For Valentine’s Day: Tend to Your Heart, Recognize the symptoms of heart disease

Heart disease is still the number one killer of Americans for both men and women.

A myocardial infarction (Heart attack) happens when blood to the heart is suddenly cut off – usually by a blockage in one of the arteries leading to the heart. Atherosclerosis is often the underlying reason for a myocardial infarction, but other things can cause it as well. The area of the heart normally fed by the blocked artery will start to die, if blood flow is not restored very quickly.

Cardiac arrest is caused when the electrical system of the heart stops working properly.

Myocardial infarctions (MI) are classically thought of as something that affects more men (from birth) than women, but they are the number one killer of women too, affecting one in five women: superseding cancer of any cause.

Recognizing the symptoms of heart disease and a myocardial infarction is critical and can save lives.

Basic rule #1: if you have chest pain, call 911 or get to the nearest emergency room. Do Not Drive Yourself!

Unfortunately, just because you are in good health and exercise regularly doesn’t mean that you can’t have heart disease. You can even have good cholesterol and have a Myocardial infarctions.

The most common symptoms in both men and women are chest pain which may radiate to the jaw or left arm, extreme fatigue and dizziness. If it’s crushing chest pain or squeezing chest pain, call 911. Don’t wait to see if it goes away.

The pain may come on intense and extreme (an elephant on your chest) but it can be more subtle. It can come on slowly and just be a sense of chest discomfort or tightness, or just not feeling right.

In women, symptoms may not be chest pain. In fact the most common symptom in a woman is extreme fatigue. But a heart attack can present as nausea or heart burn or shortness of breath. Or maybe lightheadedness, or sudden onset of anxiety and a sense of doom. And women often take the wait and see approach, rather than heading to the ER.

Prevention is important. Measuring your cholesterol levels and attending to them if needed, seeing a cardiologist for a heart checkup, getting a calcium score which can show plaque buildup in your cardiac arteries, eating well, exercising, dealing with stress are all important. But recognizing signs and symptoms of something more going on can save your life.

So, for Valentine’s Day… tend to your heart.

Dr. Jennifer Means welcomes you for Primary Care for the whole family: Nutrition, IV Therapy, Naturopathy, and Acupuncture. Contact us at

503-641-6400.