A few weeks ago, I found myself at a cocktail party (yes doctors are people too) and the what do you do question came up.
I'm a physician, I responded to the woman, innocently enough -- between sips of Riesling.
Family doc? she asked, eagerly. Given the shortage of female family
doctors, I anticipated that her next question would likely have been
"do you have any openings?"
No," I said. "I'm a specialist in Cardiac Risk Management. You know, Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Cholesterol....
Oh," she said, disappointed. I'll never need you then. No family history and I am a Yoga freak."
We shared a laugh, and the
conversation about yoga continued. In the end, it was not the place,
nor the time for me to give my infomercial speech about the importance
of risk factor screening in women. But, here I sit in a local Vancouver
café, where the wine has been replaced with a non-fat latte, and I'm
feeling a burning need to educate.
Don't get me wrong, I hope that lovely woman at the party NEVER needs my help, but there is a very good chance that she will.
When it comes to risk factors for heart attacks and strokes, as women,
we have a ways to go. One in three Canadian women will die of a heart
attack or stroke, compared to one in twelve women who will die of
breast cancer. It sounds bleak, but the best thing we can do for
ourselves is what women have always done when faced with a challenge:
inform and reform. So, I thought I would spend my first five inaugural
entries on the five greatest risk factors for heart attacks and strokes
in women, and what we can do about them:
First up this week is High Blood Pressure (also called Hypertension):
Sixty percent of Canadian women over the age of 60 have high blood
pressure and only about half of them are aware of it. The average
person will need at least 3 medications to control their blood pressure
to target. The numbers for target blood pressure are listed below:
Class of Blood Pressure Systolic Diastolic
Optimal Less than 120 Less than 80
Normal 120-130 80-84
Pre-hypertension (high Normal) 130-139 85-89
High Blood Pressure 140 or higher 90 or higher
High Blood Pressure (w.Diabetes) 130 or higher 80 or higher
The top number is called the
systolic (systole is Latin for pump) and the bottom number is called
the diastolic (diastole is Latin for relax). Both numbers are equally
important and home blood pressure readings are far more accurate than
the readings at a doctor's office. (Hell, the book is always better
than the movie!) Your optimal numbers at home should be 5 mmHg lower
than in the office. (So high blood pressure at home would be numbers
greater than 135/85).
So Ladies... You know your shoe size, you hair colour and your dress
size in Europian and North American variation. It's time to know your
blood pressure, too. Next time you are at the drug store, spending $40
on lip plumping serum that you probably don't need, make your way over to the pharmacy and sit down at the blood pressure machine. There, just follow these steps:
1. Put down the basket, purse and cell phone you are holding.
2. Turn off your iPod- 3 minutes with your own thoughts will not kill you.
3. Think good thoughts
4. Sit down at the machine, comfortably, feet on the floor
5. Wait 3-5 minutes quietly.
6. Longest 5 minutes ever -- isn't it?
7. Put arm in the machine, elbow resting, make sure the machine's sleeve is covering your bare bicep.
8. Push the button on the machine marked start (I'm really not a jerk)
9. The cuff does the rest for you!
10. Take 2 readings; about 2-3 minutes apart and keep track over a period of a few weeks.
It's not rocket science. Anyone who can put lipstick on in a moving
vehicle should find this frighteningly simple. It is probably one of
the best screening tests a woman can do in terms of cardiovascular health.
So, now you know your numbers What to do about them? Well, if you have high blood pressure, see your family doctor. It is likely (almost certain) you will need blood work monitored and medications to control your blood pressure. The biggest thing to remember is that there are a variety of classes of medications to choose from so don't be discouraged. Your doctor will find the right one for you to take. Most agents have very little side effects for the majority of patients. Lifestyle modification is also key and I will get to that in a minute.
What do you if your blood pressure is kissing high?
Studies show that women with mild elevations in blood pressure (pre-hypertension) can dramatically reduce their blood pressure and their risk of developing high blood pressure through diet and exercise. I know, a doctor who preaches lifestyle modification? Where the heck did I go to school? Well, here are 3 things you can do today to lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure:
1. Exercise: I'm not asking you
to go boot camp. A simple 30-minute walk per day is a perfect place
to start. If you are on a treadmill aim for a speed
of 3.6mph or faster. Studies show that women who exercise for 30
minutes daily have half the cardiac risk as women who don't. You hate
walking? Cycle. You hate Cycling? Swim. You hate swimming. um,
bowling? Pick an activity, anything and do it DAILY. And no, shopping
is not a sport. Think of it this way; your life is worth a half hour a
day. As for my Yoga guru at the party. Power Yoga is probably the best cardiovascular activity of all the Yoga as opposed to gentle stretching.
2. Read labels: You know what
you take in your coffee, you should know what your putting into your
body. If you spend as much time perusing your grocery items in terms of
fat grams, salt and calories as you do the latest US weekly and you
will be quite nutritionally savvvy. As for what to watch for? Keep the
fat grams low (below 5g) and the salt to a minimum (250mg or so per serving) Need more info? Canada's Food guide is pretty decent, check their website for more info and stay tuned for my future articles on label reading and portion control.
3. Healthy Choices Really ARE Healthy:
Brown bread is the new black. Nutrition should be like the spring
linesFULL OF COLOUR! Five servings of vegetables never hurt anyone and
your colon will thank you as much as your blood vessels.
Remember, these are just guidelines to better living. This is not the
gospel according to Dr. Z. It's something to think about the next time
you find yourself alone at a restaurant waiting for your girlfriends to
arrive, and your Blackberry has run out of batteries. My bottom
line? Check your blood pressure, know your numbers and get moving a
little more each day. Know a bit about what you are eating and don't
just live green eat it. Finally, don't rush towards the next big
change. All in all, change is good but it is best when it is done in
steps. We tend to stick to things if they come on gradually rather than
if they are severe. Think of it like running in heels. You really need
to walk first.
*Disclaimer*
The ideas and opinions expressed by Dr. Zentner are simply just that; ideas and opinions, and are for informal informational purposes only. This content is not an alternative to professional advice, diagnosis, or remedy. Please consult your own physician or other qualified health provider before following any of the advice or recommendations provided on WOMAN.ca by any of its contributors or authors.
 Ali Zentner, Girlfriends Guide To Health | |
| About the author: | |
Dr. Ali Zentner has practiced Internal Medicine in Alberta for five years with focus on Cardiovascular Risk and the Metabolic Syndrome. Ali established the largest multidisciplinary Obesity clinic in Southern Alberta and continues to work in the region as a consultant in Obesity medicine. Ali has been practicing in West Vancouver since 2005 as a specialist in Cardiac Risk Management and Obesity. A classic overachiever, Ali has completed the Vancouver marathon, and half marathons in New York, Vancouver and Toronto. She is the author of A Good Life, a novel described as “Sex in the City” meets “ER”. She lives in Vancouver with her husband – who says nothing about the size of her shoe closet (if he knows what is good for him)… | |
| Read More >> | |
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I have a question:
what do you do when you have a parent who died of a heart attack at 67 and although my family doctor
has sent me for stress tests etc they found nothing wrong with my heart but a couple of weeks ago I d swear something happened to me, I started to sweat and all of a suddent wanted to throw up but nothing really came out as i had not eaten yet . It lasted maybe 5 minutes in total then I was fine.
Can a person have a mini heart attack without knowing it?
Thanks
DMC