Dizziness, jaw pain or back pain. These can sound like innocent inconveniences that a woman may not need to worry about. But they can also be symptoms of something much more severe such as a silent heart attack in women. While most people still think of the major heart attack symptoms as having that crushing feeling in the chest area, that is not the most common symptom for women. Instead, women might experience any variety of symptoms including dizziness, nausea, neck and jaw pain, shortness of breath, and extreme fatigue.
Not only is it important to understand the possible signs of a heart attack, but taking preventive measures is just as critical. Work on prevention through good wellness and health practices. That includes eating a balanced, low fat diet and getting exercise everyday. It is also important to avoid smoking and excess stress. Lifestyle diseases that are particularly prone to heart issues are obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. All of these are growing in numbers for all women.
Be sure to heed the warnings of The American Heart Association as well as other health advocates who continue to work on getting the word out that heart disease kills more women each year that all types of cancer combined. And remember, you have the ultimate responsibility for your health. No one knows what is going on in your body except you. Too many women ignore signs of heart problems and fall victim to heart disease.
If you haven’t had a health check-up lately that includes having a doctor diagnose the health of your heart, today would probably be the best time to make that appointment with your doctor.
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