Tag: women and heart disease

Women’s heart disease and chronic stress

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 6 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters

Cardiology researchers have recently begun calling on doctors to include the diagnosis and treatment of stress in the routine care for patients with heart disease.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, led by researchers at Université Laval in Quebec City, found that first-time heart attack survivors who returned to chronically stressful jobs within 18 months of their heart attacks were twice as likely to have a second heart attack as patients whose occupations were less stressful, and also had a markedly higher risk of death than their less-stressed peers.   click to continue reading

Is alcohol unsafe for all women?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 4 Comments

wine party hat

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters

Remember reading about the big U.K. study in February warning us that women who drink even one alcoholic beverage per day may be at increased risk for developing cancer?

It was alarming news for those of us who enjoy a glass of wine with dinner – and especially since several previous medical studies have linked moderate wine consumption with improved heart health.   Continue reading “Is alcohol unsafe for all women?” →

Monday morning heart attacks – and other weird facts about women’s heart disease

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 17 Comments
Many heart attacks hit around our birthdays
Heart attacks are more likely to happen around our birthdays

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters

Here are 20 surprises I’ve picked up along the way while researching other surprising things about women’s heart disease:

1.  The most common day of the week for a heart attack to occur is Monday.

2.  Saturday ranks second.

3.  Most heart attacks hit during the early morning hours between 4-10 a.m. when blood platelets are stickier and increased adrenaline released from the adrenal glands can trigger rupture of plaques in coronary arteries. Heart attacks occurring between 6 a.m. and noon were associated with the most damage, in a study reported in the cardiology journal Heart.

4.  Heart attacks are 27%  more likely to occur around your birthday, especially in women with high blood pressure (Yikes! I had my first heart attack symptoms at 6:30 a.m. on a Monday morning while out delivering thank you cards to friends who had attended my Saturday evening birthday party!)   click here to continue reading

“You look great!” – and other things you should never say to heart patients

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 23 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥  @HeartSisters

“Wow!  You look great!  You look just the same!”

In the early days, that was a fairly typical greeting from those who had not seen me for a while.  While some might assume that this is a thoughtful and flattering comment to offer a freshly-diagnosed heart attack survivor, many times it didn’t feel that way.

Surprised? Many people, especially in the early days, weeks and months while still reeling emotionally and physically from their life-altering cardiac train wreck, tell me that they often feel like replying to such greetings with:

“I am NOT the same!”

Instead of  the well-meant but oddly niggling “You look great!” – what might be more helpful to the freshly-diagnosed heart patient?   click to continue reading