All About Heart Health
Sharon Stajda asked:
The heart is a muscle, it is as small as a fist, and its main function is to pump blood to the entire body. This blood supply is responsible for taking nourishing oxygen to cells that enable each cell to perform its bodily function. In turn the spent blood is returned with harmful carbon dioxide to be expelled via the lungs. This miraculous muscle is literary what keeps us alive and breathing.
The healthy adult body contains about 2 gallons (5 liters) of blood. This blood supply is constantly circulated through the body, via heart, arteries to capillaries to the veins. One entire cycle takes about 60 seconds.
If any part of the circulatory system suffers due to disease, the heart will ultimately be put under greater stress and in time become damaged, and unable to do its job. If the heart is unable to function properly the body will become vulnerable to a variety of health problems.
There are several risk factors that can increase ones chances of developing coronary heart disease. Many of these risk factors can be treated or controlled, some factors are uncontrollable. It is every important to become well acquainted with the risk factors of heart disease. One of the best ways to prevent coronary heart disease is to decrease ones controllable risk factors through life style changes.
There are uncontrollable risk factors that are unavoidable, and out of ones control.
Age: Risk of heart disease increases over the age of 45 in males, over 55 in females.
Family History: Children of parents that developed heart disease before the age of 55 have a higher risk of developing heart disease.
Racial and ethnic background: Mexican Americans, African Americans, American Indians, all have greater risk of developing heart disease than Caucasians.
Risk Factors that can be controlled with life style changes are as follows:
Smoking: Cigarette smokers are at greater risk than pipe and cigar smokers. All forms of tobacco are proven to be detrimental to the hearts health.
Studies have provided good documentation that Second hand smoke is also known to be detrimental to heart health.
Physical Inactivity: Inactivity puts a person at higher risk of developing heart disease.
Overweight or Obesity: Persons that have an excess of body fat are at a higher risk than persons of normal weight.
High blood pressure: blood pressure readings higher than 140/90 increase risk of heart disease.
High Blood Cholesterol: A blood cholesterol levels of 200 mg/dl or higher puts one at risk to develop heart disease.
One must keep in mind that the fewer risk factors one has, the lesser chance of developing heart disease. Two or more risk factors indicate a good possibility that one may be pron to develop heart disease. It is clear that some of the risk factors listed can be avoided with life style changes.
A good place to began, develop a good exercise routine. The hardest part of exercising is getting started. Chose an exercise that is low impact, and make sure to consult your doctor before getting started. Once you have a good exercise routine, you might be surprised how much you enjoy it? Walking is a great way to get your exercise, just 30 minutes three times a week will give good results. Naturally it would be more beneficial to walk every day.
Diet is also very important when promoting a healthy heart life style. It is very important to consult a doctor before starting any new diet. Your doctor will take all risk factors that are affecting you as an individual into consideration, considering problems such as increased cholesterol, high blood pressure, a need to lose weight. Your new diet should be personally geared to assist you with getting that healthy heart you desire.
Last of all, but not least, if you smoke, stop. Smoking is considered the worst risk factor one can have. This fact is backed by a multitude of scientific studies. Studies that give way to substantial evidence that smoking will ultimately lead to poor heart health.
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The heart is a muscle, it is as small as a fist, and its main function is to pump blood to the entire body. This blood supply is responsible for taking nourishing oxygen to cells that enable each cell to perform its bodily function. In turn the spent blood is returned with harmful carbon dioxide to be expelled via the lungs. This miraculous muscle is literary what keeps us alive and breathing.
The healthy adult body contains about 2 gallons (5 liters) of blood. This blood supply is constantly circulated through the body, via heart, arteries to capillaries to the veins. One entire cycle takes about 60 seconds.
If any part of the circulatory system suffers due to disease, the heart will ultimately be put under greater stress and in time become damaged, and unable to do its job. If the heart is unable to function properly the body will become vulnerable to a variety of health problems.
There are several risk factors that can increase ones chances of developing coronary heart disease. Many of these risk factors can be treated or controlled, some factors are uncontrollable. It is every important to become well acquainted with the risk factors of heart disease. One of the best ways to prevent coronary heart disease is to decrease ones controllable risk factors through life style changes.
There are uncontrollable risk factors that are unavoidable, and out of ones control.
Age: Risk of heart disease increases over the age of 45 in males, over 55 in females.
Family History: Children of parents that developed heart disease before the age of 55 have a higher risk of developing heart disease.
Racial and ethnic background: Mexican Americans, African Americans, American Indians, all have greater risk of developing heart disease than Caucasians.
Risk Factors that can be controlled with life style changes are as follows:
Smoking: Cigarette smokers are at greater risk than pipe and cigar smokers. All forms of tobacco are proven to be detrimental to the hearts health.
Studies have provided good documentation that Second hand smoke is also known to be detrimental to heart health.
Physical Inactivity: Inactivity puts a person at higher risk of developing heart disease.
Overweight or Obesity: Persons that have an excess of body fat are at a higher risk than persons of normal weight.
High blood pressure: blood pressure readings higher than 140/90 increase risk of heart disease.
High Blood Cholesterol: A blood cholesterol levels of 200 mg/dl or higher puts one at risk to develop heart disease.
One must keep in mind that the fewer risk factors one has, the lesser chance of developing heart disease. Two or more risk factors indicate a good possibility that one may be pron to develop heart disease. It is clear that some of the risk factors listed can be avoided with life style changes.
A good place to began, develop a good exercise routine. The hardest part of exercising is getting started. Chose an exercise that is low impact, and make sure to consult your doctor before getting started. Once you have a good exercise routine, you might be surprised how much you enjoy it? Walking is a great way to get your exercise, just 30 minutes three times a week will give good results. Naturally it would be more beneficial to walk every day.
Diet is also very important when promoting a healthy heart life style. It is very important to consult a doctor before starting any new diet. Your doctor will take all risk factors that are affecting you as an individual into consideration, considering problems such as increased cholesterol, high blood pressure, a need to lose weight. Your new diet should be personally geared to assist you with getting that healthy heart you desire.
Last of all, but not least, if you smoke, stop. Smoking is considered the worst risk factor one can have. This fact is backed by a multitude of scientific studies. Studies that give way to substantial evidence that smoking will ultimately lead to poor heart health.
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Women’s Heart Health
Richard Helfant, Md asked:
Most women know that heart disease is the number-one killer in the United States–of men. Most women also realize the value of eating healthy food, exercising, and decreasing stress–for their families and loved ones. Information is abundant and readily available in books, newspapers and magazines, and on television and radio about the risk of cardiovascular disease in men.
But the widespread belief that heart disease is exclusively a man’s problem is a myth. Women–and most physicians–are not aware that cardiovascular disease is the number one-killer of women as well as men. The facts speak for themselves: Of the 520,000 people who die of heart attacks in the United States each year, almost half–about 250,000–are women In addition, almost 100,000 women die of strokes. Substantially fewer women die annually from ****** cancer (40,500) or lung cancer (41,500). Overall, heart and vascular diseases claim more American women’s lives than do all forms of cancer combined.
Moreover, many of the factors that determine the risk of heart disease for women differ from those for men. Dr. William Castelli, a leading authority on heart disease and director of the Framingham Heart Study, which has done research on heart disease risk factors for forty years, has referred to these unique risks for women as a “whole new syndrome” associated with a “galloping progression of atherosclerosis.
Women are largely unaware of the effects of estrogen, birth control pills, and cigarettes and few know that if they smoke and take birth control pills, they have about forty times more chance of heart disease than women who do not. Women above age thirty-five are particularly at risk. It is vital to understand the factors favoring heart disease, because they may be avoidable or modifiable. In fact, according to Dr. Dean Ornish, women may have to do less than men to affect their outlook positively. In a study he conducted evaluating the effect of life-style changes in reversing heart disease, women responded better than men, even when women did less to restrict their diets, exercise, or reduce stress. By understanding their risks and ways to minimize them, women can lessen the chances of being victims of what the American Heart Association has called “the silent epidemic.”
The purpose of developing and maintaining a healthy way of life for yourself as a woman is not only to decrease the risk of heart disease but also to fell well and feel good. Physical activity does not have to be strenuous to be beneficial. More women than ever are discovering that exercise in moderation is exhilirating. Healthy changes in eating do not have to be unduly restrictive. The food you eat can continue to be delicious and satisfying. By using simply new tools to maintain a healthy weight, you will decrease the chances of developing three big heart disease risks–diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol–and discover a renewed sense of self at the same time.
By taking control of your health, you will be more able to take control of other aspects of your life. In so doing, you will achieve a greater sense of well-being, which is the true meaning of health. This is a marvelous opportunity for you personally. In addition, your new healthy living habits can be a model for family and friends. You thus may make a significant difference in their lives and health as well as your own. In the words of Hillel: “If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? If not now, when?”
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Most women know that heart disease is the number-one killer in the United States–of men. Most women also realize the value of eating healthy food, exercising, and decreasing stress–for their families and loved ones. Information is abundant and readily available in books, newspapers and magazines, and on television and radio about the risk of cardiovascular disease in men.
But the widespread belief that heart disease is exclusively a man’s problem is a myth. Women–and most physicians–are not aware that cardiovascular disease is the number one-killer of women as well as men. The facts speak for themselves: Of the 520,000 people who die of heart attacks in the United States each year, almost half–about 250,000–are women In addition, almost 100,000 women die of strokes. Substantially fewer women die annually from ****** cancer (40,500) or lung cancer (41,500). Overall, heart and vascular diseases claim more American women’s lives than do all forms of cancer combined.
Moreover, many of the factors that determine the risk of heart disease for women differ from those for men. Dr. William Castelli, a leading authority on heart disease and director of the Framingham Heart Study, which has done research on heart disease risk factors for forty years, has referred to these unique risks for women as a “whole new syndrome” associated with a “galloping progression of atherosclerosis.
Women are largely unaware of the effects of estrogen, birth control pills, and cigarettes and few know that if they smoke and take birth control pills, they have about forty times more chance of heart disease than women who do not. Women above age thirty-five are particularly at risk. It is vital to understand the factors favoring heart disease, because they may be avoidable or modifiable. In fact, according to Dr. Dean Ornish, women may have to do less than men to affect their outlook positively. In a study he conducted evaluating the effect of life-style changes in reversing heart disease, women responded better than men, even when women did less to restrict their diets, exercise, or reduce stress. By understanding their risks and ways to minimize them, women can lessen the chances of being victims of what the American Heart Association has called “the silent epidemic.”
The purpose of developing and maintaining a healthy way of life for yourself as a woman is not only to decrease the risk of heart disease but also to fell well and feel good. Physical activity does not have to be strenuous to be beneficial. More women than ever are discovering that exercise in moderation is exhilirating. Healthy changes in eating do not have to be unduly restrictive. The food you eat can continue to be delicious and satisfying. By using simply new tools to maintain a healthy weight, you will decrease the chances of developing three big heart disease risks–diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol–and discover a renewed sense of self at the same time.
By taking control of your health, you will be more able to take control of other aspects of your life. In so doing, you will achieve a greater sense of well-being, which is the true meaning of health. This is a marvelous opportunity for you personally. In addition, your new healthy living habits can be a model for family and friends. You thus may make a significant difference in their lives and health as well as your own. In the words of Hillel: “If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? If not now, when?”
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