February is American Heart Month and as we reported, the American Heart Association is encouraging women to check up on their heart health and know their personal risk of heart disease.

What many women may not know is that a woman’s symptoms of heart attack can be very different from the symptoms a man experiences. Men usually have tradtitional symptoms such as a squeezing pain or pressure in the chest, but women are more likely to experience shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, back and jaw pain.

Often neither the woman suffering these symptoms nor her physician recognize that the symptoms signal a heart attack and may be dismissed as stress, panic attacks or hypochondria. Delay in diagnosis and treatment can impact the chances of a good outcome following a heart attack.

In addition to knowing the signs of a heart attack, knowing what to do if you think you are having these symptoms is equally important.

From Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, here’s some tips on what to do if you suspect you or someone else is having a heart attack:

1. Take immediate action; call 9-1-1 immediately. Don’t take time trying to reach your doctor. And don’t try to drive yourself or someone else to the hospital in this situation. Remember, every minute of delay means more heart muscle is damaged.

2. Chew one aspirin. Most heart attacks are caused by blood clots in the arteries, and aspirin reduces the growth of these clots.

3. CPR. If the person is not breathing, start cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). If you haven’t taken a class in CPR, sign up today. It might be the best present you ever give to someone you care about.

Cedars-Sinai.edu

I have naturally flat feet. In fact, I have some of the flattest feet known to man. They are a size 10, long and flat and would be just perfect for scuba diving if only my toes were webbed (thank goodness, they’re not). My toes are very long though, I know people whose fingers aren’t that long.

All of this means shoes are generally not very comfortable. Even specifically-designed-to-be-comfortable shoes are not very comfortable. Up until now, I had always accepted this as my lot.

However, according to a press release from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, there are many treatments for flat feet, including surgery for severe cases or flatfoot that is “acquired” through injury. What doesn’t work are those old-fashioned orthopedic shoes designed to build up an arch where none exists - the kind my mother thought I should wear.

According to the AAOS, flatfoot can cause knee, hip and back pain in addition to foot pain and difficulty walking. For those whose pain doesn’t respond to conservative treatments such as physical therapy and orthotics, surgical reconstruction of the flatfoot is an option.

Dr. Steven L. Haddad of the AAOS advises that if you are experiencing any of the above symptoms you should consult an orthopaedic surgeon.

For now, I think I will just stick to my usual method of dealing with foot fatigue and pain, which usually alleviates most of the discomfort.

I just take off my shoes.

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

There is no effective screening test to identify ovarian cancer. As a result, 75% of ovarian cancers are diagnosed in a late stage, lessening the chance for a cure.

The problem is that the symptoms of ovarian cancer are not uncommon among all women at times and so are often misdiagnosed as being related to other causes, such as menopause.

Here are the six most common complaints associated with ovarian cancer according to researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine:

* pelvic pain
* abdominal pain
* increased abdominal size
* abdominal bloating
* difficulty eating
* feeling full quickly

When any of these symptoms had been present for less than a year and occurred more than 12 days a month, they were considered independently predictive of ovarian cancer risk.

Speaking to WebMD, researcher Barbara Goff, MD, said “These are very common symptoms that everyone has from time to time. The purpose is not to scare women and make everyone think they have ovarian cancer. It is to alert women and their physicians that there may be cause for concern if these symptoms come on quickly and occur with frequency.”

Six Warning Signs of Possible Ovarian Cancer