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Beat Goes On
At Heart To Heart Luncheon
By Amanda Frink, Observer
Staff Writer
Ilwaco
- The room was filled with a sea of red as the Columbia
Pacific Heritage Museum hosted Ocean Beach Hospital’s
“The Beat Goes On” Women’s Heart to Heart Luncheon on
March 5th.
The purpose of the event was
to encourage women to take a stand and make an effort
toward being more proactive in their own health. Three
medical professionals gave presentations relating to
women’s health concerns. The main focus of the day was
the threat of heart disease, the leading cause of death
in women in the United States. Many of the more than 130
luncheon guests wore red in support of women’s heart
disease awareness.
Diabetes educator and
registered nurse Denise Ross presented “Your Heart and
DiaBEATes,” an informative lecture on the direct
connection between diabetes and heart health.
Ross explained that last
year National Geographic magazine published a diagram of
diagnosed heart disease in each county in the United
States from 1999 to 2003. Out of all of the counties in
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, Pacific
County had the highest concentration of heart disease -
which shocked most of the ladies in attendance. The map
can be found at
www.cdc.gov/DHDSP/library/fs_heart_disease.htm.
She provided guests with a
variety of information on heart disease and diabetes
risk factors, as well as tried and true tips on how
anyone can begin to turn their bad habits and health
conditions around.
Prior to the event, Ross
said, “I want them to walk away with an understanding
that heart disease is the number one killer of women and
what the risk factors are. I want them to understand how
it relates to women in Pacific County and understand
that these diseases are not inevitable, that they can be
controlled.”
Speakers and volunteers
danced in to "The Beat Goes On" by Sonny and Cher.
Registered dietician Deanna
Duret stirred up guests’ senses with her lecture,
“Follow the Flavor - Cooking with Herbs.” Not only did
she give everyone recommendations on herbs to use in
place of salt, but she also lead a hands-on activity on
how to identify different herbs, using touch, smell and
taste.
The afternoon’s
heart-healthy lunch featured items designed by dietary
staff and cooked with herbs and spices - virgin Bloody
Marys with lemon and red pepper flakes, salmon fillets
with orange vinaigrette, and spicy green salad with
cheese, pears, herbs and pumpkin seeds. She gave insight
into cooking with sea salt, seed oils, citrus and
flavored vinegars.
Currently working towards
her Ph.D in health education and promotion, Duret has a
background in presenting educational lectures. Speaking
at heart disease-centered events literally has a place
in Duret’s heart, as her father died from heart disease
when she was 16 years old. Her father was 56.
Over the years, heart
disease has become the number one killer of women in the
U.S. - primarily because most women do not know the
signs or symptoms of heart disease. One disease that
women know all too well is breast cancer and its signs,
which is great, but medical professionals worry that it
may have overshadowed the more common occurring disease
of the heart and cardiovascular system.
In an interview, Duret
explained, “Everyone jumps on the breast cancer
bandwagon because they associate it with death, whereas
with heart disease, you hear someone say, ‘I had a heart
attack and didn’t even know it.’ It doesn’t seem as
threatening. ... There are many people who have diabetes
and didn’t know it. We’re waiting for someone to tell us
[that we have a health problem], but [medical
professionals] need to motivate them to take charge of
their health.”
“[The word] ‘diet’ doesn’t
have to mean ‘rice cake,’” she explained prior to the
event. “With fresh herbs and spices, you’re adding no
extra salt or calories and your food is flavorful, not
bland ‘diet foods.’”
From the Naselle Clinic’s
family practice, Gwen Meyer MN, ARNP, wrapped up the
afternoon with her presentation, “Women Beat to a
Different Drummer.”
Meyer, who encourages a
relaxing environment to give guests the opportunity to
ask questions, described her lecture topics as the
“latest and greatest, tried and true methods in women’s
health.” She covered everything from cholesterol and
heart health, to bariatric surgery, old time remedies
and how to prevent congestive heart failure in women.
“Women have been the health
care providers for years and years and years and they
know when something’s off, they know when to get help,
they always get help for their family,” Meyer explained
in an interview. “This is something to help them take
better care for themselves - you can’t give from an
empty cup.”
She started out by talking
about blood vessel-fixing flavonoids, which are most
abundantly found in apples, onions, broccoli, chocolate
and black tea. Dark chocolate has three times more
flavonoids than milk chocolate.
Then Meyer explained why
having an apple-shaped body (when you carry most of your
weight around your abdomen) is more threatening to your
health than having a pear-shaped body (when you carry
most of your weight in the hips, buttocks and thighs).
She also touched on the Body Mass Index, which has
determined that approximately 66 percent of American
adults and 17 percent of children are overweight.
She also warned that
depression, anger, hostility, lack of sleep, lack of
exercise, binge drinking and being impatient can pose
risks to blood pressure and overall heart health.
Meyer described health in
general as, “Genetics loads the gun, lifestyle pulls the
trigger.”
For more information about
the Heart to Heart event, contact Denise Jones at the
Ocean Beach Hospital, 360-642-6494.
Attendees at the Heart To
Heart Luncheon.
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