A lot of women are under the impression that the risk of heart disease is higher for men. But it is not so. Women are more vulnerable than men when it comes to heart disease.

Due to this misconception, while having a heart attack, women tend to react differently than men. They tend to delay emergency treatment as they find it hard to believe that they are having a heart attack.

If you are a woman, there are some very important things you should know about heart problems and what you should do in case of an emergency.

Studies show that women, on average, are about ten years older than men when they have a heart attack. What this means is that…they are likely to have several other health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, and congestive heart failure.

In other words, a heart attack, for a woman, is a lot more serious problem than it is for a man. So, it is very important for women to seek emergency treatment as quickly as possible in case of a heart attack.

The symptoms and causes of a heart attack are something that everyone should be aware of. Heart disease is the number one killer of people across the country today and it is true even more so in the case of women.

More women die of heart disease than do men. The following symptoms should be taken very seriously.

Classic Symptoms of a Heart Attack:

Squeezing chest pain or pressure; Shortness of breath; Sweating; Tightness in chest; Pain spreading to shoulders; neck or arm; Feeling of heartburn or indigestion with or without nausea and vomiting; Sudden dizziness or brief loss of consciousness.

Symptoms More Likely in Women:

Indigestion or gas-like pain; Dizziness, unexplained lightheadedness, possible blackouts. nausea or vomiting; Unexplained weakness, fatigue; Discomfort/pain between shoulder blades; Recurring chest discomfort; Anxiety–unusual nervousness, sense of impending doom; Fluttering–rapid heartbeats, palpitations; Feeling of heaviness, such as pressure-like chest pain between the breasts that may radiate to the left arm or shoulder.

In the year 1900 the cause of death from heart attacks were less than 8%. Today, heart attacks are the leading cause of death at 45%.

One of the main factors that will initiate a heart attack is the buildup of abnormal plaque, in the arteries, plaque that gradually hardens through calcification. Blockage most often occurs in the large arteries feeding the heart or the brain.

Inflammation (C-reactive protein) will usually also cause blockages. In fact, a new view of coronary artery disease is that it is an inflammatory process, characterized by cycles of irritation, injury, healing and re-injury inside the blood vessels.

This inflammatory response is actually a defense mechanism that helps the body heal but when the inflammatory process goes awry, plaques may rupture, provoking clots that lead to heart attacks.

Lifestyle of bad eating habits, smoking, excess alcohol consumption, soft drink consumption and lack of exercise — which lead to diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity — are your major causes of plaque build-up and are leading causes of heart attacks.

It has been proven, however, that your risk of having a major heart attack can be minimized or eliminated—without the use of drugs—by lifestyle changes that will rid your body of inflammation and plaque build-up.

A healthy diet that will alkalize your body, drinking lots of good plain water, taking natural nutritional supplements, and exercising, will, within a few short months, bring your body back to a healthy state.

In conclusion: Until such time as your body is again in a healthy state, we offer the following caution.

If you are experiencing symptoms that could be signaling a heart attack or if you see someone else with these symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately and summon an ambulance.

Do not attempt to drive yourself as only paramedics and trained fire department personnel have the necessary equipment to revive you if your heart has stopped beating.

If she or he stops breathing, start CPR.

Above all, get to the hospital as quickly as possible because the longer a heart attack goes untreated, the more badly damaged your heart will be.

To your good heath & longevity.

Ira Marxe
“The Good Health & Wellness Guy”

Copyrighted © 2009 – All Rights Reserved

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