SACRAMENTO – Lions and tigers and bears (and sugar), oh my! Halloween to most children means candy, a lot of candy. With childhood obesity on the rise in the United States, what can families do to stay healthy amongst the candy corn, chocolate nougat bars and gummy bears? Healthy and Halloween aren’t usually two words that are seen together, but there are good and easy alternatives that will make Halloween a little less scary for your family’s health.  Here are a few recommendations from the American Heart Association: Think about a healthier version of treats to give out at your house: Mini boxes of raisins, 100% juice juice-boxes, snack-sized pretzels, pre-packaged trail mixes, pre-pac

SACRAMENTO – A sea of red shirts will overtake Crocker Park as hundreds of walkers and runners come together this Saturday, June 16, to participate in the 2nd Annual Go Red Race to benefit the American Heart Association. The Go Red Race, presented by The Golden 1 Credit Union and Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute, is another event in the line-up for the Go Red For Women movement in the Sacramento area. The movement seeks to increase awareness of heart disease as the number one killer of women and to inspire the local community to take charge of their heart health. Funds raised from the event will go toward the American Heart Association’s overall goal to help fund research and find better

What do women want?  Try a gentle nudge, fusing health with spa treatments to spark awareness that women self-care is necessary, especially when the goal is to live well enough to enjoy watching your own grandchildren grow up.  More than 1,300 people attended the 2012 American Heart Association’s Annual Go Red for Women benefit at Woodlake Hotel on Friday.  A white linen luncheon complete with chicken salad, walnuts, cranberries, and light vinaigrette, chocolate truffles and mousse dessert graced the tables as girlfriends engaged in conversation, a mini shopping spree, red feather boas, Macy’s gift cards, zumba with the Golden 1 Credit Union mascot, and sparkly heart shaped accessories

Susan has been on the cusp of modern medicine her whole life. Having been born with a heart defect, she is no stranger to heart conditions. In 1959, Susan was born with an interatrial septal defect, also known as a hole in the heart. When Susan was only 2 years old, she had open heart surgery to repair her heart. The procedure, which was still very new, was performed by the famous pioneering heart surgeon, Denton A. Cooley, M.D. The hole was surgically closed and Susan went on to have a happy, healthy and normal childhood. It wasn’t until Susan was in her late 20s that her heart started having problems – problems that were completely unrelated to her heart condition as a child. In June

Since her twenties, Linda felt like she had the word "smoker" tattooed on her forehead whenever she'd see a doctor. Her symptoms – shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue – were always chalked up to her smoking habit. "Of course, I knew that my smoking contributed to my symptoms, but I wished I had a doctor who would be proactive about my health, even though I'm a smoker," she said. As Linda got older, she became increasingly concerned about her health. “I was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse,” she said. “It’s a common condition that explained a lot of my symptoms. But I found out later that was a misdiagnosis – my condition was much worse.” Around her 50th birthday, suspected she may