Cardiovascular Health
Heart disease is the leading cause of death. Cerebrovascular
disease is number 3. Atherosclerosis is number 14. That adds up
to 40% of deaths are due to poor heart and cardiovascular health. It is
preventable with a healthy diet and exercise.
Arrhythmia
Arrhythmia is a disorder of your heart rate or heart rhythm. It can
beat too fast (tachycardia), too slow (bradycardia) or have an irregular beat.
It usually results from a problem in the electrical system of your heart.
Heart attack, blood chemical imbalances and abnormal hormone levels are
natural causes. Medicines may also cause arrhythmia.
Symptoms of arrhythmia include skipping beats, chest pain, paleness,
sweating, shortness of breath, dizziness, lightheadedness, fast heart beat, slow
heart beat, and skipping beats.
A pacemaker, implanted cardioverter-defibrillator, or medicines are used to
regulate the heart's rhythm. A pacemaker monitors the electrical impulses
in the heart and delivers electrical pulses to make the heart beat regular.
The implanted cardioverter-defibrillator monitors the heart's rhythm and
delivers a shock if it senses a dangerous rhythm. Some will record the
heart's patterns for the doctor to review.
Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis was once called hardening of the arteries.
Post-menopausal women have a dramatic increase in atherosclerosis. But,
with dietary changes and just a little exercise, you can cut the risk in half.
You need to keep you dietary intake of fat to less than 25% and saturated
fats to less than 7%. Keep your caloric intake under 1,300 per day and
exercise enough to use 1,000 calories per week and you will be able to cut your
risk of atherosclerosis.
It is also best to consume foods that are good for you in your 1,300 calories
per day. Use extra-virgin olive oil instead of hydrogenated oils.
There have been some tests recently that show
aloe vera can improve the
viscosity of blood. When
aloe vera was injected in test animals, their
blood immediately showed improved viscosity properties which helps oxygen move
more quickly from the blood to their organs. This indicates that the
aloe vera increases the viscosity of the red
blood cells and reduces the buildup of atherosclerosis.
Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the amount of force
your blood produces when it is pushing against the walls of your arteries.
Blood is pumped into the arteries with every heartbeat. Systolic
pressure is the high number and occurs when your heart beats and pushes
blood into the arteries. Diastolic pressure is when your heart is
at rest and your blood pressure falls.
120/80 or lower is considered normal
140/90 or higher is considered high
121-139 for Systolic is considered prehypertension
80-89 for Diastolic is also considered prehypertension
High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, but it can lead to stroke, heart
failure, heart attack and kidney failure.
Low blood pressure can cause dizziness (especially upon standing), fainting,
or even shock.
You can reduce your blood pressure by eating right, losing weight,
exercising, and taking medicines if necessary.
Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy are diseases of the heart muscle that enlarge your heart or
make it thicker and more rigid than it should be. Scar tissue can actually
replace the muscle tissue.
It is possible to live a long and healthy life with cardiomyopathy and some
people don't even know they have it. But, it can make the heart pump blood
less efficiently which can lead to heart failure, arrhythmia, fluid buildup
(edema), and endocarditis (an inflammation of the lining of the heart).
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is natural in your body
and is necessary. Men can not produce testosterone and women
can not produce estrogen without cholesterol. Cholesterol is necessary for
your intestines to digest food, for cells to create their protective outside
layer, and plasma to have a cell membrane. It is also a precursor to
vitamin D. But, too much is not good. Too much LDL cholesterol can
can stick to the walls of your arteries and narrow them or even block them
totally. This buildup of cholesterol is called plaque and this can lead to heart attack and stroke.
High Cholesterol comes from eating too many saturated fats and trans fats or
being overweight. It can also be hereditary.
To lower your cholesterol, do not eat fried foods or foods, like margarine,
that contain hydrogenated oils. You will need to exercise on a regular
basis.
Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary Artery Disease is the most common type of heart disease and is the
leading cause of death in the US for men and women.
When the arteries that take blood to the heart become hardened and narrowed,
it is caused by a buildup of cholesterol, or plaque, on their walls. The
thicker the plaque, the less blood that can get through. The heart doesn't
receive the blood or oxygen that is required and your start to have chest pains
(angina) or a heart attack. Most heart attacks are caused by a blood clot
suddenly cutting of the supply of blood to the heart and can cause permanent
damage to the heart.
Coronary Artery Disease will eventually weaken the heart and leads to heart
failure and arrhythmia. Heart failure causes the heart to not be able to
pump blood to all the parts of your body. Arrhythmia changes the rhythm of
the heart and makes it irregular.
Heart Failure
When the heart can't pump enough blood to supply the body, it is called heart
failure. It does not mean that your heart has stopped or is going to stop
working. It just can't supply the body with the needed blood/oxygen to
work properly.
This can lead to blood and fluids backing up in the lungs, feet, ankles,
legs, fatigue and shortness of breath.
The main causes of heart failure are coronary artery disease, high blood
pressure and diabetes.
The doctors will usually want to address the underlying cause of your heart
failure with medicines. If it can't be fixed that way, a heart transplant
may be necessary. Heart transplants are not the third most common organ
transplant surgery in the U.S.
Heart Valve Disease
The heart has four valves which open to let blood flow through your heart or
out to the body. They close behind the blood to keep it from coming back
in the wrong way which is called regurgitation.
The mitral valve can stop closing tightly and cause regurgitation. This
is called mitral valve prolapse. This is one of the more common
valve conditions. Usually, it is a birth defect that causes no symptoms or
problems. But, it can put you at a risk of infective endocarditis which is
an infection of the heart. Dentists will prescribe antibiotics before
dental work or doctors before some surgeries to prevent it. Medicines are
available to relieve symptoms or prevent complications from it. Surgery to
repair or replace the mitral valve is not very common or necessary.
When a valve doesn't open wide enough, it can slow down or block the flow of
blood to the body and is called stenosis.
Valve problems can be caused by birth defects, infections, heart attack,
heart disease or heart damage. Some valve problems are minor and they do
not require treatment. Some can be helped with medicines, but some will
require surgery to repair or to replace the faulty valve.
Triglycerides
Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the bloodstream and in fat tissue.
Too many triglycerides can help bring on hardening and narrowing of the arteries
which increases your risk of heart attack or stroke.
Diabetes, alcoholism and obesity can cause high
triglycerides.
Triglycerides are measured along with cholesterol in blood tests. A
normal triglyceride level is below 150. Above 200 is considered high.
You can lower triglyceride levels by taking cholesterol-lowering medicines,
eating healthy foods and exercising regularly.
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