorders but is also common in heart disorders. This usually happens at night, during exertion and when lying flat on bed.

When you experience any of these signs of heart disease, you should go to your doctor immediately and have yourself checked. Remember to be cooperative when the history of heart disease is being asked so that you will be given the proper treatments.

For more information on Different Types of Diseases, Symptoms and Diagnoses, Please visit: History of Heart Disease and Signs of Heart Disease.

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