PULSE A SIMPLE CHOICE PUT HER IN THE PINK.Byline: Nicole SunkesNancy Kearson neglected her health for years before she made a decision that changed her life. A devoted wife and mother of two children, the 56-year-old Burbank resident was 90 pounds overweight and suffered from diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol Cholesterol, High Definition Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in animal tissue and is an important component to the human body. It is manufactured in the liver and carried throughout the body in the bloodstream. . Those health factors put her at high risk of suffering a heart attack. A concerned friend finally suggested Kearson make a doctor's appointment. She did. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of her life. ``(I) started down the path of really waking up and coming to terms with how much I had let my health slide,'' said Kearson, an accountant. ``I had to start coming to terms with that pretty quickly.'' Now Kearson takes medication for her blood pressure and cholesterol in addition to daily doses of aspirin, which has been shown to effectively prevent heart attacks. She is also taking steps to reduce her stress levels, eat better and exercise regularly. ``Now, three years later, I look back at that and realize how grateful I am to my friend,'' Kearson said. ``It's getting on the road to health as opposed to being on the road to disease. I'm not passionate about a lot of things, but I think this is a very important message that can do a lot of good for a lot of people.'' Kearson is one of four women profiled in Bayer Aspirin's national heart-healthy campaign called ``Shades of Noun 1. shades of - something that reminds you of someone or something; "aren't there shades of 1948 here?" reminder - an experience that causes you to remember something Red.'' Designed to empower women with cardiovascular knowledge, the campaign includes a brochure that women and their doctors can use to determine which risk category - or shade of red - they fall into. From low-risk pink to high-risk crimson, a woman's risk level can depend on myriad factors, including age, family history, obesity, cholesterol and blood pressure levels, diabetes and smoking habits. By understanding their risk levels, women can effectively improve their heart health, said Dr. C was a fictional scientist from the TV series Cro. She and her companion, Mike, went to the Arctic and thawed out a mammoth, who could talk. That mammoth now tells stories of life in the stone age with his friend, Cro, and his fellow mammoths. . Noel Bairey Merz, a cardiologist and specialist in women's health Women's Health Definition Women's health is the effect of gender on disease and health that encompasses a broad range of biological and psychosocial issues. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a world-renowned hospital located in Los Angeles, California. History Cedars-Sinai is the result of a merger in 1961 between two major Los Angeles hospitals, Cedars of Lebanon and Mount Sinai Home for the Incurables, with Steve Broidy as in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , who worked with Bayer to develop the four shades of red. ``Heart disease is not only preventable, it's treatable and reversible,'' said Merz, who also treated Kearson. Each year, 250,000 women nationwide die from heart disease. Even more troubling, nearly half of women at risk for heart attack or stroke fail to take aspirin. Risk factors for the disease include: --Working out less than 30 minutes a day. --Weighing more than 20 percent over your ideal body weight. --Not drinking one alcoholic beverage alcoholic beverage Any fermented liquor, such as wine, beer, or distilled liquor, that contains ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, as an intoxicating agent. When an alcoholic beverage is ingested, the alcohol is rapidly absorbed in the stomach and intestines because it does not per day (not more than one). --Smoking. --Poor diet. If a women has two or more of these risk factors, she should be screened for cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease Disease that affects the heart and blood vessels. Mentioned in: Lipoproteins Test cardiovascular disease , Merz said. For more information about ``Shades of Red'' and heart disease, visit www.womensheartadvantage.org or call (800) 331-4536. STRONG SHOWINGS: TaeBo Aerobics creator Billy Blanks Billy Blanks (born September 1, 1955) is an American fitness guru, martial artist, actor, and the inventor of Tae Bo. Biography Career Blanks began his study of the martial arts at the age of fourteen. and bodybuilder Roland Kickinger Roland Kickinger (born 1968) is an Austrian-born bodybuilder and actor. He has appeared in numerous bodybuilding competitions, fitness magazines and training videos. In his acting career, he is perhaps best known for his regular role as Chip Rommel in the television series , who portrayed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in the recent TV movie ``See Arnold Run,'' will make guest appearances at this weekend's TheFitExpo. The event will be held 3 to 9 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Pasadena Center, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. Tickets are $13 per day, or $25 for all three days. (818) 545-0290. www.thefitexpo.com. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) KEARSON (2) MERZ |
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