To a full house in the Coronado Library’s Winn Room, Dr. Steven Phillips, MD, and noted cardiac surgeon and NIH Staff Scientist (retired), captivated the audience from beginning to end with an experience-laden presentation on women’s heart health, why it’s different than men’s heart health, and why it’s so important for all of us to think about heart health in our spouses, mothers, sisters, and female friends. The statistics are sobering as heart disease is the single biggest killer of women, with one in three women dying of heart-related disease, and 50% of those women are not even aware they are at risk… plus 80% of those outcomes were likely changeable with lifestyle modifications.

Dr. Phillips’ presentation was both comprehensive and authoritative, and attempting to capture all its key facets in a summary article would be a disservice to him … and to you. That said, we try to highlight his key takeaways below. More importantly, toward the end of this article is how you can view Dr. Phillips’ entire presentation on the Coronado Library’s website – something many of you will want to do, and you will find eminently worth your time.

In a medical world tuned to a one-size-fits-all approach to heart health, Dr. Phillips noted some significant differences between men’s and women’s hearts, which have a direct impact on their heart health and necessitate understanding how those differences manifest themselves.

Because of these differences, Dr. Phillips made clear women should:

(1) know their (women’s) risk factors,

(2) recognize women’s warning signs when their body is signaling something is not right,

(3) see their physician regularly, and

(4) make heart-healthy choices.

Risk factors Dr. Phillips highlighted are hypertension, smoking, and high cholesterol, like men’s, but they play an even greater role in women’s heart health. Warning signs highlighted for women are pain in the jaw, neck, or back, unusual fatigue, shortness of breath, and nausea. As for making heart-healthy choices, Dr. Phillips stressed no smoking, a Mediterranean-like diet, weight management, 150 minutes/week of physical activity, reduced stress (to include medical assistance, if necessary), and, if prescribed, committed use of heart-related drugs.

As promised above, please look at Dr. Phillips’ entire presentation to grasp its finer points, its logic, and what you should consider going forward. Start on the Coronado Library’s homepage, click on “Using Your Library,” click on “Library Videos,” click on “Civic Engagement,” and click on the desired Coronado Roundtable presentation.

Please join the Coronado Roundtable on September 26th in the Library’s Winn Room for a discussion of San Diego’s private, government, and academic consortium looking to foster both economic development and security in the fast-moving cyber world. The Coronado Roundtable is open to all; no RSVP is necessary, and dress is very casual – shorts are fine. Your guests are very welcome too.

VOL. 115, NO. 34 – Aug. 20, 2025