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HouseCall •
www.christushospital.org
9
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“Speaker really
knows her stuff! Love
the new ideas.”
(From “Decorating:
It’s a Piece of Cake”)
Ramesh Karia, MD,
oncologist and
hematologist,
medical oncology
director, CHRISTUS
Hospital – St. Mary
If you couldn’t attend last year’s CHRISTUS LiveWell
TM
Women’s Conference – or if
there were so many great sessions that you couldn’t attend every one that interested
you – there’s good news:
HouseCall
spoke with presenters from two sessions and is
sharing highlights from those interviews with you here.
It’s Time to Take Heart
Q
Why discuss heart health at a
women’s conference?
A
The No. 1 killer of women used
to be breast cancer, but today
it’s heart disease. At the conference,
I could tell that nobody was expect-
ing to hear that. A lot of women
don’t think they’re at risk for heart
disease or heart attacks. I’m not
trying to scare women – I just want
them to realize that this is nothing to
overlook.
Q
What can a woman do to take
better care of her heart?
A
Be proactive. You should get a
baseline cholesterol check in
your 20s or 30s. Then go to the doctor
regularly and ask questions. “What is
my cholesterol and blood pressure?”
“Am I within goal, or should I be on
medication?” You also need to take care
of yourself – eat right, get more exercise
and don’t smoke.
Q
What’s the most important
thing for a woman to know
about heart disease?
A
That you’re not immune to it.
Also, that most women don’t
have the classic heart attack symp-
toms, such as chest pain or shortness
of breath. Their symptoms can be
nonspecific and flu-like, but they may
just know something’s wrong. If that
happens to you, don’t ignore it.
Let your doctor know.
Breast Health from A to DD
Q
As the title suggests, this
session covered a wide range
of topics. Which topics were women
most interested in?
A
Mostly they wanted to know
about the latest developments –
from prevention to diagnostic tests to
hormone therapy to mammograms.
There is a lot of information out there,
and it can be easy to get confused.
Q
What advice do you give women
about mammograms?
A
They should have one every
year once they’re 40. If they
have a higher risk of breast cancer
or a family history, they should be
tested sooner.
The most important thing for
women to know about breast cancer is
what they can do to prevent it – and a
mammogram is a first step.
Q
What would you tell women
who are afraid to have a breast
exam?
A
They should know that very few
lumps actually become cancer.
But if cancer is present, it’s better
to find it early, when the cure rate is
higher. If you try to do it later, the cure
rate decreases. It’s not a good idea to
wait and watch.
Q
Do you think people are aware
that breast health is an issue?
A
Yes, I think most women
are getting the message.
Unfortunately, aware-
ness is still lacking for
minorities, so we need
to focus more efforts
there.
Leonard M.
Thome, MD,
general
and interventional
cardiologist, Smith and
Thome Cardiovascular
Consultants
“Great job by both
physicians. Thank
you so much,
‘WakeUp Call.’”
(From “It’s Time
to Take Heart”)
“This was the greatest
workshop ever! I will look
for [Chet Garner’s] show.
Love, love this session. We
have four kids ranging from
1 year to 11 years, and I
have new places to visit. :)”
(From “A Day Away”)