February is a great time to celebrate Valentine’s Day, and being grateful for the love in our lives. It’s also Heart Awareness Month. Yes! As a Brave Heart survivor of open heart surgery of almost 25 years, this is an issue close to my heart 😊 (pun intended).
Heart disease is a complicated health challenge all over the world. However, in particular, this month I would like to call attention to the fact that heart attack symptoms for women are quite different from the ones diagnosed for men. In addition, women are often misdiagnosed in emergency rooms after the heart damage has occurred [ref: https://myheartsisters.org/2009/05/28/heart-attack-misdiagnosis-women]. Below are some of the signs women should consider when being diagnosed for heart disease. Notice there is no suggestion of heavy chest pain.
♥ Shortness of breath, ♥ Pain in one or both arms, ♥ Nausea or vomiting,
♥ Sweating, ♥ Lightheadedness, or dizziness, ♥ Unusual fatigue, ♥ Indigestion.
According to a blog post I read, the less senior citizens sleep, the faster their brains age. I also learned that seven hours of sleep daily was perfect for cognitive function. In addition, sleep for senior citizens is important to provide time to heal from other health related issues.
I had the fortunate experience to learn about using Yoga for pain from a public television station, and thought I would share that information with you along with some websites, which provide information on Yoga for seniors (not that you have to be one to benefit from reducing pain with Yoga methodologies).
24 years since I had open heart surgery. Yes
across a street by myself. At that point, I promised myself and the forces that guide us that if given the future opportunity to walk, I would make sure to honor that ability.
As senior citizens, I think that we are often looking for ways to enhance our well-being: 1) by changing what we eat; 2) trying to exercise; and, 3) get enough sleep. And, of course, getting our regular checkups with doctors. By taking as many of these steps as we can, we hope that it will lead us to long and healthful lives, right?
One of my New Year’s resolutions is to focus more attention on what type of groceries I am purchasing. In addition, I want the recipes I make to be creative, tasty and healthful. My grandmother cooked what could be called ‘soul food’, which was always delicious and she was healthy all her life. She lived to be 94 years old. My grandmother was not the only person I know of who lived a long life and ate things like collard greens, macaroni & cheese, biscuits. I also remember her having a garden, where she grew all kinds of vegetables and from which she used to cook her dinner. I actually don’t recall her using a lot of fertilizer on the vegetables she grew.
Are you aware of the benefits that senior citizens (referred to as elderly people) can receive by eating yogurt? Are you aware that not all yogurt give you the same benefits, and why you might choose one type versus another type?
Just when we thought we had the right information about taking aspirin, a new study comes out to create confusion. Even though I have had heart surgery, I must admit I do not take aspirin. As a matter of fact, I only took it immediately after my open heart surgery 23 years ago. My surgery was not because of a heart attack. I stopped taking aspirin because of an allergic reaction one time, and I never took it again. Now, it turns out that I am on the right side of what is healthy for my age. Below is a summary of my findings, which I hope helps clear up a few things for you. Please use the source links for more detailed information.
unless you have had a heart attack; have a stent; had a bypass surgery; suffer from angina, or had a stroke.