Hadassah learns about heart healthy lifestyles

By Eileen Wingard

Eileen Wingard
Eileen Wingard

SAN DIEGO — Hadassah’s heart-health event on October 18th began with a brisk walk, led by Suki Lurie, along a canyon across from the Prybs Cardiovascular Center, near where “Girlfriends Take Heart!’ took place.   The walkers returned to enjoy a heart- healthy breakfast, catered by Felicia G. This was followed by welcoming remarks from the newly-elected president of San Diego Hadassah, Audrey Levine. As event chair, with a committee of 14, Levine organized this outstanding, multi-faceted program, assisted by San Diego Hadassah’s Director, Deena Feinman.

The morning included a short video, featuring a Hadassah Hospital cardiologist; a fact-filled talk by Dr. Christina L. Adams, an integrative cardiologist at Scripps Health; and a panel discussion with two local women who have experienced major heart problems. Margo Tabachnick’s heart attack last year resulted in quadruple by-pass surgery and Sabrina Kerbel required a heart transplant. They described their experiences. Both women are mothers and active in their communities. Tabachnick is on the Youth Commission of Beth El and Kerbel is the president of Congregation Beth Am.

The second half of the proceedings featured another experiential heart healthy activity with the energetic Jodi Stolove leading the audience in five minutes of chair dancing to music. The final portion of the program had Chef Palma Bellinghieri, the Vegetarian Chef at Rancho La Puerta and Demonstration Chef at the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine,  demonstrate the cooking of two heart- healthy dishes. We all got to sample and take home the recipes for a fennel, leek and potato soup and a spicy roasted kasha salad.

We learned that heart attacks are the number 1 killer of women. Up until 1994, women were never used at clinical trials for heart research and, even now, they are used as subjects only one third of the time.

We were told that women experience heart attacks in more subtle and varied ways than men.

The most important message was, in the words of Dr. Doona Zfat-Zwas, Director of Hadassah Medical Organization’s Linda Joy Pollin Cardiovascular Institute for Women, “Simple changes in terms of physical activity can prevent a very large percentage of heart disease….. much is really in a woman’s own hands and under her control.”

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Wingard is a freelance writer based in San Diego.  She may be contacted via eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com