We wish all women a very happy International Women’s Day. While one single day is not enough to remind ourselves of the various roles that women play, it is certainly a day to focus on various aspects surrounding them – one of the primary things being their health. Health is usually put at the backburner in case of women – by them or their families – and any health conditions in them generally go unnoticed until its too late.

On International Women’s Day, it is imperative to spread awareness on the fact that women too are prone to serious health problems, which if diagnosed and treated at the right time can help in preventing further complications. Some such health issues in them include cancers of the breast and cervix, heart diseases, pregnancy complications, etc.

This women’s day let us take a pledge to give every woman in our lives a health check-up. Women are not diagnosed or treated as aggressively as men. A classic example of this is the fact that even though more women than men die of heart disease each year, women receive only 33% of all angioplasties, stents and bypass surgeries, 28% of implantable defibrillators and 36% of open-heart surgeries, according to the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease. Women are an integral and indispensable part of any family and therefore, should receive equal attention and care.

Some other tips for women from HCFI:

• Reduce your saturated fats intake to less than 7% of calories. Your diet should include oily fish at least twice a week as a source for omega-3 fatty acids.
• Make sure you do not take hormone replacement therapy, selective estrogen receptor modulators, antioxidant supplements (vitamin E, C and beta-carotene) and folic acid for primary or secondary prevention of heart disease.
• If you are 65 or older, ask your GP for routine low dose aspirin regardless of heart disease risk status. The upper dose of aspirin for high-risk women is 325 mg per day rather than 162 mg.
• Reduce LDL cholesterol to less than 70 mg/dL in case you have a very high-risk of heart disease.