by Carolyn Thomas ♥ @HeartSisters ♥ June 9, 2019
I celebrated an anniversary last month, dear readers. It’s now been 10 years since I launched my Heart Sisters blog. I started writing the year after my heart attack (and my subsequent trip to Mayo Clinic to attend the WomenHeart Science and Leadership patient advocacy training).
Here are some fun facts about Heart Sisters: .. Continue reading “Fun facts about my women’s heart blog”
by Carolyn Thomas ♥ @HeartSisters
Dr. Holly Andersen is a New York cardiologist who once told a Clinton Health Matters conference audience how frustrating it feels when she is able to impact only the women who come in to see her. She believes that increasing public awareness of heart disease can save lives, and this must start with women. Dr. Holly likes to say that “if you can educate a woman, you educate the family.” Here’s her sobering take on what she calls the “big disconnect” in women’s heart disease awareness, prevention and treatment: * Continue reading “The “big disconnect” in women’s heart health”
by Carolyn Thomas ♥ @HeartSisters
1. Matters of the heart
The hardest-working muscle in your body is your heart, according to the Library of Science. It pumps out two ounces of blood at every heartbeat, adding up to at least 2,500 gallons daily. The heart has the ability to beat over 3 billion times in a person’s life. See also: How Many Times Has Your Heart Beaten So Far?
2. Too much sitting or driving could be trouble
If you want to stay heart healthy, it might make sense to cut back on sitting down, driving and watching the tube. In one analysis of data from nearly 30,000 people in 52 countries, those who owned both a car and TV had a 27% higher risk of heart attack than those who owned neither. However, the researchers caution that lack of physical activity is the culprit, not just what you’re doing while sitting. See also: Are you reading this sitting down? Don’t! Continue reading “11 fascinating facts about your heart”
Catch the cameo appearances here by Mayo Women’s Heart Clinic cardiologist Dr. Sharonne Hayes (at work and joining Jenny on the treadmill!) on this spoof of a classic 1982 song reminding us to know and keep track of our heart health numbers. As part of the campaign, viewers can use a free application on Mayo’s Facebook page that will help them calculate their risk of a heart attack and learn how to prevent one.
by Carolyn Thomas ♥ @HeartSisters
“Others inspire us, information feeds us, practice improves our performance, but we need quiet time to figure things out, to emerge with new discoveries, to unearth original answers.”
This wise counsel is from Dr. Ester Buchholz, author of The Call of Solitude. She describes solitude like this as “meaningful alone-time” – a powerful need and a necessary tonic in today’s rapid-fire world. Indeed, she maintains that solitude “actually allows us to connect to others in a far richer way”.
She likely didn’t write that as specific advice for those of us living with heart disease, but it struck me when I read her words that, although they are probably very true for all women, they are especially applicable to heart patients.
Indeed, maybe our heart health would actually improve if we were more determined to carve out more ‘me-time’ during the average day. Continue reading “In praise of solitude after a heart attack”
Heart Sisters 