Jan Feit
   
 
CENTURY 21 (R)
Country North, Inc.
Newsletter

Advice to take to heart

You take care of everyone else - February is a time to take care of you. The American Heart Association started Go Red for Women Month to bring awareness to heart disease, the No. 1 killer of U.S. women.

By Lisa Glowinski - RW Magazine Jan/Feb 2010 Issue

  • Raw Facts ...  and tips: 
  • Cardiovascular disease kills about 460,000 women a year.
  • While 1 in 30 American women die of breast cancer, almost 1 in 3 will die from CVD.
  • 43 million American women live with CVD.
  • Sixty-four percent of women who died suddenly of coronary heart disease had no previous symptoms.
  • Heart beating a little faster reading that? Don't worry - there are things you can do to lower your risk:
    • Control your cholesterol and overall diet; eat whole grains and fresh fruits.
    • Stop smoking.
    • Be active at least 30 minutes a day - walk, jog, cycle or dance.
    • Reduce stress through hobbies, meditation - whatever!
  • However, there are some risk factors we can't control, such as age and family history. As women, we have an increased risk of developing high blood pressure if we're menopausal, 20 pounds or more over a healthy weight, or have a family history of high blood pressure.

Also Keep in mind: 

  • What about red wine?: AHA says that while some studies have shown drinking red wine helps your heart, the real benefit is from its antioxidants, also found in grapes or red grape juice. Exercise and a healthful diet are still the real deal.
  • Women and men are different:  While the most common warning sign of a heart attack in both is chest discomfort, women are more likely to experience other common symptoms, such as shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, sweating, lightheadedness and back or jaw pain, says mayoclinic.com. Don't delay care when experiencing these symptoms.
  • Protect yourself: A study published in the January 2009 issue of the journal Heart showed that among heart patients, women were less likely than men to receive beta blockers, statins and ACE inhibitors, which are crucial to prevent further problems. Women also are less likely to receive an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, a device that helps to control irregular heartbeats, or even aspirin after a diagnosis of heart disease.

 

It's the little things

You don't have to go overboard to help Mother Earth

by Hilary Dickinson

Want to go green with spending a lot of green? You don't have to drive a hybrid car or buy solar panels to do it. Here's a list of simple inexpensive tricks you can do to improve the environment and save energy:

Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. Compared with regular bulbs, they use 75 percent less energy, last up to 10 times longer and reduce your electric bill 3 percent to 4 percent annually, says Timothy Melloch, a ComEd energy doctor.

Don't keep throwing plastic bottles into landfills. Get a water cooler instead, says Gayle Englof, owner of the Home Environment Center in Rockford.

Flip the light off when you leave a room.

Shut the computer down or let it hibernate when not in use.

Don't bump the thermostat up; put on a sweater. Melloch says your heating bill is reduced by 6 percent for every degree you change in the winter.

Let ComEd pay you $25 to haul old refrigerators away that you're barely using, Melloch says. That extra unit's costing you $100 to $150 annually.

If you don't have canvas bags, use paper at the grocery instead of plastic. Then put one in your laundry room (which Gummow does) to make recycling easier.

Batteries have harmful chemicals, so Gummow recommends disposing of them at the Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Center, 3333 Kishwaukee St. in Rockford.

Use nontoxic cleaning and personal-care products. Englof says they break down more easily and don't pollute.

DVRS use almost as much energy as refrigerators, so Melloch advices unplugging secondary DVRs when not in use.

Buy an energy star appliance. "It might not be the top product, but it's designed to be efficient," Melloch says.

Seal air leaks in windows and doors to reduce your heating bill.