Tomorrow (2/1/08) is National "Go Red For Women" day!

[The Smokin' Cracktuary]

Originally Posted by Browncoat

WHO!? WHO WILL NOT WEAR THE RIBBON?!?! I am wearing the ribbon. He is wearing the ribbon. Everyone is wearing the ribbon! Why are you not wearing the ribbon!?!?

RN

[JMO]

Sorry, I won't wear red tomorrow. I'm wearing red today and it's bad luck to repeat. You should have given me a bit more warning. Of course, if the office is on "snow day" it won't matter what color I wear.

[QMO]

Originally Posted by Princess Leia

...Everyone knows about heart disease in men. Most people don't realize how common it is in women too though...

I never hear about "heart disease in men." I always hear about "heart disease."

[QMO]

Originally Posted by The Smokin' Cracktuary

...Why are diseases for woman givens so much more attention than in men?...

Because men are scum.

[MG]

Originally Posted by The Smokin' Cracktuary

Seriously, WTF is up with this! Not to be insenitive, but I am pretty sure heart disease is the number one killer no matter the sex. Why have a special day for women?

Why can't it be wear red for heart disease day? Why the sexist aspect.

For that matter, why are there always special days for women's diseases in general? They don't have such propaganda for men. They have breast cancer awareness days. Well where's the testicular and prostate cancer awareness days?

Why are diseases for woman givens so much more attention than in men? Just as many men die from heart disease or other diseases woman can't get. Why the sexist double standard on disease awareness? I may wear red, but I say this right now, it will be for all heart disease, not just for woman.

All very good questions. I agree with you.

Though I will not be wearing red tomorrow (I'm not into the symbolic stuff), I see the issue as follows: women are bombarded constantly about breast cancer. I'm in my early 30's, and I'm already sick of hearing about it. Not a week goes by without some reminder of it, whether it's the "mobile mammograms" at work, or a magazine article, billboards, shopping... we're really at the saturation point. Any woman who hasn't done her research probably thinks that most women die of breast cancer. And heart disease, which is really our #1 killer, is being left in the dust - lots of women think heart attacks are a man's problem. Hence the awareness campaign.

Trust me, you do NOT want the attention to men's diseases like what has happened with breast cancer. I'd like to be able to go about my life and shop in peace w/o being constantly reminded about it - those damn pink ribbons are EVERYWHERE on stuff for women. Most times I just want a neutral item - I don't need golf towels and golf balls (for example) that remind me of cancer every time I'm out on the course - but good luck finding those items without the pink ribbon.

[The Smokin' Cracktuary]

Originally Posted by QMO

Because men are scum.

Point taken.

Originally Posted by MG

All very good questions. I agree with you.

Though I will not be wearing red tomorrow (I'm not into the symbolic stuff), I see the issue as follows: women are bombarded constantly about breast cancer. I'm in my early 30's, and I'm already sick of hearing about it. Not a week goes by without some reminder of it, whether it's the "mobile mammograms" at work, or a magazine article, billboards, shopping... we're really at the saturation point. Any woman who hasn't done her research probably thinks that most women die of breast cancer. And heart disease, which is really our #1 killer, is being left in the dust - lots of women think heart attacks are a man's problem. Hence the awareness campaign.

Trust me, you do NOT want the attention to men's diseases like what has happened with breast cancer. I'd like to be able to go about my life and shop in peace w/o being constantly reminded about it - those damn pink ribbons are EVERYWHERE on stuff for women. Most times I just want a neutral item - I don't need golf towels and golf balls (for example) that remind me of cancer every time I'm out on the course - but good luck finding those items without the pink ribbon.

That's true. I don't want to be driving to work and see big billboards saying,

"Have You Done Your TSE Today? Better Get To It"

or

"A Finger In Your Butt Once a Year Could Save Your Life"

I'd hate that.

I mean, I TSE constantly, and try getting me to take my finger out of my butt.

[Browncoat]

Originally Posted by The Smokin' Cracktuary

RN

Swan, I totally didn't mean to steal your RN.

[Loner]

Originally Posted by The Smokin' Cracktuary

That is their own stupid fault. If they think because they are woman that they have invincible hearts, then they deserve to have their heart fail (I don't really mean that, but it is stupid).

I have been hearing about woman's heart disease all my life. Maybe I am mistaken in assuming it is common knowledge, but it absolutely should be. There is absolutely no reason at all for anyone to think women somehow have hearts immune to disease or malfunction. I never understood how that obviously wrong mode of thinking ever came about. I makes absolutely no logical sense.

Estrogen does, in fact, confer some protection from heart disease. It's not until after menopause that women's rates catch up. It really wasn't until around 1990 or so that they started looking more seriously at the rate in women. And then they found that while women had fewer heart attacks overall, those heart attacks were more likely to be fatal, precisely because their heart disease went undiagnosed.

[Surfohio]

Is a Christmas Grinch tie ok if it is mostly red?

[The Smokin' Cracktuary]

Originally Posted by Loner

Estrogen does, in fact, confer some protection from heart disease. It's not until after menopause that women's rates catch up. It really wasn't until around 1990 or so that they started looking more seriously at the rate in women. And then they found that while women had fewer heart attacks overall, those heart attacks were more likely to be fatal, precisely because their heart disease went undiagnosed.

It's a good thing I take estrogen pills. I knew they'd end up being good for something, despite the way they laughed at me. Who's laughing now dad!?!?

Seriously though, I suppose that makes sense. After all, child rearing involves many body process to be "working for two" so to speak. It makes sense woman would have srtonger hearts for that purpose. Estrogen would seem to be the likely culprit.

In any case, woman dying of heart attacks isn't anything new. Maybe they have been dying older from heart attacks because of the estrogen thing, but they were still dying from heart attacks, just like men. I still don't see a reason why anyone would have ever thought it wasn't a problem, given that it is, in fact, the largest killer of woman, and doctors could see that as easily as they could see it in men. I just don't see how it could go unnoticed.