Month: June 2010

The topic that doctors don’t want to talk about with female heart patients

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 5 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥  @HeartSisters

There’s a touchy topic that many doctors apparently don’t want to bring up with their heart patients  – particularly with their female patients.

A study reported in Washington, DC at the annual Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association found that fewer than 20% of women had a talk about sex with their physicians during the first year following their heart attacks – half the rate reported by male heart attack survivors.

This is significant, because sexual activity declines in the year following a heart attack for patients who do not receive specific advice on this topic from their doctors, the study showed. And fewer than half of all patients questioned in this study reported receiving any guidance on sexual activity – with women even less likely than men to get such information. Continue reading “The topic that doctors don’t want to talk about with female heart patients” →

Have you ever had dreams that accurately predicted illness or healing?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 13 Comments

 dream night rainby Carolyn Thomas    ♥   @HeartSisters

Dr. Steve Parker of Alaska tells this story of a chilling dream he had nine years ago:

“An airplane with a red, four-cylinder engine is leaking oil, and smoke is coming from the engine. The plane takes off, but then immediately crashes. I wake bolt upright at 5 a.m. and the first words in my head are: ‘I’m having heart trouble!'”

Although he says that he had no heart symptoms at the time of this plane crash dream, it turned out to be a far more accurate warning than he could have even imagined. He now believes that this dream actually foreshadowed his own severe heart attack.

He’s not only a survivor, he’s also a cardiac psychologist and author of the book Heart Attack and Soul: In the Labyrinth of Healing. He’ll be sharing the story of this dream – and maybe yours as well – when he speaks at the conference of the International Association for the Study of Dreams later this month.   This is the story he’ll tell: Continue reading “Have you ever had dreams that accurately predicted illness or healing?” →

Your daily planner for heart health

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 3 Comments

 

I loved Megan Griffith-Greene’s ‘dawn to dusk’ daily planner piece in Chatelaine recently listing small ways during your average day that you can improve your heart health – many of which I’ve already written about here. Hour by hour, Megan shows you how these small ways can all add up:

7 a.m. – BRUSH YOUR TEETH: Good oral hygiene is not only good for your social health – gum disease increases your chances of heart disease. Researchers think that when bacteria run amok in your mouth, they can travel through the body and cause inflammation elsewhere too.  See also:  Flossing, Brushing and Heart Disease

8 a.m. – EAT YOUR BREAKFAST:  Start the day off properly with some fibre-rich oatmeal topped with antioxidant-packed blueberries, both of which are associated with heart health.  See also:  Why A Good Breakfast is Good For Your Brain – And Your Heart

9 a.m. – POP A PILL:  Take a capsule of fish oil for its heart-smart omega-3s, but skip the daily low-dose Aspirin unless you are over age 65.  It’s not advised for healthy premenopausal women and can increase your risk of internal bleeding. See also:  Should Women Take A Daily Low-Dose Aspirin to Prevent Heart Attack?   Check out the rest of the day’s heart-smart activities!