Heart Health: Risks and Prescription for a Healthy Heart

In developed countries, heart disease is the leading cause of death in women over the age of 55. How do you know if you are at risk? And what can you do to keep your 'ticker' healthy before heart disease strikes?

You are at higher risk of developing heart disease when you:

1. Reach menopause. It is believed that the decrease in estrogen is the cause, however hormone replacement therapy is no longer recommended to reduce the risk of heart disease. Certain hormones (estrogen with progestin) actually have been found to increase the risk of heart disease, blood clots and stroke in some women, as well as increasing the risk of breast cancer.
2. Have high blood pressure. Your heart has to pump harder and your blood vessel walls become damaged making them more susceptible to getting clogged with plaque.
3. Have high cholesterol. Too much cholesterol can block arteries.
   
4. Have diabetes. High blood sugar can damage your arteries, making them prone to plaque development.
   
5. Smoke. If you smoke and take the pill, you are at even greater risk than if you smoke exclusively.
   
6. Don't exercise. The risk of developing heart disease for inactive women is twice as high than for active women.
   
7. Are overweight. The greater the excess weight, the greater your risk of developing heart disease.
   
8. Have a family history of heart disease that was diagnosed before the age of 55.
   
9. Have a certain race or socio-economic profile. Black and South Asian women, and women with lower levels of education and income are at higher risk.
   

So, now that you know the risks, what can you do to keep your heart healthy? Well, from the list above, there are a few things you can't do much about, like reaching menopause. However, you can do the following:

1. Exercise regularly, ensuring that your heart is pumping in its "training zone". The heart is a muscle that needs to be worked to remain healthy, just like all your other muscles.
2. Lose excess weight and maintain your ideal weight range throughout your lifetime if at all possible. Even a 10% drop in weight will reap huge benefits for you and your heart. Your energy level and vitality will also increase as a result.
   
3. Quit smoking. Not only will your heart and circulatory system reap the benefits, but your lung capacity will increase and your risk of developing certain related cancers will decrease (e.g. lung and throat cancers).
4. Reduce your cholesterol levels by decreasing your intake of saturated fats (e.g. butter, meat and whole milk) and eliminating trans fats completely from your diet (e.g. certain margarines and products made from shortening). Eat a diet high in soluble fiber (e.g., oatmeal, fruit, vegetables, beats, barley). You may also require cholesterol-lowering drugs as prescribed by your physician.
5. Keep your stress levels low and spend time in leisure activities that help to reduce stress. Maintain a balanced life that includes time for you to focus on your needs exclusively. Consider meditation as a daily practice as it reduces stress levels considerably. It is also a prescription for longevity. Long-term meditation results in a lower biological age for many.
   
6. See your doctor regularly to have your blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked. Many potential problems, if caught early, can be eliminated before they do irreparable damage.
   

One of my favorite heart-healthy recommendations is to laugh! And laugh! And laugh ... a lot! So, be happy - your heart will thank you.

Talk to you all tomorrow.

Sandy Huard, President, Women's Health Supply International

Menopause: Coping with the Symptoms

Menopause marks the end of menstruation. During the transitionary period both leading up to and following the last period, women enter perimenopause. Throughout this time, which typically begins in a woman's late 40's, the ovaries no longer respond predictably to the brain hormones that are released during the menstrual cycle. The ovaries fail to produce an egg each and every month, resulting in irregular periods and sometimes lighter or heavier bleeding and shorter cycles. Ultimately, the ovaries fail to produce an egg and menstruation ceases.

It is during the perimenopausal time period that blood hormone levels change and women have to contend with a host of symptoms. Now, these symptoms range in severity and do not affect all women equally. In fact, most women only experience a few of them, primarily hot flashes. But how do women cope with all this change? And what are the other symptoms exactly?

So, here they are. The symptoms of menopause include:

1. Backaches
2. Fatigue
3. Insomnia
4. Mood changes
5. Memory lapses
6. Headaches and hot flashes
7. Hair becomes thin and dull
8. Teeth loosen and gums recede
9. Breasts droop and flatten
10. Nipples become smaller and flatter
11. Risk of cardiovascular disease increases
12. Skin becomes drier and rougher
13. Abdomen loses some muscle tone
14. Incontinence may occur
15. Bone mass decreases and bones become more brittle
16. Vaginal changes (dryness, itching, shrinking)
17. Body hair thickens and darkens

Looking at the above list, you can see that proper diet and exercise, especially strength-training, can help cope with the 2 most severe symptoms (11 and 15), which can lead to heart attack and osteoporosis. A healthful lifestyle of regular diet and exercise also may tackle many of the other symptoms including backaches, fatigue, insomnia, mood changes, breast drooping and loss of abdominal tone.

Meditation is perfect for increasing brain function and improving memory, while several vitamins and dietary supplements can deal with insomnia, hot flashes, mood changes, memory lapses, thinning and dulling hair, risk of cardiovascular disease, dry and rough skin, and decreasing bone mass.

If you are contending with some or many of the symptoms of menopause, know that you are not alone. There are several resources online to help you understand and deal with the plethora of changes in your body. Deal with them and emerge into the next stage of your life with vigor and abandon!

Take care of yourselves and share some of your challenges with us when you can.

Sandy Huard, President, Women's Health Supply International

Vitamin E: Good for Your Heart?

Vitamin E is best known as an antioxidant that fights free radical damage. But is vitamin E really good for your heart? Let's try to make some sense of the current "confusing" research and the link between vitamin E and your heart.

The journal Circulation, published by the American Heart Association recently reported that vitamin E can reduce the risk of blood clots. In a study of over 40,000 women who were studied for a period of 10 years, supplementation with vitamin E resulted in a decreased incidence of the formation of blood clots. This was especially true for women who had a history of developing blood clots, a serious life-threatening condition.

For athletes or people who exercise, vitamin E has also been shown to reduce oxidative stress in the body, resulting in less damage to muscles. The benefit is less muscle soreness and less recovery time, great news for people who strength train and for bodybuilders.

Here is where the vitamin E research gets a little confusing. A 10-year study of over 9,000 Americans at risk of developing heart disease found that people who took 400 international units of vitamin E daily did not show a reduced risk of heart attack. In fact, those who supplemented with vitamin E actually were at higher risk.

So, what's the verdict? Should you or should you not supplement with Vitamin E? Well, if you are at risk of heart disease or blood clotting, loading up on vitamin E for its heart-healthy benefits appears not to be the correct course of action. Consult with your physician first.

Now, if you have a healthy heart and a healthy circulatory system, vitamin E supplementation may be right for you, especially if you exercise regularly. There is a ton of research showing the positive effects of taking a vitamin E supplement. A great resource can be found at Vitamin & Herb University. There, you'll find everything you need to know about vitamin E and summaries of all of the current research.

That's it for now. Talk to you tomorrow.

Sandy Huard, President, Women's Health Supply International