Heart Disease & Women: Awareness & Treatment, Vols. 1 & 2

Not for the hypochondriac, this informative two-part program lays out the numbers (37.6 million women have cardiovascular diseases, and one in three will eventually die of heart disease or stroke) and presents a series of searing interviews with cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, lab nurses, and heart attack survivors, all of whom have either saved a life or had their life saved. Three of the heart attack survivors are young, active women with healthy lifestyles that belie their condition. In fact, the risks for women appear to be increasing more than for men, in part because of society's persistent misconception that heart disease is more prevalent among men than women, a myth that has not only led to considerably more research on the effects of heart disease among men than women, but also resulted in a female population that's out of tune with the signs and symptoms of heart disease. This latter point is explored throughout here, especially in the survivors' heart attack stories (which detail their symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment plans), but also in the lab technicians' accounts of women's behavior (denial, confusion) when faced with a diagnosis. In addition to these interviews, the program looks at detailed procedures in the lab, using animated graphics and x-rays to illustrate how a stent is placed in a blood vessel. The second volume covers treatment and rehabilitation procedures and outlines prevention techniques, including exercise, proper diet, and early detection. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (A. Cantú)