How Can Working Women Reduce the Risk of a
Heart Attack.
A working woman has to juggle between home and work responsibilities
In a recent survey called Visualizing the Extent of Heart Disease in Indian Women (VEDNA),conducted by a group of senior doctors, it was revealed that there has been a steep rise in the number of women suffering from heart diseases across the country and the numbers will continue to rise in the coming years.The sudden shoot up in the number of women suffering from cardio vascular diseases is mainly due to change in lifestyle. In the modern day, women have become more career oriented and are giving tough competition to men. However unfortunately in India women still have to take care of the family and household and this perhaps is taking a toll on their health.
Considering the fact that working women juggle between home and work responsibilities, they are more likely to get exposed to stress and unhealthy lifestyle and therefore, are more prone to cardiovascular diseases compared to women who are not working. Apart from this,risk factors like stress, smoking and drinking have increased considerably along with it, co-morbid conditions like obesity, hypertension and diabetes have also gone up.
Some of the conditions that can put women at the risk of developing heart diseases are High Blood Pressure/Hypertension, Cholesterol, Diabetes, Obesity, Lack of physical activity, (especially those with already existing risk factors such as smoking, obesity, etc.)Therefore it is important for working women to take necessary steps in order to prevent any kind of cardio vascular diseases. Fortunately, there are ways to slow and even reverse this trend. Women must begin to pay closer attention to what and how they eat, as well as make sure there is time set aside for exercise several times a week. While it is impossible to avoid some stress in the workplace, one can always find ways to minimize and contain the stress. Women of all ages must quit smoking.
Regular exercise will embark you on a healthier way of living. One can begin with simple ten to fifteen minute walk build endurance and add more strenuous forms of exercise. Lifestyle changes may or may not be easy. However, if one understands what needs to be done and why it has to be done it will make the process easier.Another factor is the way one eats. Often, working women are either or on tight schedules or have to attend parties where there is no control over the food they eat. Often their diet involves way too much red meat, spices with high sodium content, lack of fresh fruits and vegetables.
To start with women can Lower their cholesterol levels Maintain a healthy weight Exercise regularly Eat healthy Cut down on cigarette and alcohol consumption Reduce stress and treat depression Go for regular health screenings Identify a potential heart disease symptom
Women need to be aware of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease and the importance of making lifestyle changes that may reduce those risks. Factors such as race, increasing age, and a family history of heart disease cannot be changed. Other risk factors, however, can be changed or eliminated by making informed decisions about cardiovascular health.
Despite the fact that the rate at which the number of women suffering from heart disease is alarming, yet few women consider the disease a major health concern. Infact not only are women unaware of the risk factors, they also have limited knowledge of the symptoms of heart disease. The unusual symptoms women often experience makes it harder to diagnose the disease. Moreover the myth that heart diseases occur mostly in men makes them ignore the symptoms which leads to late diagnosis and delay in seeking treatment, which contributes to higher mortality.
This lack of awareness stems in part from many patients' view of heart disease as a condition that primarily affects men, is putting numerous women at risk. Hence it's crucial that women educate themselves about their risk factors for heart disease, as well its prevention and treatment.
The article has been written by Dr. Prabhakar Shetty Heggunje -Consultant – Cardiology, Columbia Asia Referral Hospital, Yeshwanthpur, Bangalore
(Courtesy :lifestyle. yahoo.com)
