Integrated Women's Health Newsletter, February 2021

Volume 1, Issue 1

Dear Patient,

We hope you are staying healthy and safe as we enter 2021.

February is American Heart Month, and we want to share with you some tips and resources for prevention and wellness for heart health.

All the best,

The Integrated Women’s Health Team

Heart Disease is a Women’s Issue

One of our goals at Integrated Women’s Health (IWH) is to ensure our patients are optimizing their cardiac health. Small changes can lead to big returns. Here is some background on why we focus on cardiac health in women:

Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the U.S.
Black women have more cardiovascular disease risk factors, develop heart disease earlier, and have higher disease mortality rates compared to white women. Columbia Women’s Health is committed to combating these racial disparities in health care through our Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Women have unique risk factors for cardiovascular disease that men do not, as well as a higher likelihood of those factors leading to a stroke.
Symptoms of a heart attack may present differently in women.

The good news? Heart disease is largely preventable!

No matter how old you are, remember that you need to get your blood pressure checked at least once a year! In between work, picking up the kids or grandkids, planning fun activities, or whatever else is taking up your days, make sure to schedule annual wellness appointments with your gynecologist and primary care clinician.

If you are in the market for a new primary care provider, we have recommendations for wonderful clinicians at ColumbiaDoctors. Contact us directly to schedule an appointment at 212-326-5760.

Pregnancy is a Predictive Factor for Heart Disease

Always make sure to let your clinician know if you have had any complications during your pregnancies. Though you may not realize it, preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, and gestational diabetes can all be linked to an increased risk in cardiovascular disease later in life. If you’ve had these, or other complications, your clinician can come up with an individualized health plan for you.

There are easy ways to start optimizing your cardiac health!

Here a few tips:

Get moving! Increasing physical activity is key to increasing heart health. Go for a walk, dance around your living room, hit a virtual Zumba class – any movement is a great start.
Reduce stress and boost your mental health.
Eat those greens! We all know veggies are healthy, but they are especially important for your heart health. Those, along with fruits, whole grains and lean proteins, like fish and chicken, will put you on the right track.
Try to limit processed foods as much as possible.
Ditch smoking! Quitting smoking cigarettes and vaping is an essential part of keeping your heart healthy.
Limit alcohol consumption.
Get enough sleep. This leads to less stress and improves overall wellbeing.

Check out the National Institutes of Health for more information, or ask your Integrated Women’s Health team at your next appointment.

And don’t forget – this Friday, February 5 is National Wear Red Day! Wear red to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease and save lives. For more information, visit Go Red for Women.

Here’s to healthier hearts in 2021!