30 THE Go QUEENS COURIER Red
• FEBRUARY 3, 2022 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Three heart tips for women
Th e U.S. Food and Drug Administration
notes that foods such as cakes, pies, cookies,
off ers the following advice to women
biscuits, microwavable breakfast sandwiches,
looking to prioritize their heart health:
and many types of crackers contain
trans fats.
A heart-friendly diet
Th anks to food labels, it’s easier than
High-risk conditions
ever for women to consume heart-healthy
Certain conditions can increase a woman’s
diets. When examining labels, look for
risk for heart disease. While women
foods that are low in sodium and sugar.
may not be able to turn back the clock
When planning meals, avoid foods that
and prevent these conditions from developing,
are high in trans fats.
they can take them for the serious
In 2015, the Food and Drug
threat they are and do their best to manage
Administration ruled that trans fats were
them.
not recognized as safe for use in human
High blood pressure, diabetes, and
foods and gave manufacturers three years
high cholesterol can increase a woman’s
to remove them from their products. Th e
risk for heart disease. Take medications
Cleveland Clinic advises consumers to
as directed, monitor blood sugar
check labels for “partially hydrogenated
oils,” which are a hidden source of trans
fats. In addition, the Cleveland Clinic
levels if you have diabetes, and routinely
have your blood pressure and cholesterol
tested to ensure any preexisting conditions
are not increasing your risk for
heart disease.
Aspirin intake
Th e Food and Drug Administration
notes that many physicians prescribe aspirin
to lower patients’ risk of heart disease,
clot-related strokes, and other problems
related to cardiovascular disease.
However, there are risks associated with
long-term aspirin use, and such risks
should be discussed with a physician.
According to the Administration, bleeding
in the stomach, bleeding in the brain,
kidney failure, and certain types of stroke
are some of the potential side eff ects of
long-term aspirin use. Such side eff ects
may never appear, but the risk that they
might make discussing the pros and cons
of aspirin well worth it.
Women can learn more about heart
disease by visiting www.fda.gov.
How to talk to your kids about heart disease
You or your partner has just been diagnosed
with heart disease. How will you
tell your kids?
First, realize that this will not be one
conversation; it will be a series of conversations,
says Dr. Jennifer Connor-Smith,
a clinical psychologist based in Portland,
OR. Prepare what you want to say and end
the conversation with an open-door policy.
Also, make sure to get started sooner
rather than later.
“It is easy for parents to get hung up on
the possibility that they might say something
wrong, and then end up putting off
the conversation,” she says. “It is important
to know that not quite the perfect thing
said with love and good intentions is better
than a conversation that never happens.”
Here’s how to get started
Pick a good time: When is your child
most receptive to serious conversation?
Right before bed? On a car ride? On a
walk around the neighborhood? Connor-
Smith recommends thinking carefully
about the best time to have a conversation
before launching in.
Give information piece by piece: Not
all kids will jump to the “are you going
to die?” conversation. Some of them will
have more practical questions. Th ey may
want to see a model of a heart to understand
what is happening. Others will
want to know if your disease means a
cancellation of next week’s vacation. Let
out information slowly and then wait for
questions to come. “When children ask
questions, ask them to tell you what they
are thinking about or if they have a special
worry on their mind at the moment,”
she recommends. “Th e more information
you can get from them, the better
you will understand what they are
thinking.”
Explain it’s not their fault: Since some
children may blame themselves for a parent’s
disease, it is important to be clear
about their lack of fault. “Younger children
may worry that they caused your
heart disease because they may have said,
‘I hate you’ in the past when they were
angry,” says Connor-Smith. “Make sure
to tell them that the disease is not their
fault and that there are things you can do
to make things better, like exercising and
eating healthy.”
Make them feel secure: Negative health
news can cause children to worry about
a change in daily routine, says Connor-
Smith. Abate these fears by explaining
what day-to-day changes to expect and
how long they will last — from who will
pick them up at school when you are at a
doctor’s appointment, to who will pack
their favorite lunch. “Th is is a great place
to accept help from friends,” she says. “If
they off er, ask them to help pack lunches
and pick up your kids from sports practices.
It will help your children cope if you
can keep their routines in order.”
Do not talk about your concerns:
According to Connor-Smith, the biggest
mistake parents can make is to share their
personal concerns with their children, e.g.
the fi nancial cost of treatment and how
it will aff ect one’s profession. She says,
“Th ose things need to stay adult concerns.
Th ey should not be shared with children;
they will only make the child feel more
anxious and helpless.”
To learn more, visit www.heart.org
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/www.heart.org
/www.fda.gov
/www.fda.gov
/www.heart.org
