Picked up Take it to Heart: The Real Deal on Women and Heart Disease by Pamela Serure. It includes some scary info from the American Heart Association, including: heart disease is the number one killer of American women, and one out of 2.5 American women will die from heart disease or stroke. 2.5! Yikes! It's interesting the role emotions and stress can have in the development of heart disease, that stress/anxiety are two of the major emotional factors in calculating risk for heart disease. This is a good reminder to always try and let go of, or actively work through, negative and toxic emotions, rather than just holding them in where they fester and can literally make you ill.

In terms of genetic predisposition, as far as I know only my grandfather on my dad's side died of heart failure. I was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse in my early teens, but a recent EKG showed no signs of it anymore. Hmm. Have to keep an eye on it and continue to get checked for it anyway. I mean, if it just goes away it could just come back too, right?

The author's doctor, Jesse Hanley, M.D., has authored/co-authored a couple of books that sound pretty good: Tired of Being Tired and What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause.