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Nurse Deanna Carlson
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VIDEO: Deanna Carlson, R.N., BSN, Discusses Why Body-Mass Index And Waist Measurements Matter

Find out why women need to be concerned about body-mass index and waist measurements.

Deanna Carlson:
Body Mass Index is so important. It’s because if you’re not within the normal limits that means that you’re at greater risk for a heart disease or a stroke to happen because you’re carrying too much weight around, weight around not only your heart but your other organs as well.

It also has a tendency to lead to higher glucose levels. It can also lead to higher blood pressure. I think those are very important reasons why we should be as close to our ideal weight as we possibly can.

The Women's Heart Center program provides:

* Low-cost personal Heart and Vascular Screenings.
* Free heart and self-health risk assessments.
* Educational Seminars addressing nutrition, exercise and osteoporosis.
* Specialized in-hospital care for women admitted with heart disease.

"Symptom recognition is a key problem," says Women's Heart Center co-director Shalizeh Shokooh, M.D. "About one third of women don't experience the typical symptoms of heart disease that most men experience. Many women report having vague chest discomfort with a sudden onset of severe fatigue or shortness of breath."

"This is one of the reasons St. Joseph Hospital opened the Women's Heart Center," says co-medical director Warren Johnston, M.D. "Participation in the Center provides women with the heart-health protection they need." Women can attend a private heart-health screening provided by a highly trained cardiac registered nurse.

Visit Deanna Carlson, R.N., BSN, on the web at St. Joseph Hospital Women’s Heart Center in Orange, CA