Photo: Dr. Suzy Feigofsky
Nearly 70 women learned how to love their hearts at the recent Stewart Memorial Community Hospital (SMCH) Lunch and Learn program. Dr. Suzy Feigofsky led the Lake City presentation by explaining the risk factors for heart disease, the number one killer of women. She says ladies need to look to their family histories, high cholesterol, tobacco use, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle as the main root causes of the disease. Feigofsky says that a patients’ waist circumference is a predictor for increased risk of heart disease, and for women, that circumference should be less than 35 inches. For men, it should be less than 40. She also talked about hypertension and its overall impact on the heart, kidneys, vision and sexual dysfunction. She told the crowd of nearly all women to be sure they are clear when communicating with their healthcare provider. “Don’t apologize or downplay your symptoms,” she says. “If you brush off your chest pain as something less urgent, your doctor may also.” The Lunch Connections are held four times a year at the hospital in Lake City. The next session will be Nov. 1 and will cover the opioid crisis and non-narcotic pain solutions.
