Quick – what’s the number one killer of women in the United States? If you didn’t answer “heart disease,” then we’ve still go miles to go in public health education. The “Go Red for Women” and National Heart Health for Women campaigns have been going on for at least a decade, now, but heart disease is still first among the top ten causes of death in women. It’s the number one killer, and yet it’s probably the most preventable!
If you’re a regular reader of blogs like this one, you probably know that. But you can help others learn it. Yes, wear red today – but also explain why you’re wearing it. Too many women are still being misdiagnosed or undertreated, and too many women are likely to ignore or disregard their own symptoms. The result is that incidents that could have been prevented, or at least survived, become debilitating or fatal.
Know the signs and teach them to the people you care about. The reality is that one day you might have to advocate for your own treatment – or for that of someone important to you.
50 is the new "forte" 
Yes, this was the theme of Grey’s Anatomy last night. Caught it while on the exercise bike at 24-Hour Fitness. A well done narrative about a stressed-out African-American surgeon having a heart attack and having to go to the ER at another hospital in town where she tried to convince an older white surgeon that her symptoms were really life-threatening. Kept me on the bike for the full hour. And — I was cycling at Level 12 for a good part of that time.
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The spouse saw that episode, too! Good (and perhaps intentional?) timing. Great job on the bike! I’m trying to weave that into my training – increasing endurance while keeping knee-pounding to a minimum, in order to stay solid for a Big Event in October. I’ll be saying more on the blog. 🙂
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