Heart disease will kill six times as many women as breast cancer.
Presently it is the leading cause of death among men and women.
This “silent killer” will take the lives of 2,200 people today. Heart disease is preventable.
With knowledge of warning signs and simple clean living guidelines, this statistic can be improved. The support of a practitioner can help with stress management, nutrition, and an overall plan. You can create a healthy lifestyle as your own personal insurance plan against heart disease.
With the help of the right health insurance broker, you can ensure that you get the right health insurance that will cover your heart issues. This is especially important if there are any existing ones. If the heart issues develop later on, you can ensure that you are covered and you have the right backup and support. Your heart is important, clearly, and if you want your heart to stay healthier for longer, you have to avoid heart disease as best you possibly can.
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Early symptoms may be hardly noticeable, or even nonexistent.
71% of women experience early warning signs of heart attack that feel like the flu. There may be no chest pain at all.
Women will, in fact, often experience upper abdominal pain, upper body pain, nausea, and cold sweats. Conversely, men have the more typical chest pain that is associated with a heart attack. This makes it that much more important to pay attention to all possible symptoms.
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute risk factors that we cannot control include age, family history, and a drop in estrogen production. Risk factors that we can control include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and diabetes. Additionally, pre-diabetes, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, and weight issues can further increase risk.
The role of diet plays a leading part in your heart-healthy plan for life.
Enjoy clean eating, whole grains, lean protein, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Controlling the number of servings and portion sizes is also of great importance. When dining out take 1/2 to 2/3 of your entree home. Start with a green salad with no cheese or croutons. Finish with a bowl of fruit for dessert. Limit unhealthy fats and concentrate on nutrient-rich foods. Avoid sugar and processed foods. This includes frozen fare, fast food, or items with ingredients that you do not recognize or cannot pronounce. Try new recipes and have fun with food.
Women’s hearts respond better than men’s to healthy lifestyle changes.
However, it is equally important for both to take action before it is too late.
24 thoughts on “The Healthy Heart Lifestyle: Avoid Heart Disease”
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Hi Dr. Elise ,C
Beyond heredity,and environment, heart health depends upon lifestyle decisions and regular check-ups. Most people know this. Yet, we have a tendency to wait too late before start ‘living healthy’. Posts like this could help as a wake up call. Thanks,
Edward
Thank you, Ed. You are certainly right that there are many steps that we cna take to protect our health but we, unfortunately tend to wait until crisis mode rears it’s ugly head.
Hi Elise,
Thank you for this very useful information. I had no idea that the symptoms of a heart attack are different for men and women. As a family we eat as healthy as we can- mostly organic, avoid processed foods, low sugar diet. But the one thing I have to say personally is I probably don’t exercise enough… After reading this I’m definitely going to step up my exercise regime.
Thanks again for this wonderful post!
Best
Monisha
Monisha. I am happy to hear that you found this information useful. It sounds as if you are doing great things for you and your family. Now to just step up the exercise a bit and you will be doing wonderfully.
Elise
This is great stuff, I did not realize that the signs were different. Which is good to know.
Obviously you can’t do much about family history, when I go to the Dr. I get asked about family history on things, and I know the first time my parents had their cholesterol checked was in their 70s… So who knows on that one.
Diet is important, but when you travel it can be difficult to find healthy food. Airports are know for their healthy alternatives.
Very informative, Thanks
Andy
Thank you for visiting. You are right that your family history is set in stone but it does not have to be your future. There is great information in being aware of the past so that you can change your future.
I’m one of the many who developed Diabetes Type I and high cholesterol. My diet wasn’t too bad and I wasn’t overweight but I did have a problem with estrogen production and I skipped meals a lot. Thankfully it’s now known how you can control symptoms and progression of diabetes by diet alone. It’s simple too. Apart from some fruits which can raise blood sugar levels too much, your recommendations of whole grains, lean protein and vegetables do the trick. My sugar levels are under control and my cholesterol levels returned to normal too.
A relative who was on twice daily insulin injections for years had stomach surgery which restricted the foods he could eat. He is now completely off insulin and just takes a couple of tablets a day instead.
That should have read Diabetes Type II.
I understood.
Thank you, Sue and yes, you are right that fruit can raise blood sugar too much but it also can, and should, be part of a heart healthy diet.
Good timing Elise.
Yesterday I was reminded about the fact that I Vape, I use e-cigs. I have stopped ‘smoking’ for nearly 9 months now. It’s well documented that smoking causes heart disease and other nasties too. Now that I am on e-cigs sure I am still absorbing some of the nicoteen but not all of the other stuff that causes fatal illness’s..Sure Nicoteen is addictive we know that but as far as I am aware it does not cause heart disease. Surely by vaping you are ingesting maybe 4 ‘harmless’ substances rather than 500+. What is your take on this ?
William
I do think that vape has some benefit but we do not yet know the long term effect of using it. Now that you have cut out cigarettes (great job) I think it is a good idea to work on also cutting out vape.
thank you for this information and great reminders. I had a neighbor drive herself to the ER because she wasn’t feeling well (many of these symptoms) and died in her car in the parking lot from a heart attack. Knowing the signs can save lives!
Wow. That is terrible that this happened to your neighbor but thank you for sharing the story. It is a poignant reminder of how aware of our needs that we need to be.
Thank you for sharing this information. I have heard of these different symptoms before, but still don’t really understand WHY ours are so different from the symptoms men experience.
I have had a number of health issues and injuries lately that have interfered with my 30 minutes a day of exercise, but I’m hoping to get back on track soon!
I do hope that this post helped you to understand a bit better the differences of experience from men to women. I too hope you are back on track. Reach out if you need anything. You may even want to join my group on Facebook in which I share regular tips on ways to live a healthier life.
Hi Elise,
Oh so true! A change in diet is the best medicine I feel. I was once diagnosed with high blood pressure, so much so, the doctor said I was in “danger zone” and gave me pills. I took one, then realized what I had been eating because I never had this problem before.
I realized it was right after the “holiday season” and I was still eating high salty foods. I detoxed from salt immediately, went back to the doc with a clean bill of health. He He!
We are what we eat, and heart disease is something that we need to address. Eating healthy foods, preferably cooked at home, can do the trick!
-Donna
I am beyond thrilled that your results have been so tremendous. It truly does just take a few simple steps.
This is a very important post because heart disease is happening more and more in women. And at one time heart disease was known to be a “man’s disease”. Warning signs of a heart attack do differ in women than it does in men, so women need to be aware fully.
There also used to be “Adult Onset Diabetes” but that name has now been changed to “Type 2 Diabetes” thanks to our compromised food sources and other factors people are getting sick at earlier ages.
Hi Elise,
Thanks so much for sharing this information. I did not know that about the symptoms in women being different than for men. Interesting.
I am working on a lifestyle change but its not easy.
Have a great week.
I know, Monna, but you are making tremendous change and I am always here to help you.