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Show IBE IBUNDERBIRD • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1992 • PAGE 5 Heart disease research is biased "You've come a long way baby!" is a popular slogan representing the progress that women have made in society. Outside of the fact that there was not a female on this year's presidential ticket, women are also being discriminated against in federally funded medical research. For decades doctors have operated on the assumption that women are less susceptible than men to heart disease. Recent studies however, disprove that assumption. Medical experts have determined that heart disease is not gender-related, yet;. the National Institute of Health has only spared 20 petcent of its revenues to female coronary research. Millions of dollars are collected annually from the taxpayers to be given to the National Institute of Health. This money is to pay for research to determine possible treatments of various diseases and illnesses th.at face Americans today. The research is to benefit the health and well being of all members of society and therefore should be non-biased in gender studies, Gail Sheedy, author of the book Silent Passage, argues that the biased attitude that men are the focus of heart disease is attributed to the fact that most men are hit with the disease 10 years earlier th.an women. Men being younger however, does not eliminate the fact that thousands of women over age fifty are dying &om untreated heart attacks. A study conducted by Dr. Lee Goldman at a women's hospital in Boston, concluded th.at menopause is to blame for heart disease in women. Menopause has shown to have a dramatic effect on the break down of tissue in the heart However, women who go through an estrogen hotmone replacement program are less susceptible to serious heart attac.ks. Estrogen seems to block the damaging effects of high cholesterol allowing for an open flow of blood into the heart Estrogen replacement however, is not enough. Recendy experu concluded that heart attac.ks are the number one lciller of females in America today. This year, nearly a ~ of a million women will die from some Conn of heart duease; time times higher than the number of women who will die of OYari.an, btea.St, and lung cancer combined. In her book. The Fffllak Heart, author Marianne l..cgaao, MD, ~ that there i.s inefut:able evidence to sex clifi'w!rences in coronary research. Of the billions of dollan being spent this year on coronuy research, women h.we been excluded in all but one major project. The American Heart Association has well documented the fact that smoking dramatically increases an individuals chance of heart disease. A recent AHA pamphlet said that,r"Jbe l.i ltdihood of sudden cardiac death is four times higher in smokers than nonsmokers.• Kay Messerly, certified registered nurse and director of SUU Student Health Services, suggests, "Women and men can avoid even becoming at rislc for heart disease if they abstain &om smoking.• In reference to the bias in funding or heart disease Messerly argues that, "With more and more women being dected to the legislature, hopefully they will have some influence in achieving some equity in the obvious bias in federally funded corona.ry research." Women are being discriminated against, and it is vital that the medical field stop treating heart disease as only a man's problem. Until the some type of adjustment is made towards the funding of female coronary research, society will continue to live under the assumption that heart disease is only a man's problem, and thousands of women will continue to die from unnecessary heart attacks. Unless the National Institute of Health allots more money for female research,eventually women will find out that they are wrong ... unfortunately dead wrong. So although women have "come a long way" ... when it comes to the bias in medical funding, we still have a long way to go. z0 AIPlnE 1nnES z 421 E. Hwy. 91 • 586-1383 0 106 S. Main * 586-9252 Home of Neil's Two Fister Sandwich, the biggest one around Big Screen TV • Cappuccino & Expresso (Cedar City only) Deli-style sandwiches and Gyros, too! Hours: Monday-Thursday 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday 10 a.m.-12 a.m. Sun~ay 12-6 p.m. 150 North Main Street, Cedar City, 586-3346 Try Lin's Yicleo Department Sunday Through Wednesday 2-day Rental Thursday Through Saturday 2-night Rental New Releases $1 99 .Huge selection of oldies but goodies 99( VCR Rentals $3 99 Please show student I. D. The best place in town just got better! Try our freshly made deli sandwiches .---------------------, Our Anytime Special 1 1 1 1 : Large Sandwich, Bag of Chips & Drink : 1 All for $2.19 I . L------------------~--~ !i0 50~ off 0!i 570 S. Main St. 586-2323 Don't forget to get your combo card stamped U per game (up to 3 games maximum) Redeem coupon at Alpine Lones, 421 E. Hwy. 91, 586-1383 U Next door to Sounds Easy Video I' |