We Are Advocates

A new venture... podcasting!

There's no doubt that "multimedia" is popular online. It's also known that people learn differently. Some learn best by reading (visual), some by hearing (auditory), some by doing (kinesthetic.) These are both reasons why podcasting has become so popular and is a quickly growing medium.

For some time now, I've thought that a weekly podcast about Migraine disease and headaches could be a valuable tool, not only for patients, but for their families, coworkers, friends, and others impacted by these disorders. This week, that became a reality with the launch of MigraineCast at www.MigraineCast.com. Oh, and if you have requests for topics to be covered in future episodes of MigraineCast, be sure to leave me a comment!
 

If you suffer from Migraines or headaches or know someone who does, please go listen to the podcast. The first episode is, "Migraines - What Are They, Really," and it's available now. A new episode will be available every Tuesday.

WomenHeart - Education and Advocacy

WomenHeart the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease

Did you know...?

• 435,000 American women have heart attacks each year; 83,000 are under age 65 and 9,000 are under age 45. Their average age is 70.4.
• Heart disease is the leading cause of death of American women and kills 32% of them
• More women than men die of heart disease each year, yet women receive only:
  • 33% of angioplasties, stents and bypass surgeries
  • 28% of inplantable defibrillators and
  • 36% of open-heart surgeries
• Women comprise only 25% of participants in all heart-related research studies.

WomenHeart is a wonderful network dedicated to women's heart health. They educate, support, and advocate for change. Their policy goals are:

• Increased coverage for affordable prescription medicines, diagnostic tests, and medical devices.
• Improved physician training and use of appropriate diagnostic tests to identify early signs of heart disease in women.
• Earlier access to cardiologists for high risk women.
• Increased ability of emergency room staff to promptly identify and aggressively treat heart attacks in women.
• Increased and improved smoking cessation programs for women.
• More women participating in clinical trials to test new treatments.
• Access to health insurance for women with low incomes.
• Increased CPR training and availability of automated external defibrillators.