Wii Love Your Heart - You Should Too!

Join us for the 2nd Annual Love Your Heart Expo featuring heart health screenings, healthy living demonstrations and activities and information on a variety of health topics for men and women of all ages!

Register online and complete all health screenings and you will be entered to win a

Wii Fit Bundle.

The first 50 people to register online will receive a

FREE Godiva dark chocolate covered strawberry.



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Health Screenings



Health screenings available at the expo will include:



•Blood Pressure •Body Fat Analysis

•Body Mass Index



•Waist Circumference

•Pulmonary Function Testing

•Personal Counseling Sessions Listen to our WTOP adFree Heart-Healthy Cooking Demos Don’t miss the cooking demonstrations featuring a heart healthy appetizer, entrée, and dessert.



Free Heart Education Talks Medical experts from both Washington Adventist and Shady Grove Adventist Hospitals will be discussing minimally invasive techniques for heart conditions and women’s heart health.

Meet a Local Heart Attack Patient

Meet Mrs. Northeast International, Deanna Linz and learn how having a heart attack at a young age changed her life.

Prizes and Giveaways

We'll have prizes and giveaways for those who attend the expo - don't miss out!



Please Note: Sorry, but Adventist HealthCare and White Flint Mall employees are not eligible to receive the free giveaways or prizes.




Giving

As a not for profit, we rely on our community support to continue to grow in size, services and excellent care. Every dollar donated to the Foundation goes directly to delivering and improving care. Give online to show your support.

Contact

Registration Line at 800-542-5096



Pictured here: Hamid Taheri, MD, FACC, FSCAI, myself and Bernie Lucas, Creative Services Director, Public Affairs Director and our host!



This time of year always brings with it a lot of uncertain weather. Having just come back from Northwestern, PA, I have certainly seen my share of snow. Yesterday arrived with sleet and snow to the Maryland/DC/VA region. I think it followed me:)

This did not stop me from getting out there with the help of the city of Rockville clean up crew . I found myself at Clear Channel, Washington DC at the invitation of the American Heart Association,Go Red for Women and Clear Channel. Clear Channel is the home of 97.1, Hot 99.5, 98.7 WMZQ and DC101. I had the pleasure and honor of pretaping a segment that will air on January 30th ( in preparation of heart month) on heart health and women and heart disease. Dr Hamid Taheri, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, George Washington University Co-Director of Coronary and Peripheral Interventional Cardiology and I were guided through the interview by Bernie Lucas from Clear Channel.

I was able to share my story and also the signs, symptoms and importance of knowing your numbers and being your own advocate. Dr Taheri offered a lot of very informative information on heart disease, stroke, risk factors and so much more.

This will air on all five of their channels so I hope you will tune in to learn more on how you can live a heart healthy life. Its important to remember that roughly 80% of heart health YOU have control of so when you make those choices today, choose wisely!

Today and everyday, LISTEN TO YOUR HEART...oh yeah and the interview on WMZQ and its sister stations!

Don't forget, NATIONAL WEAR RED DAY IS ON FEBRUARY 4, 2011!!!!
http://www.goredforwomen.org/wearredday/

Its hard to believe that one year ago, I had a heart attack. National Wear Red Day is coming up on Feb 4th. Log on to http://www.goredforwomen.org/ to learn more.

Don't become the face if heart disease...learn you numbers,  live a heart healthy lifestyle and most of all...LISTEN TO YOUR HEART

Deanna’s Story:




When DEANNA LINZ had a heart attack last month, no one believed what was happening — not even her. But the Rockville resident knew something was wrong that morning. "I felt pressure in my chest like a pill was stuck in my throat," she remembers. Then she had trouble lifting her 1-year-old son and grew increasingly anxious. So, Linz dialed 911 and went to the hospital.



"I thought I was being silly, and they thought so, too," she says. One ER nurse assured her it was just a pulled muscle. But since both of her parents died in their 50s of heart disease, the doctor ordered extra tests to be careful, and sure enough, it was a heart attack. She had a 70 percent blockage, which required immediate surgery.



"People don't realize that you don't have to be overweight or diabetic," she says. "There's this preconceived notion that there's a look to heart disease." And that look is nothing like Linz, an avid exerciser and non-smoker who "lives on chicken breasts and Boca Burgers."



She's such a model of healthy living that she's a star in the beauty queen world, Mrs Northeast International 2011. That pageant just happens to have an alliance with the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women campaign, which raises awareness about the fact that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S.



Linz was already well aware due to her family history. Her mother, who was just a size 6 when she passed away, also had trouble getting people to take her medical problems seriously. "They tried to put her on antidepressants," Linz says. Her father was "the healthy one" until he dropped dead after ignoring the signs of a heart attack.



There were lessons in those experiences for Linz. She's developed behaviors very different from that of her mother — a smoker from the South who ate her food deep-fried — and kept on top of her numbers with frequent doctor visits.



It wasn't enough to keep her immune to heart disease, but her vigilance promises to keep her ticker going despite it. Moving forward, she's happy to skip the hamburgers, walk as much as possible and take a handful of drugs every morning if it means she can spend more time with her husband and son.



And if Linz ever thinks something is amiss, she's not going to feel silly asking for help. "This has made me aware that life is short and precious, and you need to be an advocate for yourself," she says. "Nobody knows you better than you."



Deanna is married to MAJOR Christopher Andrew Linz and are currently stationed in Washington, D.C. They are the proud parents of Carter Thomas Linz and the “furry” family of Halo, Josie and Jack. She is also currently Mrs. Northeast International 2011. http://www.deannamlinz.blogspot.com/





Also, below, please find some Heart Month Messaging and links to some of our health materials for Go Red/Heart Month that you can use on your website. Our Youtube site is: http://www.youtube.com/user/AHAGoRedGWR where there are some great news stories on survivors and event coverage that you can utilize for your site too.







Ideas on planning a WRD event: http://www.goredforwomen.org/wearredday/planAnEvent/







Online Resources – great printable information for distribution - http://www.goredforwomen.org/wearredday/resources/



- Knowledge kit –- http://www.goredforwomen.org/wearredday/resources/documents/DS-4177KnowledgeKitMaster.pdf



- Promotional Flyer - http://www.goredforwomen.org/wearredday/resources/documents/WRDPromotionalFlyerHR.pdf



- The Additional Resources tab has some great printouts



- My life check flyer - http://www.goredforwomen.org/wearredday/resources/documents/MyLifeCheckoverviewHiRes.pdf



- How to Go Red- Take Action (free online tools for individuals) - http://www.goredforwomen.org/take_action.aspx











Basic Messages/General Public







· Heart disease is still the No. 1 killer of women, taking the life of one in three each year. This means women like you — mothers, sisters, grandmothers, aunts, friends — are dying at the rate of one per minute because they don’t know what you know: heart disease kills.







· More women die of heart disease than the next four causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer. In fact, one in three American women die of cardiovascular diseases, compared to one in 30 women who die of breast cancer.







· Ninety percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease. Heart disease has already touched you or someone you love; so help us save a woman’s life today. “Make It Your Mission” to fight heart disease in women and stop the No.1 killer.







· The American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women campaign asks you to bring your network into our network. Tell five women you want them to live, and we can help stop heart disease in our lifetime.







Calls To Action







· “Make It Your Mission” to fight heart disease in women. Give five women you care about the power to save their lives at GoRedForWomen.org.







Tell Five and “Make It Your Mission”:



· Represent



o Register for the movement at GoRedForWomen.org.



o Go Red. The American Heart Association asks you to wear your red dress pin proudly to show your support.



o Share your experience. To share your healthy choices and connect with women who are speaking up for women’s heart health nationwide, go to GoRedForWomen.org or visit us on Facebook.



· Volunteer



o Take action. To find your affiliate, go to GoRedForWomen.org. Then, contact your local American Heart Association office to see how you can get involved with Go Red For Women.



o For information in Spanish and to learn about Go Red efforts in the Hispanic community, go to GoRedCorazon.org.



· Give



o Make a difference. Donations that fund lifesaving research and educational programs are needed so that our daughters, sisters and mothers have a chance to fight this silent killer.



o “Make It Your Mission” to fight heart disease in women by donating to the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign.



· Change



o Make lifestyle choices to reduce your risk for heart disease. Take the Go Red Heart CheckUp to find out your risk.



o Be a BetterU. Go Red BetterU is a free, 12-week online makeover that can change your life. Choose to be a BetterU at GoRedForWomen.org.



· Advocate



o Learn CPR. Because 80 percent of cardiac arrests happen at home, the life you save with CPR is most likely to be a loved one.



o Spread the word. “Make It Your Mission” to fight heart disease in women by joining the American Heart Association’s You’re the Cure grassroots network and advocating for policies to promote women’s heart health.







Statistics







· Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death among women 20 and older, killing about one woman every minute.







· More women die of heart disease than the next four causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer.







· One in three American women die of cardiovascular diseases, compared to one in 30 women who die of breast cancer.







· Ninety percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease.

I still cannot believe it is January 2011!!! January's typically have not always been the best months for me but this year, I am determined to make change. As the anniversary of my heart attack looms, I am reminded of the important questions I should ask myself everyday. First and foremost, am I being heart healthy today? Am I making smart choices? What about stress??? The caviat that seems to have no magical solution to it so when I start to feel stressed, I just hug my son and say thank you God.

I read this story on AOL today and I wanted to share it...the story literally hit home to me...



By Health.com

In the fall of 2006, Vicki Riedel felt more tired than usual. Riedel, the executive director of development at the Emory University Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta, had always been pretty athletic (she'd played on a tennis team the previous fall), but she started to feel a mild tightness in her chest when she climbed stairs. It crossed her mind that her symptoms could be heart related, but she was busy with work and family at the time and dismissed the thought.



By the end of the year Riedel had undergone an angioplasty to remove a major blockage in one of her coronary arteries; she had been close to a heart attack.



This is Riedel's story, from diagnosis to treatment to recovery.



My 50th Birthday

In early November for my 50th birthday, I went on a trip to Jacksonville with a dear friend. We were trying to enjoy the beach, take walks, work out, chat over wine, that sort of thing. But I just really didn't feel good physically.



I didn't want to alarm my girlfriend, so I tried to ignore it. But one morning we got up to take a power walk on the beach, and I couldn't go a hundred yards. That was inconceivable, so I let her know that I thought something was wrong. On the way back to Atlanta, I called my doctor. After I told the nurse my symptoms, she insisted that I be there at 7:30 the next morning.



I Started to Panic

When I arrived at my doctor's office, the nurse marched me right downstairs to the stress test lab. I was hooked up to the wires and put on the treadmill. For someone who considers herself to be fairly athletic, the stress test was agony. They asked me to keep going, if I could, but I just couldn't do it. Something was wrong. We were all a little alarmed, I think.



I went to another building for a kind of heart CT scan. There was no feedback at all from the technician, but the doctor explained that he would give me a call as soon as he had the results. I went back to my office and worked, which helped get my mind off it. The doctor called me at about 5 o'clock. He told me that he wanted me in the hospital as soon as possible. He said I needed to take blood thinners to prepare myself for the catheterization lab the next morning. At that point I got a little panicked.



Health.com: 7 Causes of High Cholesterol



The Angiogram

A catheterization lab feels a bit like an operating room -- real high tech, combined with high touch. I think there were six, eight, 10 people in the room at times.



They numb the place in your groin where they make the incision, and then they just thread the catheter up the artery to your heart. I was calm but anxious to hear the results.



The doctor very calmly explained to me that 95 percent of my left anterior descending artery was blocked. That artery is called the widow maker -- or the widower maker, in my case. The other arteries were fine, no damage to the heart muscle. I hadn't had a heart attack, but it was a really, really close call.



An Angioplasty

If the blockage is less than 70 percent, they usually just put you on statins and talk to you about exercise and diet. But when it's more than 70 percent and they can insert a stent, they typically do it right then and there.



We waited for an interventional cardiologist to arrive. He explained that they were going to perform an angioplasty. If I chose to, I could look at the screen and see what they were doing. When they put the stent in, I did feel it a little bit. It wasn't particularly comfortable or uncomfortable -- I just felt a little something going in there.



Health.com: What Blocked Arteries Look Like in the Body



A short time later I was back in my room. I didn't experience much discomfort -- no nausea, nothing like that. Following the procedure the primary discomfort was at the incision site, where they had put the catheter in. That was fairly painful and quite bruised, but it healed quickly.



A Good Night's Rest

The doctors had explained to me that I would feel better very quickly because I hadn't been getting enough blood to my heart. And I immediately did feel quite a bit better. I think I looked better, too. One of the things that had alarmed me during that weekend to the beach was when I glanced in the mirror as we were preparing to go out to dinner and did a double take because I looked kind of gray.



Now that I'm getting adequate oxygen circulation I feel more rested. I hadn't been sleeping very well prior to the procedure, which I'd attributed to age and perimenopause and hormones -- all the stuff that you start thinking about when you turn 50.



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Lifestyle Changes

Since the procedure, I've been on a statin in order to get my LDL cholesterol count down to 70. I try to get regular exercise, and I've modified my diet. I've always eaten lots of salad and fish -- but because I didn't have a weight problem, I'd also freely add butter, eat full-fat ice cream or snack on salty chips. I've reduced my saturated fat and salt intake, and I cut out the butter.



Health.com: Which Statin Will Lower Your Cholesterol?



But the biggest change for me after the procedure was emotional. If I felt any little blip or any little pain, I thought I was going to have a fatal heart attack. I had some real fears about death. Intellectually, I knew that there was no blockage. But it was such an affront to my whole being to realize how close I came.



I still have trouble accepting that coronary artery disease is a term that applies to me. I need to own that and accept it.



Stress Hurt My Health

To understand how the blockage developed, my physician and I looked at my family history, my diet and lifestyle, and my cholesterol levels. None of it added up to the extent of blockage that I had. And then we looked at my stress levels.



Health.com: How Stress Can Break Your Heart -- Literally



The realization that stress was the probable cause was so hard for me to deal with. I've got a very demanding, fulfilling and challenging job, yet I have to keep my life in balance. It's a continual process.



This was a tremendous wake-up call for me. I think the most important thing is to really listen to your body; it will tell you so much. We need to take care of ourselves and work for balance so that we don't put too much stress on ourselves.










So today and everyday...listen to your heart....