Celebrating American Heart Month February, 2011

Celebrating American Heart Month February, 2011

Graniterock is committed to health and wellness and supports programs which benefit the communities in which we live. The Company has long supported the objectives of Women’s Health at Stanford, a multidisciplinary program within the School of Medicine dedicated to enhancing the health of women. Women’s Heart Health at Stanford is one outgrowth of this program. Current research shows that women often experience different symptoms of heart disease than men, yet much of our past information on heart disease has been based upon research done only with men.  It is important that the role of gender in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular disease be better understood by clinicians and by the general public. Stanford Cardiovascular Institute (cvi.stanford.edu.) gives us this advice:

Women’s Cardiac Symptoms
The most common symptom of a cardiac problem is chest pain. This pain may feel more like pressure, tightness, squeezing or burning. It can happen at various times; during exertion or rest, during menstruation or at times of emotional stress. Women are more likely than men to report multiple symptoms including:

• Shortness of breath
• Nausea/Vomiting
• Arm/shoulder pain (usually left-sided, may be right-sided)
• Abdominal pain
• Back pain or pain radiating to the back
• Neck pain
• Jaw pain
• Fatigue

Staying Healthy: Tips for Prevention 

Women with higher fitness and activity levels have less heart disease and stroke, and live longer than women who are sedentary. Women with a higher intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, poultry and whole grains and a lower intake of red and processed meats, sweets, fried foods, and refined grains have a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease.  In addition: 

• Know your family’s heart health history
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Don’t smoke
• Check your blood pressure periodically
• Check your cholesterol level at age 20 and at least every 5 years after
• Manage diabetes
• Start early: Childhood obesity and diabetes may soon have a significant impact on heart disease rates in young people

Assess your risk online at womensheart.stanfordhospital.com