Every 34 seconds someone in the United States has a heart attack.  When blood, with its oxygen supply, is either reduced or completely cutoff from the heart muscle, cells die and a heart attack occurs.  There are ways to modify your chance of having a heart attack. /What-Are-My-Risks-For-Getting-Heart-Disease-Infographic_UCM_443749_SubHomePage.jsp

Heart disease is the #1 killer of American women. Women’s symptoms may be different from men’s.

• Neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort
• Shortness of breath
• Right arm pain
• Nausea or vomiting
• Sweating
• Light headedness or dizziness
• Unusual fatigue

These symptoms can be more subtle than the obvious crushing chest pain often associated with heart attacks.  Women often tend to overlook symptoms.  This American Heart Association video is humorous but has some great take home points.

Diet, exercise, and stress reduction are important factors in heart health. Recommendations include  eating more fish, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables and avoiding trans fats, as well as limiting saturated fats, salt and sugar.  The Mediterranean Diet and The Harvard School of Public Health Healthy Eating Pyramid are two of the diets that promote heart health.                                 http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/pyramid-questions/

http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/mediterranean-diet
Additional information can be found at:

https://media.heart.org/fc/quiz/index-3.html?xmlHash=d5caa76b92efaeff980beb2e7b9e9199

http://watchlearnlive.heart.org/CVML_Player.php?moduleSelect=highbp