Bill Clinton is hospitalize for chest pain. This was the news yesterday.

Two days ago I published a post explaining that heart disease is the number one killer of women.  Since the Red Cross dedicates February as heart disease month, I thought it fitting to remind women about the dangers of this silent killer.  And today we received another reminder from Bill Clinton.

In 2006, Clinton had quadruple bypass surgery and in 2005 he had scar tissue removed which was related to the bypass surgery.  Yesterday, he had surgery to insert two stents to restore blood flow, one in the same artery he had unblocked during the original surgery.

A CNN article quoted Dr. Allan Schwartz, New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s Chief of Cardiology “said the need for the procedure had nothing to do with Clinton’s post-bypass diet or exercise, which Schwartz called excellent. Rather, Schwartz said, this is “part of the natural history” of the bypass treatment.”

The article says Bill Clinton has been following the diet prescribed for his condition and exercising as well.  However, what happened yesterday is a natural progression to the bypass surgery he received and he could be in for more problems in the future.  Slowing down probably won’t help, but not to worry -there are medications out there and the prognosis is good.

What?  Since Clinton has left office, he has been running on a busy schedule.  He does need to slow down and take care of himself.  Sure there are pills but they can cause all sort of side affects so prevention and a healthy lifestyle is the key.

Heart disease is a chronic condition and may have no known cure, but there is more that can be done  other than ‘no junk food’ and some exercise.  How about rest and relaxation to reduce stress?  Or eating certain foods such as garlic and fish oil which have been associated with a healthy heart.

Can fish prevent heart disease? BBC science

From the series Can Fish Make My Child Smart, this episode looks at whether fish oils decrease the risk of heart disease. Is there a link? Free …

Related articles on Bill Clinton and heart disease

• Ex-President Clinton Undergoes Heart Procedure (abcnews.go.com)
• No cure for heart disease, Clinton’s case shows (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Bill Clinton in ‘good spirits’ after procedure (msnbc.msn.com)

Tags: Bill Clinton, fish oil, heart disease, quadruple bypass surgery