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Community Corner

Heart Talk

Local doctor reads from her new book on heart health for women.

 

Well, it looks like winter has finally arrived in all its icy cold glory. I knew it would, but that doesn’t mean I wanted it to. You may recall back in the summer, when I suggested taking the memory of the sweltering hot day, the one that had sweat trickling down the small of your back, and tucking it away to take out when needed. Well, that time is now. I put some pretty specific hot weather moments into my memory time capsule just so I can think on them when the mercury dips so low my breath freezes in front of my face. Believe it or not, it really does help.

But that’s because I’m more of a warm-weather girl, which is kind of a problem given that I live in the frigid northeast!

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This new bout of cold weather coincided with the new year, which means many of us have made resolutions, and I’m guessing at least a few of these had to do with exercise and health. In that vein, I’m happy to tell you that our own Dr. Malissa Wood’s book on heart health, "Smart at Heart," is now available, and that she’ll be at the this Sunday at 3 pm for a .

Dr. Wood, is a cardiologist and co-director of the Corrigan Women’s Heart Health Program at Mass General Hospital. She also runs a program in Revere that brings whole life wellness and heart care information to local women with health challenges. It was this program that inspired her to write her book; it’s a 10-step program that addresses all the areas of your life that can affect your heart health, and the changes you can make to be a healthier you.

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You may not realize it, but it’s more than just genetics and bad eating that can affect your heart health. It’s also about how you handle stress, the way you relate to other people, and the things you surround yourself with. So you need to look at your whole life to be able to take care of that all important heart muscle. Maureen Belt is reading the book right now, and tells me it’s really fantastic, well-written with worthwhile information.

I love that our local bookstore is supporting a local writer by having Dr. Wood come in, talk about her research, read an excerpt, and then answer questions. This is a great way for you to jump-start your resolution to be happier and healthier in 2012. (And if that isn’t your resolution, well, it should be ONE of them.)

The book is geared toward women ages 40 to 60, the demographic that is usually so focused on taking care of others that they neglect themselves. Which is crazy, because how can you take care of others if you DON’T take care of yourself first? But even if you don’t fall into this group, you can benefit from making healthy changes to your life, so plan to come down and listen.

If you can’t make it down but still want to get a signed copy of the book, the bookshop will happily let you pre-order one. Otherwise, put on your warm coat and earmuffs and get yourself down there and hear Dr. Wood in person. I think you’ll be happy you did.

 

Do you have something you would like to share? Contact me at stefanieac@comcast.net or Maureen at mcb23@comcast.net, and we will be happy to help you spread the good news. And follow us on Twitter: Maureen is @cosmo1162, I’m @stefanie3131.

 

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