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WVU Medicine Camden Clark luncheon focuses on ‘Art of the Heart’

By Michelle Dillon 4 min read

PARKERSBURG -- A sea of red could be seen at the Parkersburg Art Center on Friday.

A group of women, and a few men, gathered to talk about women and heart health at the WVU Medicine Camden Clark Foundation's Women's Heart Luncheon Friday in honor of National Heart Month.

The theme of the event was "The Art of the Heart." Almost all of the attendees wore red in honor of the event.

When attendees walked in, they could go on an art walk, where they could look at tables full of products made by local artisans. There was also a raffle during the event, where people could win the small Christmas trees with hearts that were used as centerpieces for the tables. They could also win a Kate Spade purse, red, of course.

WVU Medicine Camden Clark Chief Medical Officer Sharileda Vance gave a talk about heart health in relation to the mind and body and spirit during the luncheon.

Dr. David Gnegy, a cardiologist at Parkersburg Cardiology Associates, gave a talk about women and heart disease and how heart attacks present in women.

"Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. It's the leading killer of women. In 2020, 350,000 women died of heart disease. One in five deaths in women were heart disease," Gnegy said.

He said women often have different symptoms of a heart attack than men, and that in women up to 25% of the time there are no symptoms of a heart attack. These symptoms include arm/shoulder pain, nausea, dyspepsia, shortness of breath and palpitations.

Gnegy emphasized during his talk that because of the differences in women's heart attacks and it being the leading killer of women, that if a woman feels like something is wrong they should go to their doctor and be persistent in getting treatment.

"Presentation (of a heart attack in women) can be very very different, so listen to your body, listen to your symptoms, speak up, speak out," Vance said.

Gnegy emphasized that if you are a woman and feel like something is wrong, be persistent with your doctor.

Candace Jones, a patient of Gnegy, talked during the heart luncheon about how she had a heart attack.

Jones said she is 74 and an active individual. She hikes and bikes. She was on a bike ride in May 2023 when she felt tightness in her throat. She did not feel any elephant sitting on her chest like some people describe a heart attack. She felt that way off and on over that night and the next day, but put off seeing her doctor until October. Her doctor referred her to Gnegy, and it was discovered that she had a heart attack during that bike ride and that she had a triple blockage in her heart.

Jones said a lot of times women are the first to encourage friends and family to get a health issue checked but when it comes to themselves, they put it off.

"Do what you do for your family and friends," Jones said. "Do it for you. Listen to your body. Know your numbers. Pay attention to things that are going on."

Vance talked during the heart luncheon about the connection between the brain and the heart and how people's emotions and mental focus impact their heart health. She said that stress can raise a person's heart rate and blood pressure, extreme emotions can induce a heart attack and deep depression and grief can lead to heart failure.

Because of this people need to manage their mental and emotional energy through strategies such as naming emotions, practicing mindfulness, breathing exercises, meditation, being present in the moment, and laughter.

"Aligning your energy management in all the positions of energy to care for both your figurative and anatomic heart leads to living your best life and becoming or being your best self," Vance said. "Maximizing the health of your anatomic heart leads to maximizing your figurative heart in all directions."

To learn more about cardiac services at WVU Medicine Camden Clark visit https://wvumedicine.org/camden-clark/services/cardiac-care/.

Michelle Dillon can be reached at mdillon@newsandsentinel.com

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