Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "go red for women"

American Heart Association offers tips on having a healthier Halloween

2012-10-31T18:47:37Z

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-packaged dried fruits, crayons, stickers, silly bands, tooth brushes, bubbles, plastic spiders, or coupons to local frozen yogurt stores
Make trick-or-treating a workout: Set a goal of how many houses you will walk to or wear pedometers and have healthy prizes for the person who has the most steps
Find the right-sized collection bag for your child and steer clear of the pillowcase method

“Eating a nutritious and wholesome meal before your family heads out for trick-or-treating is a good idea. They will less likely fill up on empty calorie foods and binge on their candy loot,” said Dr. Diane Sobkowicz, Cardiologist with Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute and co-director of the Sutter Women’s Heart Program. Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute is the proud Go Red For Women Cause sponsor in Sacramento. “When the trick-or-treating is done, allow your child to have some candy in moderation and pick out enough candy for one piece a day for five days and put those in the fridge. Be sure to pair it with a healthy snack like a piece of fruit or some nuts.”

According to the American Heart Association, nearly one in three American kids and teens are overweight or obese, triple the rate in 1963. But obesity can be prevented and it doesn’t take high-tech treatments or cutting-edge medications. The solution begins and ends with daily decisions we make, like limiting candy consumption.

“Among children today, obesity is causing a broad range of health problems that previously weren’t seen until adulthood. These include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol levels,” said Dr. Sobkowicz. “There are also psychological effects. Obese children are more prone to low self-esteem, negative body image and depression.”

For more information about how you and your family can learn to eat better and get more active, visit www.heart.org/healthierkids.

Disclosure: Article submitted by the Sacramento division of the American Heart Association.

Hundreds of Sacramentans to Race for Heart Disease Prevention in Women

2012-06-13T22:52:32Z

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 ways to treat and prevent cardiovascular disease.

“This is a really great family-friendly event through our Go Red Movement that will continue to help save lives and to raise more awareness for the number one killer of women in Sacramento and the nation - heart disease,” said Garry Maisel, President & CEO of Western Health Advantage and chairman of the 2012 Go Red for Women Executive Committee. “There was great participation in last year’s race and it was a lot of fun. It’s a great chance for the community to come together again to help make a difference.”

The race has courses marked for both 5K (3.1 mile) and 10K (6.2 mile) distances and is open to runners and walkers of all ages and abilities. After crossing the finish line, all participants and spectators are invited to the Go Red Race Vendor Expo, presented by Nugget Markets. This will include dozens of booths with information on heart health, nutrition, exercise, stress reduction and more.

Registration, which includes a Go Red Race red t-shirt, is $40 and begins at 6:30am. The 10K race will start first at 8:00am followed by the kick off for the 5K race at 8:10am. The Go Red Race Vendor Expo will be open from 8:00am to 11:00am. All events take place at Crocker Park located at the corner of 3rd and O streets in Downtown Sacramento.

For more information, to register online or to check out some of the fun photos from last year’s event, visit http://changeofpace.com/gored.html.

Disclosure: Article submitted by the Sacramento division of the American Heart Association.

Hearts out at Women Go Red

2012-05-08T14:21:51Z

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.

Too many women die each year because they are unaware of their No.1 killer, heart disease. One in three women suffers in silence, and almost one woman dies every minute from this preventable disease.

When a woman takes up the fight against heart disease, she shouldn’t do it alone. Having the support of a team can greatly influence one’s ability to succeed. This is why the American Heart Association joined forces with Sutter Health & Vascular Institute in its fight against heart disease in women.

Go Red for Women combines community resources with education to connect millions of women in supporting them to make personal choices that turn into life-saving actions.

The luncheon featured emcees Reba Arnold, co-anchor, News 10 and Amy Lewis of KFBK. A special zumba session stirred the audience to act starting with regular exercise. Dr. Michael Fugit, an interventional cardiologist at Sutter Health & Vascular Institute presented more health tips for women to impact their odds for heart health.

Afterwards, Nick Fowler and his mother Kirsten shared their account of surviving multiple heart surgeries from the young age of only seven days old. Nick is now nineteen, studying kinesiology in college, and focuses on his future though he continues to be monitored by his doctors.

Within the audience, are open heart surgery survivors, like Bonnie and Stephy. After surviving heart surgery, Stephy decided to turn her pain into art, drawing from her understanding, the designs of hope transferred to graphic t shirts. She shares the shirts with other heart disease patients traveling as a vendor with other Go Red events sharing the findings of her craft, through the Mosaic Heart.

These are women who found their inner calling through healing and changing their lifestyle. Within each other is strength. Within each other is knowledge. Within each other is the support and creativity to end the isolation of heart disease.

Susan - New Heart, New Life

2012-04-05T22:25:42Z

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 of 1989, Susan was offered a traveling nurse assignment. Excited about the opportunity to travel, she quit her job and canceled her medical insurance. A few months into her assignment, she noticed that something wasn’t quite right.

"I felt bad and knew something was wrong," she said. "I had no energy and within a few months I had to plan my day out carefully to compensate for my energy loss."

By early October, Susan had to leave her traveling nurse assignment early and go home to live with her parents in Sacramento.

"I remember the day I had to do something about my condition," she said. "I had spilled orange juice on the floor and was unable to clean it up."

Susan didn’t have health insurance at the time so her mother took her to see her father who was a physician in Lodi. Her father’s friend, who was an internist, performed a few tests and announced the grim news that Susan was going to die.

Susan had an enlarged heart due to cardiomyopathy, probably from a virus that attacked her heart. The infection left her heart enlarged and unable to efficiently pump blood through her body.

A few days after the grim diagnosis, Susan’s father came home and announced that she was not going to die. She was going to Sutter for a heart transplant.

The day after Thanksgiving, Susan had to have a few tests in the cath lab at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento to further diagnose her eligibility for a transplant. Her heart was so weak that she recalls this day being the scariest of her life.

"I wanted to jump out of the room and run," Susan said. "My heart was so fragile and weak."

Cardiologist David Woodruff, M.D., performed her catheterization. After the procedure, she ended up in the ICU to recover. In less than a day she was placed on the transplant list.

Susan waited in the hospital several months before she received a new heart.

"I was so ready for a new heart," she said. "I was very uncomfortable from the fluid buildup in my abdomen and sick of having no energy."

The day before Christmas Eve, December 23, Susan received the news that they had found a donor. Susan would be the eighth patient in the program to have a heart transplant, making her once again a part of medical history.

A very intriguing coincidence also presented itself that day. Cardiovascular surgeon, Michael Ingram, M.D., performed Susan’s heart transplant surgery. Dr. Ingram studied under Susan’s previous surgeon Dr. Cooley. After the surgery was complete, Dr. Ingram gave Dr. Cooley a call letting him know that the hole he repaired in her heart more than 30 years ago was still in excellent shape.

One week before Susan’s birthday, January 11, she was released from the hospital. The road to recovery went smoothly and in approximately two-and-a-half months she had her full strength back.

Now, almost 20 years later, Susan feels wonderful. She is a registered nurse and enjoys traveling and snow skiing. She is still with Sutter and is currently seeing cardiologist John Chin, M.D.

"Everyday is a challenge for me, but I have come to grips with it. I have had a fulfilled life because of Sutter," Susan said.

Disclosure: Article supplied by Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute in partnership with the American Heart Association and Go Red for Women.

Linda - Healthy Heart, Happy Life

2012-04-05T21:57:40Z

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 have a lung condition. She learned of a clinical study focusing on early detection of lung cancer. Since Linda had received only minor diagnostic examination from any of her physicians, she signed up for the study.

Those running the study were extremely concerned for Linda's health when they received the results of her first body scan. They suspected aortic stenosis – a condition in which the aortic valve does not function properly. After sharing this news with her primary care physician and asking to see a specialist, Linda's doctor referred her to the Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute at Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento for more testing.

"As soon as I got there, I felt like I was in good hands," Linda said. "Even the tech who did my test was very friendly, we had a great conversation." After her first test, the tech brought in Dr. Edmond Lee, a cardiologist, to look at Linda's results. "I knew my results didn't look good," she said. "Dr. Lee grilled me with all sorts of questions about my symptoms and my lifestyle. I was grateful – finally, a doctor who really cared," she said. “He even drew a little sketch to explain what was going on with my heart!”

Within a week, Linda was scheduled for heart surgery with Dr. Michael Ingram, cardiovascular surgeon with the Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute. "Dr. Ingram was incredible," she said. "At my pre-op appointment, he invited my dad, my sister and my fiancé to talk about my situation with him. He was very accommodating." Linda also gained a little redemption when Dr. Ingram confirmed what she had expected all along: that her health problems did not stem from her smoking habit alone. "Dr. Ingram said that the smoking may have exacerbated my symptoms, but that I was born with a faulty heart valve."

Dr. Ingram successfully replaced her heart valve using minimally invasive valve replacement surgery. "My scar is technically four inches long, but you can really only see one inch of it," said Linda, who is extremely grateful to her surgeon. "I can't say enough about Dr. Ingram and his staff. They are wonderful people who really care about their patients."

As part of her post-operative treatment, Linda participates in cardiac rehabilitation at Sutter Roseville Medical Center. "I can now do 30 minutes on the treadmill and 20 minutes on the bike," she says proudly. "I feel so much better." In addition to her physical symptoms, Linda claims that her mental aptitude improved after the surgery. "I don't know why, maybe more blood is running to my head," she laughed. "My memory is better. I'm not foggy-headed anymore, I'm awake and alert!"

Life today is much better for Linda. “For most of my life, my symptoms were dismissed or misinterpreted by other doctors. I’m really lucky the doctors at Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute figured out what was wrong with me. If it weren’t for them, I probably would not be here today.”

Disclosure: Article supplied by Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute in partnership with the American Heart Association and Go Red for Women.