Ready, Set, Go Red

Go Red Portneuf Logo 2018Ready, Set, Go Red

One out of every three deaths among women in the US each year is attributed to cardiovascular diseases making it the No 1 killer of women in this country. In fact, heart disease and stroke cause more fatalities than all forms of cancer combined, according to the American Heart Association. The National Wear Red Day is a countrywide campaign geared toward creating awareness surrounding heart and stroke prevention. Celebrated on the first Friday of February each year, we would like to encourage everyone to wear red on Friday, February 2nd in support of this worthy cause. We use this opportunity to reach out to women in our community and alert them to their personal risk factors for heart disease. Statistics indicate there is an estimated 43 million women in the US who are affected by cardiovascular disease and many do not know they are at risk. You may look and feel healthy, but a person can still have an underlying heart issue and still feel fine. As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort, but women are more likely to experience other symptoms such as shortness of breath, back pain, nausea, and sweating. These less obvious and more ‘silent’ symptoms are often discounted or brushed aside because there is a mistaken belief that chest pain or discomfort are the only signs of a heart attack. During February, our goal is to share educational information and provide opportunities that may just save a life. Primarily, we want everyone to know that women’s symptoms are not as predictable as men’s in matters of the heart. It is so important to learn all you can about symptoms and how to lead a healthier lifestyle. Second, we highly encourage women to schedule their annual well-women visit. Heart disease is referred to as the silent killer because symptoms, especially for women, can be more subtle. During an annual visit, your primary care provider will assess your health, check your blood pressure, discuss family history, review risks factors, share ways to live a healthier lifestyle and talk about any additional health concerns. During your visit, providers typically order routine blood test to further look at the numbers. And that brings us to the final thing I want to share with you in this article. Heart Healthy Numbers are important! To help in prevention and early detection, Portneuf Lab will offer reduced fee heart healthy labs during the month of February. The reduced fee labs are open to everyone. To learn more, visit Portneuf Lab. You can print the form, fast for 12 hours, and come to the main entrance of the hospital, by the waterfall. From there, we will get you in the system, collect the fee and get your labs drawn promptly – no appointment necessary.