Every February the American Heart Association and The Division For Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention encourage the country to pay more attention to heart health. For years, only men dominated all the heart attack attention. Women have always experienced heart attacks but they were long overlooked, misdiagnosed, or considered “a man’s disease” until the late 20th century. If women had a role to play, it was taking care of the men in their lives.
Even the American Heart Association hosted a conference in 1968 themed “How Can I Help My Husband Cope With Heart Disease?” They published a nutrition pamphlet titled “The Way To A Man’s Heart/A Fat-Controlled, Low Cholesterol Meal Plan To Reduce The Risk Of Heart Attack”.
MALE HEART ATTACKS IN MY OWN FAMILY
In my own family men and early heart attacks were common. So common that it was long wrongly assumed that heart attacks were genetic, not food and lifestyle related. Plus, the women in my family would have never been able to influence a fat-controlled, low cholesterol meal plan. There would have been kitchen and marital mutiny….
My great grandfather, a portly man, died early from a heart attack while digging a hole in the backyard to plant a rose bush. His boot hit the head of the shovel and he just collapsed, leaving his large family in shock. My other grandfather on my mother’s side, a smoker, also died early of a heart attack before I was born. He made it home to his favorite chair and collapsed.
My own father had every bad habit that could lead to heart failure and, sure enough, had a heart attack in his 50’s. Because medical care had advanced a five part by-pass saved his life. It was a major wake-up call. He cleaned up his diet, applied portion control, lost weight, and for the first time in his life, began walking 2 miles a day….7 days a week…rain or shine. He always said, “If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have treated myself better”. These dynamic lifestyle changes allowed him to die of old age in his 80’s instead of sweeping him off the planet before his time.
WOMEN ARE NOT LITTLE MEN
This common assumption, that heart attacks belonged to men, meant studies were only done on men and applied to both sexes for years. It wasn’t till the landmark 2001 report from the Institute of Medicine highlighted the under representation of women in clinical trials and sex bias in medicine. Calling for a better understanding of the differences in how men and women are affected by the disease and avoiding a heart attack only then, did things begin to shift.
As the years have passed, realization has grown for more sex-specific clinical trials because, according to a new study, heart attack rates are increasing in what may seem like an unlikely group: Women in their 40’s and 50’s.
Prior to the menopausal years, a woman’s hormones give some protection against Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). However, following the sharp decline in heart-protecting estrogen due to menopause, during this stage of life the lack can increase cardiovascular risk factors.
A reduction in estrogen can contribute to the development of arteriosclerosis, the hardening and narrowing of arteries due to an accumulation of plaque. Changes in hormone levels can contribute to increases in blood pressure. With narrowing of the arteries this can increase the risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
Why is the Heart Association paying more special attention to women? Because the leading cause of death for women in America is heart attack. That this info has failed to reach us is due to the fact that the recurring image of heart attacks on tv and movie dramas remains that of a man loosening his tie, clutching at his chest, and collapsing; not a 45 year old woman lying in bed suffering from night sweats.
It’s hard to think of a single representation in popular culture of a woman ever having a heart attack or even talking about her unpredictably ticky heart….so we are left assuming that it’s something that largely troubles men. Except it isn’t.
It should also be pointed out that women tend to present with different symptoms from men….like pain in the arm, shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, as well as feeling sick, sweaty, anxious, panicky and dizzy. It’s time to call 911 or high-tail it to the emergency room….to be extra safe….
AVOIDING HEART DISEASE: FOLLOWING THE NATURAL LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE
The American Heart Association, and every source you research on heart health, gives the same advice. Heart stopping, inflammatory foods have got to go. Foods like ice cream, whole milk, sour cream, fatty meats, fried chicken, bacon, and chips, to name the short list…. The best way to prevent a heart attack, therefore, is to overdose on plant based foods.
This means staying away from the Keto Diet, with it’s 70-85% fats, that has become all the rage, with foods like cheese, cream cheese, cream and bacon. This trendy diet wasn’t actually created to help lose weight. It was designed in the 1920’s as a last ditch attempt to help children with epilepsy. It is in no way “Heart Healthy”…and totally ignores the recommendations of the American Heart Association.
Everyone thinks they have forever to make change…..the best time to start is yesterday. The next best time is today…..
> Eat a super charged Alkaline diet in the form of whole and unprocessed living foods. Foods that are the Fountain of Youth. Apply liquid love. I suggest getting a juicer and start cleansing your body of collected fats in the blood stream. If you have diabetes, you may do best with green blender drinks made with ‘above the ground’ veggies. These very alkaline foods will begin to address inflammation. Detoxing accumulated fats and toxins from the blood stream is a great way to begin the healing journey.
> Up your hydration habits with pure filtered water. Desert conditions in the body create stagnation. Stagnant, thick blood does not flow through the heart chambers easily. You want to be thinking ‘free-flow’….’free flow’….’free flow’…..
> Put the brakes on excessive acid-forming foods. They put an enormous strain on the heart and it’s best friends, the liver and kidneys. Skip the fries for leafy green salads. Most veggies are 85% mineral rich water. A healthy heart has a love affair with mineral rich foods from natural sources.
> Consume 100% organic foods. Modern man-made chemicals in our foods create inflammation. Chronic inflammation creates narrowing of the blood vessels. Narrowing creates stagnation. When it can’t flow it gets stuck like a beaver dam. Stuck means build-up. Build-up means trouble. The goal is to get out of the trouble zone and avoiding a heart attack.
The royal, loyal heart pushes blood to every part of our body, supplying oxygen and nutrients to our 30 trillion cells (30,000,000,000,000). With the heart playing such a vital role in keeping our bodily systems functioning it is a no-brainer that we should do everything we can to keep it healthy.
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