MUI NE, VIETNAM—I write this from the balcony of my room as I watch my two children frolic in the pool with their father. It is summer, and pardon the pun, “the heat is on in Saigon.” It is one of the special times when we are all together as a family, and moments like these are precious.

Today is Mother’s Day, and I think of all the mothers, old and young, and of the huge responsibilities and joys that motherhood always brings. I see many of them here—elderly Vietnamese moms who have been through the war and survived its ravages gracefully. Then, there are the young, upwardly mobile ones, who never knew war, but nevertheless live in its shadow, listening to stories of the war from their mothers. Sixty percent of Vietnam’s population is under the age of 30. Not surprisingly, since Saigon fell to the communists only 33 years ago, it is a country that’s very progressive. But that is another story.

I love coming here because I have no choice but to eat healthy. Greens are abundant, they’re in every meal, in fact. Food is steamed, boiled, grilled, rarely fried. Pork is of the leanest kind. Plus, when you see all these Vietnamese mommies who have spawned three, four, five children and yet remain reed-thin, you become conscious of what you put in your mouth every meal!

Mothers carry so much responsibility and part of the duties of motherhood, I believe, is the responsibility of also caring for one’s self. Self-care is easier to carry out when you have a supportive partner or when you have available and reliable help to sub for you when you need some “me” time. But regardless of one’s economic status, for a mother to take care of her heart and mind is crucial to motherhood.

Prevention

My cardiologist, a bright young 40-something mother herself, Dr. Patricia Agunod Cheng, says that prevention is always the key. She says that once a woman reaches menopause, her risk of heart disease and heart attack increases dramatically.

Between the ages of 45 and 64, one in eight women has some form of heart disease. After age 65, this increases to one in four. Ironically, the 40-something years are also often the most stressful ones because it is in these years when the majority of one’s children hit the teen-age years.

“Women, especially after age 40, should have checkups at least annually, to determine if they have correctable risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including a lipid profile,” Chen says. “If a woman is aware of her risk factors, she can be motivated to adapt a healthy lifestyle, including changes in diet and exercise, in order to lessen the risk of getting heart disease.”

Doctor Cheng stresses that the focus of women’s health should be preventive—“we would like to prevent diseases (including heart disease) before it happens. Risk factors leading to heart disease have to be controlled early.”

I tell her that I know of many women in the 40-plus years, moms, like myself who are surprised when they find that their cholesterol levels spike once they hit the mid-life years. She explains that young women tend to have cholesterol levels lower than men of similar age, but cholesterol levels tend to be higher than men’s, between 45-55 years old. This difference further increases above age 55.

A woman’s ovary produces estrogenic hormones. At menopause, production decreases over several years. After menopause or estrogen deprivation, there is an increase in LDL levels (bad cholesterol), and in the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL (good cholesterol).

Doctor Cheng advises that the first step is finding out if one has risk factors for heart disease: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, cigarette smoking, physical inactivity. This can be accomplished by screening for diabetes and cholesterol levels with a blood chemistry (including fasting blood sugar, lipid profile, ALT and AST, creatinine, sodium, potassium, and uric acid).

See your doctor and ask if you have to go on a special diet, exercise program, or smoking-cessation program (if you are a smoker). Ask about medications required.

“You need to discuss your chances of developing heart disease or worsening existing heart disease with your doctor and ask about the warning signs of cardiovascular diseases,” Cheng says.

Other tests include urinalysis (to look for protein in the urine which may be a sign of early kidney damage) and chest X-ray.

Ask your doctor if a 2D-echo with Doppler and exercise stress testing are warranted, to screen for heart disease.

Other women’s tests which should not be neglected would be the yearly PAP smear to screen for cervical cancer and mammography to screen for breast cancer.

Spa treats

Among my favorite de-stressing activities are going to the spa and having a good, healthy meal.

CAV restaurant bar has a special promotion this May: a prix fixe meal during lunch will entitle you to a P200 The Spa Gift Voucher (available for regular spa treatments only) or a P2,000-discount on annual membership fees. Vouchers are valid until June.

You may also treat your moms (or yourself) to a healthy lunch and massage at the beautiful and relaxing Kartini Spa at the Alabang Town Center or at its branch in BF Las Piñas.

Kartini offers a special 20-percent discount on all treatments for mothers this May. Call 8074356 or 8077579 for details.

Aside from loving your kids unconditionally, one of the best gifts you can give them is to be there for them fully—in mind, body and spirit. And taking better care of yourself is a first step at realizing that ideal.

E-mail the author at cathybabao@gmail.com