Go Red For Women
The World Heart Foundation campaign, Go Red For Women, to bring awareness of the fact that heart disease and stroke is the number one killer of women worldwide, is a noble cause worth supporting.
The assumption may be that heart disease is a male problem - however of the 17.5 million victims in 2005, nearly half were women. The problem is that the public’s perception of a heart attack is a man clutching his chest after suffering a sharp pain. Women do not tend to suffer in the same way and may typically suffer from stomach pains, nausea, tiredness and breathlessness. As a result, women are more likely than men to be undiagnosed and not treated.
The 1 February 2008 is National Wear Red Day in the United States, and it seems to me like a good idea for us in the United Kingdom to embrace this Americanism (not often I’ll support an American initiative!).
There are steps that we can all take to reduce our risk:
- Exercise
- Drink lots of water!
- Eat healthily
- Reduce your salt intake
- Watch your cholesterol
- Stop smoking
None of these is a major hardship and all are sensible ideas that lead to general all-round good health. Healthy Body, Healthy Heart.
In Britain, two organisations are members of the World Heart Federation:
You can find out more about their campaigns and how to look after your heart from them.