Heart attack misdiagnosis in women

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 65 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥  @HeartSisters

A woman attending one of my heart health presentations told me of her recent trip to the Emergency Department of our local hospital, and an overheard conversation between the (male) doctor and the (male) patient in the bed next door beyond the curtain:

“Your blood tests came back fine, your EKG tests are fine – but we’re going to keep you for observation just to rule out a heart attack”.

A male patient is thus admitted to hospital for observation in spite of ‘normal’ cardiac test results – as current treatment guidelines require.  But I and countless other females in mid-heart attack are being sent home from Emergency following ‘normal’ test results like his, and with misdiagnoses ranging from indigestion to anxiety or menopause.  Why is this?       click to continue reading

20 things women don’t know about FAT

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 1 Comment

food transfat label

Of all the types of fat we consume — saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and trans fat — the two that increase our risk of coronary artery disease are:

  • saturated fat (found in beef, butter, cheese, milk, coconut or palm oils) 
  • trans fat (deep-fried fast foods, most bakery pastries, packaged snack foods, margarines and crackers)

In fact, according to Mayo Clinic, trans fat may be worse than saturated fat because, unlike saturated fat, it both raises your low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad” cholesterol), and lowers your high-density lipoprotein (HDL or “good” cholesterol).  Here’s more about fat:   click to continue reading

‘Knowing & Going’ – act fast when heart attack symptoms hit

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 15 Comments

RLM067

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters

I finally realized that I was in big trouble during a five-hour flight from Ottawa to Vancouver.  But I’d been told emphatically by an Emergency Department physician two weeks earlier that my problem was just acid reflux – not a heart attack.

So for two weeks, I’d endured increasingly debilitating attacks of chest pain, pain radiating down my left arm, sweating and nausea.  But hey! – at least I knew it wasn’t my heart.  A man with the letters M.D. after his name had told me so.

I suffered two more attacks in the Ottawa airport before boarding, and two more during that endless flight to Vancouver.  At no time did I consider saying anything to the Air Canada flight attendants about my growing distress.  I sure didn’t want to be one of those passengers they have to turn the plane around for because of a medical emergency. How embarrassing would that be – and all just for indigestion? click to continue reading

Is chocolate good for women’s heart health?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 13 Comments

chocolate_11

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters

Good news, my heart sisters! Turns out that our favourite guilty pleasure might actually be good for our hearts.  Studies come and go, but I’m sticking to this theory. . .

alth Benefits of Chocolate
By Mark Stibich, Ph.D., About.com
Updated: January 24, 2009
About.com Health’s Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board
See More About:
* nutrition
* healthy eating tips
* fun ways to live longer
* longevity boosters
* chocolate and health
“Chocolate”
Chocolate
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Why is Dark Chocolate Healthy?:
Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease. Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries). Flavonoids also help relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide, and balance certain hormones in the body.
Note: Stay up-to-date on longevity and anti-aging with my weekly newsletter.
Heart Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate:
Dark chocolate is good for your heart. A small bar of it everyday can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well. Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate are:
* Lower Blood Pressure: Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate everyday can reduce blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure.
* Lower Cholesterol: Dark chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent.
Other Benefits of Dark Chocolate:
Chocolate also holds benefits apart from protecting your heart:
* it tastes good
* it stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure
* it contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant
* it contains theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants
Doesn’t Chocolate Have a lot of Fat?:
Here is some more good news — some of the fats in chocolate do not impact your cholesterol. The fats in chocolate are 1/3 oleic acid, 1/3 stearic acid and 1/3 palmitic acid:
* Oleic Acid is a healthy monounsaturated fat that is also found in olive oil.
* Stearic Acid is a saturated fat but one which research is shows has a neutral effect on cholesterol.
* Palmitic Acid is also a saturated fat, one which raises cholesterol and heart disease risk.
That means only 1/3 of the fat in dark chocolate is bad for you.
Chocolate Tip 1 – Balance the Calories:
This information doesn’t mean that you should eat a pound of chocolate a day. Chocolate is still a high-calorie, high-fat food. Most of the studies done used no more than 100 grams, or about 3.5 ounces, of dark chocolate a day to get the benefits.
One bar of dark chocolate has around 400 calories. If you eat half a bar of chocolate a day, you must balance those 200 calories by eating less of something else. Cut out other sweets or snacks and replace them with chocolate to keep your total calories the same.
Chocolate Tip 2 – Taste the Chocolate:
Chocolate is a complex food with over 300 compounds and chemicals in each bite. To really enjoy and appreciate chocolate, take the time to taste it. Professional chocolate tasters have developed a system for tasting chocolate that include assessing the appearance, smell, feel and taste of each piece.
Chocolate Tip 3 – Go for Dark Chocolate:
Dark chocolate has far more antioxidants than milk or white chocolate. These other two chocolates cannot make any health claims. Dark chocolate has 65 percent or higher cocoa content.
Chocolate Tip 4 – Skip the Nougat:
You should look for pure dark chocolate or dark chocolate with nuts, orange peel or other flavorings. Avoid anything with caramel, nougat or other fillings. These fillings are just adding sugar and fat which erase many of the benefits you get from eating the chocolate.
Chocolate Tip 5 – Avoid Milk:
It may taste good but some research shows that washing your chocolate down with a glass of milk could prevent the antioxidants being absorbed or used by your body.Great news, heart sisters!  Turns out that our favourite guilty pleasure might actually be good for our hearts. Good news, heart sisters!

The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that dark chocolate (whose cocoa polyphenols contain nearly eight times the number of antioxidants found in strawberries) can help lower blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide, and also lower LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol levels in the blood by up to 10% from heart-health flavonoids in dark chocolate.

As if that’s not good enough, here are five more benefits of dark chocolate: click to continue reading…