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Cardiologist advises women on keeping their hearts healthy
She sees
differences,
similarities
between the
genders
By Ellen C. Chahey
news@barnstablepartriot.com
Gynecologists and urolo-
gists have known it since
antiquity, and now the car-
diologists agree: women and
men are different.
Nandita S. Scott , M.D.,
F.A.C.C, recently gave a
talk at Cape Cod Hospital
to the Mended Hearts, Inc.,
a support group for survi-
vors of heart disease and
their loved ones. Her theme
was the "clear difference "
between men and women in
certain risk factors, and in
how patients present them-
selves in doctors' offices and
emergency rooms when their
hearts are sick.
Andyetinamost important
way, women and men are the
same -more at risk for heart
disease than for any other
cause of death.
Scott, who will be leaving
the Cape soon to help start a
"Women and Heart Disease"
program at Massachusetts
General Hospital in Boston,
reminded her audience that
heart disease, which has for
so long been considered a
men's affliction, affects both
genders.
"For the past 105 years,
with the exception of 1918
and the flu epidemic, heart
disease has consistently been
the biggest killer of both men
and women," she said.
Both genders die of coro-
nary and heart disease more
than from cancer, lung dis-
ease, and accidentscombined.
A woman, especially one who
is more than 10 years past
menopause, faces a one-in-
two chance of dying from
heart disease, compared to a
one-in-29 chance from breast
cancer, Scott said.
Yetthere aresomanythings
that women and men can do
to prevent the conditionsthat
lead to heart disease, accord-
ing to Scott.
Blood pressure - the mea-
sure of how the circulatory
systemresponds to the pump-
ing and the resting of the
heart muscle - responds to
manypreventative measures.
Reduce your sodium intake,
exercise, enjoy a moderate
intake of alcohol, and eat a
diet rich in fruits, vegetables,
and grains. And reduce your
"bad" cholesterol.
Cholesterol comes in three
forms. HDL ("good cholester-
ol") gobbles the plaquein the
arteries, while LDL ("bad")
clogs the blood vessels. A
third type, triglycerides, may
be more predictive of heart
disease for womenwhenthose
readings are elevated.
Just a 10 percent decrease
in cholesterol levels reduces
the risk of heart disease by
30 percent , says Scott, who
advocates even more aggres-
sive cholesterol treatment for
women who are diabetics.
"Heart disease is much
more prevalent in diabetics,"
she said.
What else does the doctor
prescribe?
"Don't smoke," she said. If
youdo,"You'llhavetwotofour
times more chance of having
heart diseaseor stroke,and 10
times more chance of periph-
eral vascular disease, which
causes severe limb pain.
Controlyour weight.Thirty
minutes of activity every day
(the latest guideline) com-
bined with a modest intake
of calories, will help to keep
the pounds off.
And help the children in
your life to stay away from
both the fat-laden foods and
the sedentary life in front of
the computer.
"Obesity threatens to make
this generation the first one
thatisshorter-livedthantheir
parents,"Scott reminded her
audience.
A big help will be to get
rid of trans-fats, the ones in
margarine,fried foods,bakery
items, and snacks and crack-
ers. Taken into our bodies,
they increase the "bad fats"
in our blood and affect HDL
(the "good fat") "more than
any other nutrient," accord-
ing to Scott. "The goal (for
trans-fats) is zero."
A diet of fruits and veg-
etables and grains is the key
to a heart-healthy diet, says
Scott,and shemeansfor men,
women, and children.
Her gender-specific advice
to women is that while hor-
mone therapy, based on "a
lot of data," does do good
things in the cardiovascular
system, it is ultimately "not
beneficial."
Aspirin shows a deep dif-
ference in its effect between
women and men. It can help
womento prevent stroke,and
mento prevent heart disease,
but not the other wayaround.
Get good medical advice
about aspirin therapy before
you try it.
Above all, women need to
know that their symptoms of
heart attack may vary widely
from men's.
Classic chest pain may be
present, but it may not. Jaw,
arm,orbackpainmightbethe
tip-off, or evenjust fatigue or
a feeling of "indigestion.
A syndrome called "apical
ballooning"isone other wom-
en's heart concern, because
95 percent of those patients
who are diagnosed with it are
women.Althoughitlookslike
a heart attack, it isn't.
Apicalballooning-"apical"
after the "apex"ornarrowend
oftheheart -usuallyhappens
after a stressful event. Tests
reveal normal arteries and
veryhighadrenaline.Patients
usually get better very fast.
After her talk, Mended
Hearts presented an expres-
sion of .thanks to Scott as
she leaves for Mass General.
They also welcomed the new
divisiondirector ofthe North-
east Affiliate of the American
Heart/Stroke Association ,
Melinda Gallant.
Mended Hearts can be reached at
508-385-4313 or www.capecodmend-
edhearts.com; Melinda Gallant and the
American Heart Association at 508-
760-6818 or melinda.gallant@heart.
org; and the American Heart Associa-
tion at americanheart.org.
Flu clinics n Hyannis
There will be several flu clinics
at the Cape Cod Mall this fall:
Oct. 6 and 7; Oct. 13 and 14;
Oct. 20 and 21; Oct. 27 and 28
and Nov. 3 and 4,all from 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m. Flu shots are $30 and
pneumonia shots are $40. There
is no co-pay for Medicare Part
B recipients without an HMO or
Sterling I Option for participants
who present avalidMedicarecard.
You must be 18 or older.
It's time to give till
you bleed
The American Red Cross and
the Yarmouth community have
teamed up to build up the blood
bank. There will be a blood drive
Oct. 17 at the Parish Life Center,
Barbara Road inSouth Yarmouth,
between 1 and 6 p.m. Call 800-
448-3543.
Volunteers needed
for BU study
Doctors at Boston University
Medical Center are conducting
a research study to evaluate
whether a medication will safely
relieve constipation caused by
pain medicine. Individuals with
non-cancer pain for at least three
monthswho experience constipa-
tion may qualify for the study.
Financial compensation may be
provided. Call 617-638-6527.
Energy techniques
Jean Jensen leads an easy
exercise program to increase
energy Oct. 12 at noon at the
Yarmouth Senior Center,528 For-
est Road. Call to reserve a place:
508-394-7606.
Young at Heart
instructors needed
TheVNA Youngat Heart Senior
exercise program is in need of
individuals who can lead classes.
Training is scheduled in South
Dennis for Oct. 17. Call 877-
267-7700.
Work it off
The Young at Heart/PACE ex-
ercise program, a combination of
weight training, aerobic, endur-
ance and flexibility exercises, is
held through the VNA and the
Massachusetts Chapter of the
Arthritis Foundations at commu-
nity sites all over the Cape. Each
session runs for 10 weeks. Call
877-267-7700.
A DVD for children
who stutter
A new DVD starring children
who stutter is available at the
Centerville Public Library and the
West Dennis Library. The video
is aimed at acquainting children
who stutter with others who
also stutter and are handling the
challenges.
Get the monkey off
your back
Overcome your fears, anxi-
ety and agoraphobia, achieve
control of your life and improve
your self-image by attending a
panic and anxiety program held
in Hyannis Mondays at noon and
Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. Call
732-940-9658 for details.
Daily Christian
recovery group
The Christian Recovery Fel-
lowship holds a daily meeting orr
Monday from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at
the Salvation Army Worship and
Services Center on North Street
in Hyannis.The open-discussion,
Christ-based meeting is designed
to provide a safe, confidential
environment forthose "searching,
struggling with alcohol, drugs,
hurts, habits, shortcomings or
hang-ups of all kinds." All meet-
ings are open to all and free of
charge. Thegroup has been meet-
ing since 2002. Contact Charlie
Markarian at 508-775-5733, or e-
mail charlie5733@hotmail.com.
Rehabilitation
Hospital offerings
Rehabilitation Hospital of the
Cape and Islands, 311 Service
Road in East Sandwich, hosts a
fibromyalgia support group the
fourth Thursday of the month. A
stroke support group meets the
second Wednesday of the month
from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The VNA
Mobile Health Link Van will be
at RHCI the first Monday of the
month from noon to 4:30 p.m. for
free health screenings. The apha-
sia community group meets the
first Tuesday of the month from
2 to 3:30 p.m. Food Addicts in
Recovery Anonymous meets
Sundays from 9:30 to 11 a.m.
TheWell-SpouseSupportGroup
meets every thirdThursday of the
month at 7 p.m. Healthy Hearts
outpatientcardiac rehabilitation
programs are offered at 6 a.m.
The MS Support Group meets
the third Sunday of the month.
Post polio support group meets
the third Saturday of each month
at 10 a.m. Hearing screenings
are held the second Wednesday
of each month by appointment.
RHCI offers a Stroke Peer Visi-
tation Program. Call for details
or if you want to volunteer as a
peer visitor. A mild brain injury
support group meets the third
Saturday of each month from 2
to 4 p.m. Call 508-833-4000 for
other programs and details.
Take a break and
relax
Kim Hudson offers traditional
Swedishrelaxationmassage,heal-
inghot stone,yoga,Niadanceand
more inyour homeor herOsterville
office. Call 508-428-2734.
Asthma support
group
Dr. Paul Sklarew leads an
asthma support group at the
Allergy and Asthma Center of
Cape Cod, 244 Willow St. in
Yarmouthport.Meetingsareevery
fourth Wednesday inOctober and
December. Call 508-362-0099.
Mended Hearts meets
at CCH
Members of the Mended Hearts
group meet every third Thursday
at 4 p.m. at Cape Cod Hospital in
Hyannisto discuss heart disease
andshareexperiences.Those with
heart disease and members of
their family are welcome to attend.
Call 508-385-4313 or go to www.
capecodmendedhearts.com.
Activities at
Yarmouth Senior
Center
On the first and third Mondays
of the month at the Yarmouth
Senior Center, 528 Forest Road
in South Yarmouth, a changes
and loss support group will meet
at 11 a.m.
Adult day social
program
The Barnstable Senior Center
on Route 28 in Hyannis hosts the
Barnstable Adult Social Day Care
Program, which operates from 9
a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through
Friday, in an effort to help elders
maintain independence.Call508-
862-4750.
Caregiver support in
Barnstable
Caregivers for seniors are in-
vited to attend a support meet-
ing at Barnstable Senior Center,
Route 28 in Hyannis, every other
Wednesday from 9:30 to 11 a.m.
Call Bobbie Jordan at Elder Ser-
vices (508-394-4630, ext. 181)
to register.
HIV/AIDS testing,
counseling
The Cape Cod Free Clinic &
Community Health Center offers
free, confidential testing for HIV/
AIDS. The tests are available at
the health center's Falmouth and
Mashpee offices. Appointments
are required; call 508-540-2949.
Veterans, take note
The Department of Veterans
Affairs is offering prescription
refills over the Internet via the
VA's MyHealthVet, a personal
on-linerecordsystem for veterans
that tracks not only prescriptions
but health records , insurance
and more. Go to www.myhealth.
va.gov
Driving and dementia
Boston University Medical
Center is looking for residents
who are interested in receiving
free educational information on
driving and dementia. Call 617-
414-1188.
Support at
Independence House
IndependenceHouseinHyannis
sponsorsadomestic violencesup-
port groupat theofficeinFalmouth
Hospitalon Mondaysat6:30p.m.;
a children's empowerment group
on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. at
the office in Hyannis; and a self-
CONTINUED ON PAGE B:7
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