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I’m on a mission to raise women’s awareness that heart
disease is the No. 1 killer of women. It and other
cardiovascular diseases kill nearly 500,000 women each year.
That’s more than the next six causes of death combined,
including all forms of cancer. This year I lost two friends to
heart disease and both thought they had the flu when they
actually where having heart failure.
The good news is
that heart disease is largely preventable. Go Red For Women
gives you the power to prevent it by significantly
reducing your risks. Red is the color for women and heart
disease, and wearing red shows your commitment to this movement
for the future health of all American women. Take positive
action now by joining Go Red For Women. Make red your color and
help save women’s lives.
1.
Join Go Red For Women, wear red and get your red dress pin.
2.
Know the numbers your heart really counts on.
3.
Take action.
4.
Share the power with the important women in your life.
Heart attack and
stroke are life-and-death emergencies -- every second counts. If
you see or have any of the listed symptoms, immediately call
9-1-1. Not all these signs occur in every heart attack or
stroke. Sometimes they go away and return. If some occur, get
help fast! Today heart attack and stroke victims can benefit
from new medications and treatments unavailable to patients in
years past. For example, clot-busting drugs can stop some heart
attacks and strokes in progress, reducing disability and saving
lives. But to be effective, these drugs must be given relatively
quickly after heart attack or stroke symptoms first appear. So
again, don't delay -- get help right away!
Heart Attack Warning Signs
Some heart attacks are sudden and intense -- the "movie heart
attack," where no one doubts what's happening. But most heart
attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people
affected aren't sure what's wrong and wait too long before
getting help. Here are signs that can mean a heart attack is
happening:
-
Chest
discomfort. Most
heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest
that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and
comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure,
squeezing, fullness or pain.
-
Discomfort
in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms
can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the
back, neck, jaw or stomach.
-
Shortness of
breath. May
occur with or without chest discomfort.
-
Other signs: These
may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or
lightheadedness
If you or
someone you're with has chest discomfort, especially with one or
more of the other signs, don't wait longer than a few minutes
(no more than 5) before calling for help. Call 9-1-1... Get to a
hospital right away.
Calling 9-1-1 is
almost always the fastest way to get lifesaving treatment.
Emergency medical services staff can begin treatment when they
arrive -- up to an hour sooner than if someone gets to the
hospital by car. The staff are also trained to revive someone
whose heart has stopped. Patients with chest pain who arrive by
ambulance usually receive faster treatment at the hospital, too.
If you can't
access the emergency medical services (EMS), have someone drive
you to the hospital right away. If you're the one having
symptoms, don't drive yourself, unless you have absolutely no
other option.
For more
information go to
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/actintime/index.htm,
http://www.americanheart.org., and
GO RED for HEART DISEASE!
These are
the warning signs listed on the American Stroke Association web
page.
Stroke is a
medical emergency. Know these warning signs of stroke and teach
them to others. Every second counts:
-
Sudden
numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on
one side of the body
-
Sudden
confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
-
Sudden
trouble seeing in one or both eyes
-
Sudden
trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
-
Sudden,
severe headache with no known cause
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Read and
Learn!
Sometimes
symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.
Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke
victim may
suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize
the symptoms
of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize
a stroke by
asking three simple questions:
*Ask the
individual to SMILE.
*Ask him or
her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
*Ask the
person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (ie. It is
sunny out
today)
If he or she
has trouble with any of these tasks,
call 9-1-1
immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
After
discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could
identify
facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems,
researchers
urged the general public to learn the three questions.
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