“Go Red” Month of February

“Go Red” for women is all about heart disease and stroke. Women die of cardiovascular disease more than cancer. Eighty percent of cardiac events in women could be prevented if women make the right choices for their hearts involving diet, exercise and abstinence from smoking.

Heart attack - A heart attack occurs when the blood flow to part of the heart is blocked, usually by a blood clot. If this clot cuts off the blood flow completely, the part of the heart muscle supplied by the artery begins to die.

Signs of a heart attack:
     1. Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
     2. Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
     3. Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
     4. Other signs as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
     5. As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than man to experience some of the other symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.

Stroke - A stroke is third leading cause of death in America. It’s also a major cause of severe, long-term disability. Stroke and TIA (transient ischemic attack) happen when a blood vessel feeding the brain gets clogged or bursts. The signs of a TIA are like a stroke, but usually last only a few minutes.

Signs of a stroke or TIA are:
     1. Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially one side of the body.
     2. Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
     3. Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
     4. Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
     5. Sudden server headache with no known cause.

If you experience any or all of the symptoms, call 911 or get to hospital immediately. Remember there is a three-hour window that a clot-busting drug can do to reduce the long-term disability for most common types of strokes.

Any symptoms of a heart attack, stroke, or TIA – call 911 or get to a hospital.

Tribal Health is sponsoring a “Go Red” day, Thursday, February 9th. THD asks that all departments within the CSKT wear red that day. If you have any questions, please call Margene Asay at 745-3525 or 675-2700, ext. 5072.