“April is Alcohol Awareness Month, an opportunity to update your knowledge about the adverse effects of alcohol misuse on health and society. It is also a good time to talk to teens about drinking and to equip them with the knowledge to handle situations involving alcohol. Even teens who would not normally be tempted to drink alcohol may be drawn in by certain social situations, so don’t assume they have all the facts they need to resist peer pressure. Parents and trusted adults can play a meaningful role in shaping youth’s attitudes toward drinking.

Alcohol-related problems continue to take a heavy toll on individuals, families, and communities. Alcohol is a significant factor in the deaths of people younger than age 21 in the United States. This includes deaths from motor vehicle crashes, homicides, alcohol overdoses, falls, burns, drownings, and suicides.”

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

(https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/about-niaaa/directors-page/niaaa-directors-blog/alcohol-awareness-month-raising-awareness-about-dangers-alcohol-use-among-teens)

Alcohol is the drug of choice among youth. Many young people are experiencing the consequences of drinking too much, at too early an age. As a result, underage drinking is a leading public health problem in this country.

Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking; this includes about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, 1,600 as a result of homicides, 300 from suicide, as well as hundreds from other injuries such as falls, burns, and drownings.

Yet drinking continues to be widespread among adolescents, as shown by nationwide surveys as well as studies in smaller populations.  As children move from adolescence to young adulthood, they encounter dramatic physical, emotional, and lifestyle changes. Developmental transitions, such as puberty and increasing independence, have been associated with alcohol use. So in a sense, just being an adolescent may be a key risk factor not only for starting to drink but also for drinking dangerously.

How people view alcohol and its effects also influences their drinking behavior, including whether they begin to drink and how much. An adolescent who expects drinking to be a pleasurable experience is more likely to drink than one who does not. An important area of alcohol research is focusing on how expectancy influences drinking patterns from childhood through adolescence and into young adulthood.

Beliefs about alcohol are established very early in life, even before the child begins elementary school.  Know before age 9, children generally view alcohol negatively and see drinking as bad, with adverse effects. By about age 13, however, their expectancies shift, becoming more positive.   As would be expected, adolescents who drink the most also place the greatest emphasis on the positive and arousing effects of alcohol.

Whatever it is that leads adolescents to begin drinking, once they start they face a number of potential health risks. Although the severe health problems associated with harmful alcohol use are not as common in adolescents as they are in adults, studies show that young people who drink heavily may put themselves at risk for a range of potential health problems.

What has been done to prevent this problem in out communities throughout America:

Raising the Price of Alcohol—A substantial body of research has shown that higher prices or taxes on alcoholic beverages are associated with lower levels of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems, especially in young people

Increasing the Minimum Legal Drinking Age—Today all States have set the minimum legal drinking at age 21. Increasing the age at which people can legally purchase and drink alcohol has been the most successful intervention to date in reducing drinking and alcohol-related crashes among people under age 21.

Enacting Zero-Tolerance Laws—All States have zero-tolerance laws that make it illegal for people under age 21 to drive after any drinking. When the first eight States to adopt zero-tolerance laws were compared with nearby States without such laws, the zero-tolerance States showed a 21-percent greater decline in the proportion of single-vehicle night-time fatal crashes involving drivers under 21.

School-Based Prevention Programs—The first school-based prevention programs were primarily informational and often used scare tactics; it was assumed that if youth understood the dangers of alcohol use, they would choose not to drink. These programs were ineffective. Today, better programs are available and often have a number of elements in common: They follow social influence models and include setting norms, addressing social pressures to drink, and teaching resistance skills. These programs also offer interactive and developmentally appropriate information, include peer-led components, and provide teacher training.

Family-Based Prevention Programs—Parents’ ability to influence whether their children drink is well documented and is consistent across racial/ethnic groups.  Setting clear rules against drinking, consistently enforcing those rules, and monitoring the child’s behavior all help to reduce the likelihood of underage drinking. The Iowa Strengthening Families Program (ISFP), delivered when students were in grade 6, is a program that has shown long-lasting preventive effects on alcohol use.

“April is National Donate Life Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about organ, eye and tissue donation, while also honoring donors and encouraging individuals to register as donors. Established by Donate Life America, this observance highlights the critical need for donors and celebrates the transformative impact of donation on recipients’ lives.​

As of March 2025, more than 103,000 people in the United States are on the national transplant waiting list, hoping for lifesaving organ transplants. Alarmingly, another person is added to this list every eight minutes. Despite the generosity of donors, the demand continues to outpace the supply, leading to an average of 16 deaths each day among those awaiting transplants.

In 2024, the United States witnessed a record-breaking 48,000 organ transplants, reflecting an ongoing increase in donation and transplantation efforts. Each donor has the potential to save up to eight lives and enhance over 75 more through tissue donation. Kentucky alone has made significant strides in organ donation. In 2023, the Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) reported a 25% increase in organ donations and a 20% increase in organ transplants compared to the previous year. This led to 299 organ donors facilitating 729 transplants, saving 693 lives—the highest number recorded in any given year for the state. However, despite these advancements, more than 1,000 Kentuckians are still awaiting lifesaving organ transplants.

Registering as an organ, eye, and tissue donor is a straightforward yet profound way to contribute. Individuals can sign up through their state’s donor registry or at the Department of Motor Vehicles when obtaining or renewing a driver’s license.”

Ephraim McDowell Health

(National Donate Life Month: A Time to Save Lives Through Organ Donation – Ephraim McDowell Health)

WHY DONATE:

Organ, eye and tissue donation provides lifesaving and healing opportunities to the nearly 120,000 people waiting for transplants nationwide. Over 2,500 of those people waiting for a lifesaving transplant live right here in our community! Organ, eye and tissue donation allows others to breathe, to see, to move and to live. Donation is a way to give the ultimate gift – the gift of life.

ORGAN DONATION PROCESS:

When the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) was signed into law in 1984, it created the national Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) establishing an organ donation process for matching donor organs to waiting recipients. The OPTN standardized the process for donating organs across the country and created the system of federally-designated Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs), like Donor Alliance.

The OPTN is managed under contract by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). UNOS establishes allocation policy and manages the national transplant waiting list, matching donors to recipients 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. UNOS also maintains the database that contains all organ transplant data for every transplant that occurs in the U.S.

DIAGNOSIS:

There are numerous laws, regulations and standards that govern how and when a medical professional can make an official declaration of death. What is most important to know is that hospitals and emergency medical professionals will make every effort to save a patient’s life regardless of their status as a donor.

Death can occur in one of two ways: cardiac death, when the heart is no longer able to beat on its own, and brain death, which is the irreversible loss of function of the brain, including the brain stem.

Organ donation after Brain Death:

According to the Uniform Determination of Death Act, brain death is defined as the irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem. A brain-dead person is dead, although his or her cardiopulmonary functioning may be artificially maintained for some time.

Because of the neurological nature of brain death, a controlled and extensive clinical exam occurs to make that final declaration. Brain death is final and finite; it is not in the same thing as a coma or persistent vegetative state.

Brain death determination is rare and occurs only in about 1 out of every 100 hospital deaths.

Organ Donation after Circulatory Death:

Organ donation after circulatory death (DCD) is the type of donation that was used in the early years of organ donation. Before brain death criteria was established, DCD and living related donation were the only options.

This type of donation occurs when a patient has an illness from which he or she cannot recover. The patient is not brain dead, but has no hope of recovery.

If the family is interested in donation and has made the decision to withdraw treatment, that process will occur in the operating room instead of the hospital room. The time from the family authorizing the process to the removal of support is typically no fewer than eight hours, due to the need for blood tests and other arrangements.

Once in the OR, if the patient’s heart stops within the designated time frame for donation, the team waits for several minutes to ensure that the heart has ceased functioning. At this time, a physician from the hospital, not the organ recovery team, will pronounce the patient dead. Then, the surgery to procure the organs for donation begins.

While DCD increases the number of organs available for transplant, this type of donation does not allow for organs other than the liver and kidneys to be procured in most cases. It is rare for the heart and lungs to be recovered.

How to match a donor to the best candidate who needs a organ:

The system uses this information to match the medical characteristics of the candidates waiting against those of the donor. The system then generates a ranked list of patients who are suitable to receive each organ. This list is called a “match run.”

Factors affecting ranking may include:

• Tissue match
• Blood type
• Length of time on the waiting list
• Immune status
• Distance between the potential recipient and the donor
• Degree of medical urgency (for heart, liver, lung and intestines)

The organ is offered to the transplant center for the first person on the list. At times, the top transplant candidate will not get the organ for one of several reasons. When a patient is
selected, he or she must be available, healthy enough to undergo major surgery and willing to be transplanted immediately. Also, a laboratory test to measure compatibility between the donor and potential recipient may be necessary. If the organ is refused for any reason, the transplant center of the next patient on the list is contacted. The process continues until a match is made. Once a patient is selected and informed and all testing is complete, surgery is scheduled and the transplant takes place.

“Autism Acceptance Month celebrates and honors the experiences and identities of Autistic individuals. It emphasizes understanding, inclusion, and support, moving beyond awareness towards meaningful acceptance.

The Autism Society of America is proud to celebrate Autism Acceptance Month, continuing our commitment to #CelebrateDifferences throughout April and beyond. Autism Acceptance Month recognizes that Autism is more than a diagnosis—it is identity, community, and a lived experience that encompasses both challenges and triumphs.”

Autism Society (Autism Acceptance Month | Autism Society)

What is autism spectrum disorder?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a group of complex neurodevelopment disorders characterized by repetitive and characteristic patterns of behavior and difficulties with social communication and interaction. The symptoms are present from early childhood and affect daily functioning.

The term “spectrum” refers to the wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability in functioning that can occur in people with ASD. Some children and adults with ASD are fully able to perform all activities of daily living while others require substantial support to perform basic activities. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5, published in 2013) includes Asperger syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorders not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) as part of ASD rather than as separate disorders. A diagnosis of ASD includes an assessment of intellectual disability and language impairment.

ASD occurs in every racial and ethnic group, and across all socioeconomic levels. However, boys are significantly more likely to develop ASD than girls. The latest analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 68 children has ASD.

What are some common signs of ASD?

Even as infants, children with ASD may seem different, especially when compared to other children their own age. They may become overly focused on certain objects, rarely make eye contact, and fail to engage in typical babbling with their parents. In other cases, children may develop normally until the second or even third year of life, but then start to withdraw and become indifferent to social engagement.

The severity of ASD can vary greatly and is based on the degree to which social communication, insistence of sameness of activities and surroundings, and repetitive patterns of behavior affect the daily functioning of the individual.

Social impairment and communication difficulties Many people with ASD find social interactions difficult. The mutual give-and-take nature of typical communication and interaction is often particularly challenging. Children with ASD may fail to respond to their names, avoid eye contact with other people, and only interact with others to achieve specific goals. Often children with ASD do not understand how to play or engage with other children and may prefer to be alone. People with ASD may find it difficult to understand other people’s feelings or talk about their own feelings.

People with ASD may have very different verbal abilities ranging from no speech at all to speech that is fluent, but awkward and inappropriate. Some children with ASD may have delayed speech and language skills, may repeat phrases, and give unrelated answers to questions. In addition, people with ASD can have a hard time using and understanding non-verbal cues such as gestures, body language, or tone of voice. For example, young children with ASD might not understand what it means to wave goodbye. People with ASD may also speak in flat, robot-like or a sing-song voice about a narrow range of favorite topics, with little regard for the interests of the person to whom they are speaking.

Repetitive and characteristic behaviors Many children with ASD engage in repetitive movements or unusual behaviors such as flapping their arms, rocking from side to side, or twirling. They may become preoccupied with parts of objects like the wheels on a toy truck. Children may also become obsessively interested in a particular topic such as airplanes or memorizing train schedules. Many people with ASD seem to thrive so much on routine that changes to the daily patterns of life — like an unexpected stop on the way home from school — can be very challenging. Some children may even get angry or have emotional outbursts, especially when placed in a new or overly stimulating environment.

What disorders are related to ASD?

Certain known genetic disorders are associated with an increased risk for autism, including Fragile X syndrome (which causes intellectual disability) and tuberous sclerosis (which causes benign tumors to grow in the brain and other vital organs) — each of which results from a mutation in a single, but different, gene. Recently, researchers have discovered other genetic mutations in children diagnosed with autism, including some that have not yet been designated as named syndromes. While each of these disorders is rare, in aggregate, they may account for 20 percent or more of all autism cases.

People with ASD also have a higher than average risk of having epilepsy. Children whose language skills regress early in life — before age 3 — appear to have a risk of developing epilepsy or seizure-like brain activity. About 20 to 30 percent of children with ASD develop epilepsy by the time they reach adulthood. Additionally, people with both ASD and intellectual disability have the greatest risk of developing seizure disorder.

How is ASD diagnosed?

ASD symptoms can vary greatly from person to person depending on the severity of the disorder. Symptoms may even go unrecognized for young children who have mild ASD or less debilitating handicaps. Very early indicators that require evaluation by an expert include:

• no babbling or pointing by age 1
• no single words by age 16 months or two-word phrases by age 2
• no response to name
• loss of language or social skills previously acquired
• poor eye contact
• excessive lining up of toys or objects
• no smiling or social responsiveness

Later indicators include:

• impaired ability to make friends with peers
• impaired ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others
• absence or impairment of imaginative and social play
• repetitive or unusual use of language
• abnormally intense or focused interest
• preoccupation with certain objects or subjects
• inflexible adherence to specific routines or rituals

Health care providers will often use a questionnaire or other screening instrument to gather information about a child’s development and behavior. Some screening instruments rely solely on parent observations, while others rely on a combination of parent and doctor observations. If screening instruments indicate the possibility of ASD, a more comprehensive evaluation is usually indicated.

A comprehensive evaluation requires a multidisciplinary team, including a psychologist, neurologist, psychiatrist, speech therapist, and other professionals who diagnose and treat children with ASD. The team members will conduct a thorough neurological assessment and in-depth cognitive and language testing. Because hearing problems can cause behaviors that could be mistaken for ASD, children with delayed speech development should also have their hearing tested.

What causes ASD?

Scientists believe that both genetics and environment likely play a role in ASD. There is great concern that rates of autism have been increasing in recent decades without full explanation as to why. Researchers have identified a number of genes associated with the disorder. Imaging studies of people with ASD have found differences in the development of several regions of the brain. Studies suggest that ASD could be a result of disruptions in normal brain growth very early in development. These disruptions may be the result of defects in genes that control brain development and regulate how brain cells communicate with each other. Autism is more common in children born prematurely. Environmental factors may also play a role in gene function and development, but no specific environmental causes have yet been identified. The theory that parental practices are responsible for ASD has long been disproved. Multiple studies have shown that vaccination to prevent childhood infectious diseases does not increase the risk of autism in the population.

What role do genes play?

Twin and family studies strongly suggest that some people have a genetic predisposition to autism. Identical twin studies show that if one twin is affected, then the other will be affected between 36 to 95 percent of the time. There are a number of studies in progress to determine the specific genetic factors associated with the development of ASD. In families with one child with ASD, the risk of having a second child with the disorder also increases. Many of the genes found to be associated with autism are involved in the function of the chemical connections between brain neurons (synapses). Researchers are looking for clues about which genes contribute to increased susceptibility. In some cases, parents and other relatives of a child with ASD show mild impairments in social communication skills or engage in repetitive behaviors. Evidence also suggests that emotional disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia occur more frequently than average in the families of people with ASD.

In addition to genetic variations that are inherited and are present in nearly all of a person’s cells, recent research has also shown that de novo, or spontaneous, gene mutations can influence the risk of developing autism spectrum disorder.  De novo mutations are changes in sequences of deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA, the hereditary material in humans, which can occur spontaneously in a parent’s sperm or egg cell or during fertilization. The mutation then occurs in each cell as the fertilized egg divides. These mutations may affect single genes or they may be changes called copy number variations, in which stretches of DNA containing multiple genes are deleted or duplicated.  Recent studies have shown that people with ASD tend to have more copy number de novo gene mutations than those without the disorder, suggesting that for some the risk of developing ASD is not the result of mutations in individual genes but rather spontaneous coding mutations across many genes.  De novo mutations may explain genetic disorders in which an affected child has the mutation in each cell but the parents do not and there is no family pattern to the disorder. Autism risk also increases in children born to older parents. There is still much research to be done to determine the potential role of environmental factors on spontaneous mutations and how that influences ASD risk.

Do symptoms of autism change over time?

For many children, symptoms improve with age and behavioral treatment. During adolescence, some children with ASD may become depressed or experience behavioral problems, and their treatment may need some modification as they transition to adulthood. People with ASD usually continue to need services and supports as they get older, but depending on severity of the disorder, people with ASD may be able to work successfully and live independently or within a supportive environment.

How is autism treated?

There is no cure for ASD. Therapies and behavioral interventions are designed to remedy specific symptoms and can substantially improve those symptoms. The ideal treatment plan coordinates therapies and interventions that meet the specific needs of the individual. Most health care professionals agree that the earlier the intervention, the better.

Educational/behavioral interventions: Early behavioral/educational interventions have been very successful in many children with ASD. In these interventions therapists use highly structured and intensive skill-oriented training sessions to help children develop social and language skills, such as applied behavioral analysis, which encourages positive behaviors and discourages negative ones. In addition, family counseling for the parents and siblings of children with ASD often helps families cope with the particular challenges of living with a child with ASD.

Medications: While medication can’t cure ASD or even treat its main symptoms, there are some that can help with related symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Antipsychotic medications are used to treat severe behavioral problems. Seizures can be treated with one or more anticonvulsant drugs. Medication used to treat people with attention deficit disorder can be used effectively to help decrease impulsivity and hyperactivity in people with ASD. Parents, caregivers, and people with autism should use caution before adopting any unproven treatments

Healthline tips for the feet:

1. Don’t wear too-tight shoes.
2. Don’t share shoes.
3. Don’t share pedicure utensils with your pals.
4. Don’t hide discolored nails with polish. Let them breathe and treat the underlying issue.
5. Don’t shave calluses.
6. Don’t perform “DIY surgery” on an ingrown nail.
7. Do try the Legs-Up-the-Wall yoga pose after a long day or a hard workout.
8. Do give yourself a foot massage or book a reflexology session.
9. Do roll a tennis ball under your feet.
10. Do soothe irritation with a vinegar foot soak.

Healthline (How to Keep Your Feet Healthy: Tips, Exercises, and More)

10000 steps=5 miles

April is National Foot Health Awareness Month and research shows that approximately 20 percent of Americans experience at least one foot problem each year. These issues can be the result of an underlying health problem such as obesity, diabetes, or peripheral neuropathy.

Today Dr. Amanda Bartell and Dr. Andrew Bartell of North Florida Foot & Ankle Center in Jacksonville, FL, Southside, and Duval County are sharing their tips for happy, healthy feet!

• Examine your feet each day, using a mirror – if needed – to inspect the bottom of your feet for cracks, peeling, injuries or dry skin. This is particularly important if you have diabetes to avoid a non-healing wound.
• Wear shoes in public areas where your feet can be scratched or cut, leading to infection, athlete’s foot or plantar warts.
• Replace the shoes you wear to exercise every six months or 500 miles to avoid heal and foot pain when the inside of the shoe begins to lose support.
• Stretch your ankles, lower legs and feet daily and before any activity to avoid injury.
• Thoroughly dry your feet and between your toes after bathing to reduce the risk of fungal infections. Follow up by applying a good moisturizer.
• Don’t leave polish on nails all the time as it can lead to fungal toenails.
• Apply sunscreen on ankles and between toes to avoid sunburn and guard against skin cancer.
• There is a good chance you will not wear the same size in shoes your entire life, so have them measured on a regular basis.
• Maintain a healthy weight because extra weight puts pressure on the feet, often causing heel or foot pain, circulatory problems, arthritis, and stress fractures.
• Try to wear shoes with good support and a low heel and use custom orthotics to provide proper arch support.

“CDC states:

• Over 60 million women (44%) in the United States are living with some form of heart disease.1 Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States and can affect women at any age.
• Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States and can affect women at any age.
• High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease.
• In 2021, it was responsible for the deaths of 310,661 women—or about 1 in every 5 female deaths.2 Only about half (56%) of US women recognize that heart disease is their number 1 killer.
• Knowing the facts about heart disease—as well as the signs, symptoms and risk factors—can help you take steps to protect your health and seek proper treatment if you need it.”

Center for Disease Control and Prevention – CDC

(About Women and Heart Disease | Heart Disease | CDC)

Many many women and their doctors don’t know that heart disease is the number one killer of women. Furthermore, the heart disease that is seen in women is often not quite the same as heart disease in men.

Let’s remember that Heart disease is an umbrella term that includes heart failure, coronary artery disease (CAD), arrhythmias, angina, and other heart-related infections, irregularities, and birth defects

These facts lead to two common (and sometimes tragic) misapprehensions held by many women and their doctors: That women don’t really get much heart disease, and when they do, it behaves pretty much like the heart disease that men get.

The truth is that not only is heart disease very common in women, but also, when women get heart disease it often acts quite differently than it does in men. Failing to understand these two fundamental truths leads to a lot of preventable deaths and disability in women with heart disease.

If you are a woman, you need to know the basics about heart disease – especially heart disease as it behaves in women.

When women have angina, they are more likely than men to experience “atypical” symptoms. Instead of chest pain, they are more likely to experience a hot or burning sensation, or even tenderness to touch, which may be located in the back, shoulders, arms or jaw – and often women have no chest discomfort at all. An alert doctor will think of angina whenever a patient describes any sort of fleeting, exertion-related discomfort located anywhere above the waist, and they really shouldn’t be thrown off by such “atypical” descriptions of symptoms. However, unless doctors are thinking specifically of the possibility of CAD, they are all too likely to write such symptoms off to mere musculoskeletal pain or gastrointestinal disturbances.

Women are more likely than men to have heart attack symptoms unrelated to chest pain, such as:

• • • Neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort.
    • Shortness of breath.
    • Right arm pain.
    • Nausea or vomiting.
    • Sweating.
    • Lightheadedness or dizziness.
    • Unusual fatigue.

Heart attacks (or myocardial infarctions)  also tend to behave differently in women.

Frequently, instead of the crushing chest pain that is considered typical for a heart attack, women may experience nausea, vomiting, indigestion, shortness of breath or extreme fatigue – but no chest pain. Unfortunately, these symptoms are also easy to attribute to something other than the heart. Furthermore, women (especially women with diabetes) are more likely than men to have “silent” heart attacks – that is, heart attacks without any acute symptoms at all, and which are diagnosed only at a later time, when subsequent cardiac symptoms occur.

The Diagnosis of CAD in Women Can Be More Difficult.

Diagnostic tests that work quite well in men can be misleading in women. The most common problem is seen with stress testing – in women, the electrocardiogram (ECG) during exercise can often show changes suggesting CAD, whether CAD is present or not, making the study difficult to interpret. Many cardiologists routinely add an echocardiogram or a thallium study when doing a stress test in a woman, which greatly improves diagnostic accuracy.

In women with typical CAD, coronary angiography is every bit as useful as in men; it identifies the exact location of any plaques (i.e., blockages) within the coronary arteries, and guides therapeutic decisions. However, in women with atypical coronary artery disorders (to be discussed in the next section), coronary angiograms often appear misleadingly normal. Thus, in women angiography is often not the gold standard for diagnosis, as it is for most men.

CAD In Women Can Take Atypical Forms.

At least four atypical coronary artery disorders can occur in women, usually in younger (i.e., pre-menopausal) women. Each of these conditions can produce symptoms of angina with apparently “normal” coronary arteries (that is, coronary arteries that often appear normal on angiogram). The problem, obviously, is that if the physician trusts the results of the angiogram, he/she is likely to miss the real diagnosis.

DALLAS, February 19, 2013 — A new study show women’s heart disease awareness is increasing.  A study with the number of women aware that heart disease is the leading cause of death nearly is doubling in the last 15 years, but that this knowledge still lags in minorities and younger women, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

Among the study’s major findings, researchers comparing women’s views about heart disease in 1997 and today found:

• In 2012, 56 percent of women identified heart disease as the leading cause of death compared with 30 percent in 1997.
• In 1997, women were more likely to cite cancer than heart disease as the leading killer (35 percent versus 30 percent); but in 2012, only 24 percent cited cancer.
• In 2012, 36 percent of black women and 34 percent of Hispanic women identified heart disease as the　top killer — awareness levels that white women had in 1997 (33 percent).
• Women 25-34 years old had the lowest awareness rate of any age group at 44 percent.

Among the women surveyed in 2012, researchers found:

• Racial and ethnic minorities reported higher levels of trust in their healthcare providers compared with whites, and were also more likely to act on the information provided—dispelling the myth that mistrust of providers contributes to disparities.
• Compared with older women, younger women were more likely to report not discussing heart disease risk with their doctors (6 percent among those 25-34 versus 33 percent for those 65 and older).

Risk Factors for Heart Disease in Women – Those we can’t change = Nonmodifiable Factors:

Age and Family History, Gender, Ethnicity.

The risk of having heart disease increases with age and this is due to stiffening of heart muscles which makes the heart less efficient in pumping blood around the body. You can determine your heart age by using this tool, developed by the British Heart Foundation: https://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/risk-factors/check-your-heart-age.

Another risk factor you cannot change is if you have a history of heart disease among family members. This can double your risk, so if your mother, father, sister or brother has suffered from heart disease before the age of 60 you are at a greater risk of developing heart disease.

Modifiable Risk Factors – Those we can change are:

1-Smoking is the single largest preventable cause of death in Australia, and approximately 40% of women who smoke die due to heart disease, stroke or blood vessel disease. Smokers are 2-4 times more at risk of developing heart disease compared to non-smokers. In 2011/2012, over 1.3 million women in Australia smoked, and 89% of them did this on a daily basis. While these numbers are for women aged 15 and over, the largest group were in the 25-34 age group.

Passive smoking (exposure to the cigarette smoke of others) also causes an increase in the risk of developing heart disease, which increases further in people having high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Women who smoke and also take the contraceptive pill have a 10 times higher risk of having a heart attack.

2-Alcohol. Do you know that drinking too much alcohol increases the risk of heart disease? Excessive drinking causes more weight gain (due to increased calories!), increase in blood pressure and blood lipids. Over a long period of time it can weaken the heart muscle and cause abnormal heart rhythms. Try and not drink alcohol every day, limit it to two standard drinks at a time and aim for at least two alcohol free days a week and make sure you don’t increase the amount you drink on the other days. Periodically take a break from any alcohol for a week or more and you will notice many benefits including a better nights sleep.

3.High Blood Pressure or Hypertension. Your blood pressure is a measurement of how ‘hard’ your heart is working to push blood around your body, through the blood vessels. It can be a ‘silent’ killer and if you do not know your blood pressure then it is worth having it checked by your GP. Changing your lifestyle will reduce your blood pressure. A recent study suggests that keeping your blood pressure under 140/90 can increase your life expectancy by 5 years at the age of 50 years. You can assess your high blood pressure through your MD monthly or less expensive buy a b/p machine and check your b/p everyday especially if your on antihypertensive meds to make sure your b/p isn’t under 100/60 to prevent hypotension.

4.Diabetes. Do you have diabetes and if so, is it under control?

Diabetes doubles your risk of having heart disease. People who have uncontrolled diabetes are at risk of having heart disease at an earlier age. For pre-menopausal women, having diabetes cancels the protective effects of hormone present in women and significantly increases the risk of heart disease. Taking steps to find out what your blood sugar is and keeping it well-controlled is essential.

5.Obesity- Do you know your body fat content? 　If you think that you are overweight then you put yourself at risk of having heart disease. Being overweight will increase your blood pressure and contribute to developing diabetes. In addition to that, women who carry weight around their middle (belly fat) as opposed to their hips are twice as likely to develop heart disease.

By taking the steps to reduce your weight, you can reduce your risk of heart disease. A great tool developed by National Heart Foundation of Australia calculates if you might be at risk: http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/healthy-eating/Pages/bmi-calculator.aspx

6- INACTIVE-Are you physically active every day? Recent research indicates that “sitting is the new smoking” and being physically inactive can double your risk of having heart disease. It is important to get some exercise every day, such as a 30 minute walk where you raise your heart rate. It also raises your serotonin levels (feel-good hormone) and can reduce depression

7- STRESS-We could almost ask – do you know anyone who is not stressed?! However, while everyday life is stressful, those people who are almost constantly stressed are at risk of adopting unhealthy behaviours in order to reduce their stress levels. Examples include increasing their alcohol intake or smoking in order to relax; or tending to eat more junk food because they are often short of time. All of these factors increase their risk of heart disease.

Women, stress and the risk of heart disease

Along with poor diet, lack of exercise and smoking, unmanaged stress may increase the risk for heart disease. Now medical experts are discovering that mental stress affects women in different, and in some cases, more devastating ways, especially if they already have coronary conditions. One study that…

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease. The good news? Heart disease can often be prevented when people make healthy choices and manage their health conditions. Communities, health professionals, and families can work together to create opportunities for people to make healthier choices. Make a difference in your community: Spread the word about strategies for preventing heart disease and encourage people to live heart healthy lives