Heart Disease

  Heart failure affects two-point-five million women in the United States.  But some of those women are unaware of the threat they face.  Nancy Poe has been living with her aches and pains for 15 years now. She's had eight stents put in for heart disease and was diagnosed with lung cancer the same day.  "Some days I hurt, but then I stop and I rest and then I get up and I keep going," said Nancy.   But two years ago, she couldn't even...

"She is very strong. She was 164 pounds at birth, which is a typical giraffe calf weight, and she's pretty feisty. " said Arnold. The naming of the calf has been delayed while the staff focuses on her care.

Some people call it the couch potato syndrome.... Hours spent in front of the T-V or computer with little or no activity.  Now there's new evidence of just how a sedentary lifestyle can be hazardous to your health.  Americans have developed some bad habits in the last few decades.  Many of us spend our workdays slouched over a desk, sitting in front of a computer. We sit during our commute home. Then we sit some more vegging out in front of the t-v or computer (during our down time)

"It started just like any other typical day... " says the character in the short film.  Moms -- you know you've been here... done this... said that... They are scenes from a film that portrays a humorous exaggeration of a typical working mother, focused not on her own needs, but on everybody else's.  A working mother herself, Elizabeth Banks directed the film and stars as the mom,  who ignores signs of a heart attack in favor of getting her family out the door on time.  She partnered with the  American Heart Association for this unusual way of spreading heart disease awareness.  "It was definitely tricky to convince them that using humor would be a great way to talk about heart disease," said Banks, laughing.  Because it's -not- fun to talk about the facts -- that heart disease is the number one killer of women...

SPRINGFIELD-- The American Heart Association is hosting a casting call on Friday, Feb. 10th, to find a spokesperson for the "Go Red For Women" campaign. The Go Red campaign promotes awareness of heart disease, which is the number one killer of women in the United States. Women are invited on this day to share their story of how heart disease has touched their life or the life of someone they love. The casting call is from 10am to 2pm at the Battlefield Mall's Macy's entrance.

Springfield, Mo. -- The American Heart Association held a casting call inside Battlefield Mall Friday to find new faces and stories for its "Go Red For Women" national campaign.  Dozens of women with personal stories about how heart disease has affected them or their families showed up to share talk about their experiences.  Make-up artists swept blush on their cheeks and dabbed on lip gloss before participants sat down in front of cameras to...

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women. In fact, 42 million are living with it today. Someone from Springfield is spreading awareness across the nation with the Go Red for Women campaign.  The campaign usually holds casting calls in St. Louis and Kansas City, but this year expanded to Springfield to get a better sample of people affected by heart disease.  It's smething Cheryl Holmes knows too well. "I didn't know a person could live with 15-20% of their heart functionality," Cheryl said.

   Does an aspirin a day keep heart attacks and strokes away?  It's a debate that's been going on for years.   Today more and more focus is being put on how the drug helps and hurts women.  To keep her heart healthy, Patricia Kapsalis's daily routine includes a stretching and regular walking.  As well as this: "I take an aspirin every day for a year and a half," said Patricia.  The 76-year-old's cholesterol and blood pressure were getting...

With heart disease the No. 1 killer in the U.S., February is designated American Heart Month. Vigorous exercise can help keep your heart healthy. And Consumer Reports says using a heart monitor is a good way to go. Consumer Reports tested heart-rate monitors ranging from $35 to $110. The most common are chest-strap monitors, which measure your heart rate via a sensor on a strap that you wear around your chest. They transmit the results to a wristwatch that you wear while you exercise so that you don't ever have to touch anything.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.-- If you saw lots of red on Thursday, you were not alone. The Go Red For Women luncheon in Springfield is a large gathering of women raising awareness of heart disease. The luncheon featured a heart-healthy lunch, guest speakers, and a silent auction of handbags donated by local community members. The event included the moving story of a young mother who is a survivor of heart disease.  Amy Moran has undergone several surgeries for a genetic heart condition. She says the American Heart Association does wonderful research with the funds that are raised.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- February is Heart Health Month, and Mercy Hospital wants to ensure women know the significance of heart disease. A free women's health forum will take place Tuesday evening from 6 to 8 in the Hammons Heart Institute auditorium, 1325 E. Cherokee St. in Springfield. Mercy cardiologists will discuss the latest development in heart care, and will answer questions from those in attendance.

"She is very strong. She was 164 pounds at birth, which is a typical giraffe calf weight, and she's pretty feisty. " said Arnold. The naming of the calf has been delayed while the staff focuses on her care.

Concern tonight over a supplement in many medicine cabinets.   Calcium supplements  make your bones strong, but they might be putting your heart in danger too.  Millions of women take calcium supplements to fight osteoporosis.  Now doctors have a warning about the pills. Showing the 99-percent blockage in the main artery to the heart, Cardiologist Alan Ackermann calls it the widow-maker.   Daisy Sotolongo's was stunned when she learned she had that kind of blockage.  Dr. Ackermann says she was about to have a major heart attack.  Doctors opened the blockages before that happened.  Then Daisy found out she may have been increasing her own risk of heart attack… just by trying to prevent osteoporosis.  "And the doctor told me I needed to take calcium," said Daisy.  A study finds oral calcium supplements, like the ones Daisy was taking can increase the risk of heart attack by as much as 86-percent.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.-- If you saw lots of red on Thursday, you were not alone. The Go Red For Women luncheon in Springfield is a large gathering of women raising awareness of heart disease. The luncheon featured a heart-healthy lunch, guest speakers, and a silent auction of handbags donated by local community members. The event included the moving story of a young mother who is a survivor of heart disease.  Amy Moran has undergone several surgeries for a genetic heart condition. She says the American Heart Association does wonderful research with the funds that are raised.

   Does an aspirin a day keep heart attacks and strokes away?  It's a debate that's been going on for years.   Today more and more focus is being put on how the drug helps and hurts women.  To keep her heart healthy, Patricia Kapsalis's daily routine includes a stretching and regular walking.  As well as this: "I take an aspirin every day for a year and a half," said Patricia.  The 76-year-old's cholesterol and blood pressure were getting...

  Heart failure affects two-point-five million women in the United States.  But some of those women are unaware of the threat they face.  Nancy Poe has been living with her aches and pains for 15 years now. She's had eight stents put in for heart disease and was diagnosed with lung cancer the same day.  "Some days I hurt, but then I stop and I rest and then I get up and I keep going," said Nancy.   But two years ago, she couldn't even...

A new study suggests that one of the most popular antibiotics on the market for treating bacterial infections could be deadly among certain patients. Zithromax, commonly known as the Z-Pak, is prescribed for all types of bacterial infections from ear infections to strep throat. In the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at Vanderbilt University looked at the records of thousands of Medicaid patients over a 14-year-period. They found a 2.5 percent greater risk of death from heart disease in the first five days of using Z-pack other than using other antibiotics or no antibiotic at all. "The study suggests that if you have heart disease or a serious heart condition and you take Zithromax, you really shouldn't," says Dr. Mitchell Brooks, a Dallas, Texas physician.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Heart disease is the number one killer in America, but you can do your part to help find a cure by being a part of this year's American Heart Association's Heart Walk. The event begins Saturday morning at nine at the Cox Health Pediatrix Field at National and Walnut Lawn. The goal is $225,000; a lot of that money will help families right here in the Ozarks. "It is the number one killer of men; it's the number one killer of women; in fact it takes more lives than the next five causes of death combined including all forms of cancer; it's also the number one birth defect in children," says Karl Schmidt with the American Heart Association Children like Audrey Pearce.

Springfield, Mo. -- The American Heart Association held a casting call inside Battlefield Mall Friday to find new faces and stories for its "Go Red For Women" national campaign.  Dozens of women with personal stories about how heart disease has affected them or their families showed up to share talk about their experiences.  Make-up artists swept blush on their cheeks and dabbed on lip gloss before participants sat down in front of cameras to...

SPRINGFIELD-- The American Heart Association is hosting a casting call on Friday, Feb. 10th, to find a spokesperson for the "Go Red For Women" campaign. The Go Red campaign promotes awareness of heart disease, which is the number one killer of women in the United States. Women are invited on this day to share their story of how heart disease has touched their life or the life of someone they love. The casting call is from 10am to 2pm at the Battlefield Mall's Macy's entrance.