Feb
28
Heart Disease Is More Than A Chest Pain
Filed Under heart disease | Comments Off
Kevin Pederson asked:
There are many reasons by which people can be affected by heart disease. By knowing these reasons one can start taking precaution before reaching such dire state. Reasons for having heart disease may be very common but the repercussions of the same are very bad for your health.
Age can be a major factor for you to suffer from heart disease. If statistics is anything to go by then it has come to notice that more than 83% of people who suffer from heart disease or any ailments relating to heart is either 65 or older. Being of male gender also causes heart problems as they are prone to die of heart attack in an early age. After menopause the women chances of having heart attacks increases but this is not the same with men.
Heredity plays a very important in determining your chances of having a heart problem. Children’s whose parents suffer from heart disease is more likely to be affected by this disease if proper care is not taken. The different races that are around this world among them African American suffers the most due to high blood pressure than Caucasians with higher risk of heart disease. As obesity also causes heart disease, major Americans suffer from it which causes the problem.
Smoking is not good for your health as it causes problems which can lead in a cardiac arrest. Passive smoking is also unhealthy as you are inhaling the fumes from the cigarette which are root cause of the problem. Cholesterol is also an important culprit in causing heart diseases as it gets affected with age, sex, heredity and your diet too.
Blood pressure and lack of physical activity also causes problems. High blood pressure leads to over loading of work to the heart which leads to thickening of heart and chance for stroke, heart attack and heart failure is expected. Stress, diabetes, alcohol are all part in causing the heart problems to you.
Cathy
There are many reasons by which people can be affected by heart disease. By knowing these reasons one can start taking precaution before reaching such dire state. Reasons for having heart disease may be very common but the repercussions of the same are very bad for your health.
Age can be a major factor for you to suffer from heart disease. If statistics is anything to go by then it has come to notice that more than 83% of people who suffer from heart disease or any ailments relating to heart is either 65 or older. Being of male gender also causes heart problems as they are prone to die of heart attack in an early age. After menopause the women chances of having heart attacks increases but this is not the same with men.
Heredity plays a very important in determining your chances of having a heart problem. Children’s whose parents suffer from heart disease is more likely to be affected by this disease if proper care is not taken. The different races that are around this world among them African American suffers the most due to high blood pressure than Caucasians with higher risk of heart disease. As obesity also causes heart disease, major Americans suffer from it which causes the problem.
Smoking is not good for your health as it causes problems which can lead in a cardiac arrest. Passive smoking is also unhealthy as you are inhaling the fumes from the cigarette which are root cause of the problem. Cholesterol is also an important culprit in causing heart diseases as it gets affected with age, sex, heredity and your diet too.
Blood pressure and lack of physical activity also causes problems. High blood pressure leads to over loading of work to the heart which leads to thickening of heart and chance for stroke, heart attack and heart failure is expected. Stress, diabetes, alcohol are all part in causing the heart problems to you.
Cathy
Feb
25
Ten Ways to Prevent Heart Disease and Cardio
Filed Under heart disease | Comments Off
Rico Connor asked:
Your Heart…..Your Most Important Organ!
Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in America. Don’t you think you might want to know how you can reduce your chances of dying of heart disease???!!!
1. First one’s a no brainer……..stop smoking!
2. Reduce your blood cholesterol - cut down saturated fat, dairy products, and increase c0nsumption of vegetables.
3. Exercise - weight train, which builds lean body mass which lowers your blood pressure.
4. Reduce your salt intake.
5. Increase your calcium intake - calcium citrate supplement and fruits and vegetables.
6. Take one 81 mg. aspirin daily. (check with your doctor first)
7. Eat fish. Eating fish (salmon is great) and reduce your chance of heart disease from 40% to 50%!
8. Supplement with vitamins C, E and Enzyme CoQ10.
9. Make sure you eat 30 grams of fiber daily. It lowers blood pressure, cholesterol. and blood sugar.
10. Men, having two drinks a day (women; one drink) is more heart healthy than having none! It helps raise your good cholesterol, HDL.
Aerobic means “with oxygen.” Aerobic exercise is low to medium intensity repetition training done over an extended time; it promotes overall cardiovascular fitness. If you are looking to burn calories, aerobic activity is the best way to do it. One can look fit but be in poor cardiovascular shape.
Being lean and muscular is one part of fitness, but cardiovascular fitness is just as important. Cardiovascular disease is one of the top killers of American men. Studies have shown that cardiovascular fitness is perhaps a greater factor than body fat for those at risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. It was found that men who were lean and unfit had double the risk of dying than men who were lean and fit.
Besides being a great way to rapidly burn calories and help shed excess body fat, cardio work’s healthiest benefits are in reducing blood pressure, lowering the risk of heart disease, and improving lung function and lessening stress. Cardiovascular fitness should be part of everyone’s regimen.
Many people waste their efforts when performing aerobics. They get on the same machine or jog the same course all the time. Their body adapts to the constant routine, like the muscles adapt to the same weight training routine. At this point progress comes to a standstill. The body becomes energy efficient at the routine and expends less and less effort to perform it. You must “shock” your body aerobically, just like you must “shock” your muscles to stimulate further growth. You should get your cardio through as many sources as possible. A variety of activities is the key. The great part about aerobics is, there are many activities you can do to achieve cardiovascular fitness. You can bicycle, walk, run, swim, climb stairs, hike, dance, play basketball, tennis, racquetball, etc. The most effective cardio is when you physically have to move your body around with you—as in the above activities. Don’t exclusively use gym cardio machines for your aerobics. It’s a lot less boring, tedious and monotonous playing tennis, basketball or swimming than walking on a treadmill for 40 minutes.
If you want to do cardio work in the gym, there are stationary bikes, treadmills, stair climbers and elliptical cross trainers—and most gyms and health clubs have plenty of them. Most of these machines are low impact, and should be used with medium to moderate intensity. They all have various degrees of difficulty, so whether you are a beginner or advanced, each machine will serve your purpose. Some machines with their multi-function keypads, can be a bit intimidating. Any employee will be glad to show you how to use one. Don’t be embarrassed to ask an employee of your gym to show you how to use a machine. It’s their job.
Most cardio machines focus on your legs because this burns the most energy. Some new machines have arm movements also, which is better than just using the legs. I don’t recommend using the stationary bikes. You are sitting on your butt, not burning many calories at all. Why do so many people use them? Because they aren’t hard to do. These are people you see in the gym for months and months, whose bodies never change. You’ve got to put in physical effort to change your body. As a rule of thumb, the machines you don’t like (the ones that are the hardest to perform) are probably the ones you need to be using.
High-intensity aerobics are activities such as kickboxing, sprinting and high-energy aerobics classes. For most of you who just want to be in good aerobic shape, I recommend low impact aerobic activity.
High-impact aerobic activity could cause potential muscle and joint injuries if not done correctly. I do not recommend running on hard surfaces; it can lead to shin and knee injuries. If you get into very good cardiovascular shape, you might want to try some high impact aerobics. Attaining cardiovascular fitness should be done like everything else in fitness … in gradual steps. Start slow and build up. The body begins to burn a greater amount of fat than carbohydrates after 20 minutes of aerobic activity. Once you are in reasonable cardiovascular shape, your aerobic sessions should last from 20 to 40 minutes, for the best possible fat loss (and more importantly, heart health).
Once again, each one of you will have your own personal goals. If you are starting from scratch, or haven’t done cardio for a while, you should start with 15-minute sessions. After your body has adjusted and you have built up some endurance, you can lengthen your sessions. You might want to try five-minute increases per week.
A general recommendation from organizations such as the American Heart Association, the American College of Sports Medicine and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is from 90 to 120 minutes per week, in 3 to 4 half-hour sessions of moderate to high intensity, non-impact, aerobic exercise. This is an excellent guide.
I do not recommend going cardio crazy. Lean is healthy; skinny is not. If you are a larger individual who has attained some cardiovascular endurance, and are still trying to burn fat, you might want to do two to four hours of aerobics per week.
Let me give an example of why good health is a combination of diet, aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise (resistance training). Have you ever seen long distance runners? Good long distance runners don’t do any kind of resistance training. They take one-fourth of the equation for optimum health out of the picture. This is why they are all frail and skinny looking. Whatever muscle mass they would have had has been eaten up by their overload of aerobic activity. They are in unbelievable cardiovascular shape (lungs and hearts), but their muscle has been cannibalized for energy. To endure their large amount of aerobic activity, their bodies shed both lean and adipose tissue. This is why you should do cardio in moderation. The right amount of cardio helps you lose that fat, but too much can strip away any lean muscle you may be trying to build. These three components have to be balanced to achieve maximum fitness.
Rick
Your Heart…..Your Most Important Organ!
Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in America. Don’t you think you might want to know how you can reduce your chances of dying of heart disease???!!!
1. First one’s a no brainer……..stop smoking!
2. Reduce your blood cholesterol - cut down saturated fat, dairy products, and increase c0nsumption of vegetables.
3. Exercise - weight train, which builds lean body mass which lowers your blood pressure.
4. Reduce your salt intake.
5. Increase your calcium intake - calcium citrate supplement and fruits and vegetables.
6. Take one 81 mg. aspirin daily. (check with your doctor first)
7. Eat fish. Eating fish (salmon is great) and reduce your chance of heart disease from 40% to 50%!
8. Supplement with vitamins C, E and Enzyme CoQ10.
9. Make sure you eat 30 grams of fiber daily. It lowers blood pressure, cholesterol. and blood sugar.
10. Men, having two drinks a day (women; one drink) is more heart healthy than having none! It helps raise your good cholesterol, HDL.
Aerobic means “with oxygen.” Aerobic exercise is low to medium intensity repetition training done over an extended time; it promotes overall cardiovascular fitness. If you are looking to burn calories, aerobic activity is the best way to do it. One can look fit but be in poor cardiovascular shape.
Being lean and muscular is one part of fitness, but cardiovascular fitness is just as important. Cardiovascular disease is one of the top killers of American men. Studies have shown that cardiovascular fitness is perhaps a greater factor than body fat for those at risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. It was found that men who were lean and unfit had double the risk of dying than men who were lean and fit.
Besides being a great way to rapidly burn calories and help shed excess body fat, cardio work’s healthiest benefits are in reducing blood pressure, lowering the risk of heart disease, and improving lung function and lessening stress. Cardiovascular fitness should be part of everyone’s regimen.
Many people waste their efforts when performing aerobics. They get on the same machine or jog the same course all the time. Their body adapts to the constant routine, like the muscles adapt to the same weight training routine. At this point progress comes to a standstill. The body becomes energy efficient at the routine and expends less and less effort to perform it. You must “shock” your body aerobically, just like you must “shock” your muscles to stimulate further growth. You should get your cardio through as many sources as possible. A variety of activities is the key. The great part about aerobics is, there are many activities you can do to achieve cardiovascular fitness. You can bicycle, walk, run, swim, climb stairs, hike, dance, play basketball, tennis, racquetball, etc. The most effective cardio is when you physically have to move your body around with you—as in the above activities. Don’t exclusively use gym cardio machines for your aerobics. It’s a lot less boring, tedious and monotonous playing tennis, basketball or swimming than walking on a treadmill for 40 minutes.
If you want to do cardio work in the gym, there are stationary bikes, treadmills, stair climbers and elliptical cross trainers—and most gyms and health clubs have plenty of them. Most of these machines are low impact, and should be used with medium to moderate intensity. They all have various degrees of difficulty, so whether you are a beginner or advanced, each machine will serve your purpose. Some machines with their multi-function keypads, can be a bit intimidating. Any employee will be glad to show you how to use one. Don’t be embarrassed to ask an employee of your gym to show you how to use a machine. It’s their job.
Most cardio machines focus on your legs because this burns the most energy. Some new machines have arm movements also, which is better than just using the legs. I don’t recommend using the stationary bikes. You are sitting on your butt, not burning many calories at all. Why do so many people use them? Because they aren’t hard to do. These are people you see in the gym for months and months, whose bodies never change. You’ve got to put in physical effort to change your body. As a rule of thumb, the machines you don’t like (the ones that are the hardest to perform) are probably the ones you need to be using.
High-intensity aerobics are activities such as kickboxing, sprinting and high-energy aerobics classes. For most of you who just want to be in good aerobic shape, I recommend low impact aerobic activity.
High-impact aerobic activity could cause potential muscle and joint injuries if not done correctly. I do not recommend running on hard surfaces; it can lead to shin and knee injuries. If you get into very good cardiovascular shape, you might want to try some high impact aerobics. Attaining cardiovascular fitness should be done like everything else in fitness … in gradual steps. Start slow and build up. The body begins to burn a greater amount of fat than carbohydrates after 20 minutes of aerobic activity. Once you are in reasonable cardiovascular shape, your aerobic sessions should last from 20 to 40 minutes, for the best possible fat loss (and more importantly, heart health).
Once again, each one of you will have your own personal goals. If you are starting from scratch, or haven’t done cardio for a while, you should start with 15-minute sessions. After your body has adjusted and you have built up some endurance, you can lengthen your sessions. You might want to try five-minute increases per week.
A general recommendation from organizations such as the American Heart Association, the American College of Sports Medicine and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is from 90 to 120 minutes per week, in 3 to 4 half-hour sessions of moderate to high intensity, non-impact, aerobic exercise. This is an excellent guide.
I do not recommend going cardio crazy. Lean is healthy; skinny is not. If you are a larger individual who has attained some cardiovascular endurance, and are still trying to burn fat, you might want to do two to four hours of aerobics per week.
Let me give an example of why good health is a combination of diet, aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise (resistance training). Have you ever seen long distance runners? Good long distance runners don’t do any kind of resistance training. They take one-fourth of the equation for optimum health out of the picture. This is why they are all frail and skinny looking. Whatever muscle mass they would have had has been eaten up by their overload of aerobic activity. They are in unbelievable cardiovascular shape (lungs and hearts), but their muscle has been cannibalized for energy. To endure their large amount of aerobic activity, their bodies shed both lean and adipose tissue. This is why you should do cardio in moderation. The right amount of cardio helps you lose that fat, but too much can strip away any lean muscle you may be trying to build. These three components have to be balanced to achieve maximum fitness.
Rick
Feb
21
Popular Heart Disease Prevention Tips
Filed Under heart disease | Comments Off
Alien asked:
Heart disease has become the number one cause of premature death in the United States and many other parts of the world. Heart disease is also a debilitating malady that disables many people. Heart disease treatment methods are thus vital for improving the quality of life of people suffering from these illnesses. The number one killer in America today is a disease that can often be prevented.
According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the nation’s single leading cause of death for both men and women. At least 58.8 million people in this country suffer from some form of heart disease. It involves the blocking, either partial or total, of the arteries that lead to the human heart. But, you can help to protect yourself from heart disease by following these simple health tips:
Maintain a healthy weight
As you put on weight in adulthood, you gain mostly fatty tissue. This excess weight can lead to conditions that increase your chances of heart disease — high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
How do you know if your weight is healthy? One way is to calculate your body mass index (BMI), which considers your height and weight in determining whether you have a healthy or unhealthy percentage of body fat.
BMI numbers 25 and higher are associated with higher blood fats, higher blood pressure, and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
Exercise
Exercise has an effect on every other risk factor for heart disease except smoking. When you exercise regularly, your heart, which is muscle, gets stronger. Stronger hearts require fewer beats to pump blood and oxygen throughout your body. Your blood pressure can be reduced as you become more physically fit. And if you burn more calories than you eat, you’ll lose body fat and weight, too.
Exercise also affects the blood itself, increasing circulation, producing more HDL (the “good” cholesterol) lowering blood sugar levels, helping prevent the formation of harmful blood clots and lowering the amount of adrenaline that your body needs.
Best of all, exercise makes you feel better. Walking is one of the best ways to control stress and prevent depression — for heart patients and everyone else, too.
Lose weight if you’re overweight. Your doctor can advise you about the best ways to lose weight.
Eat right. Lower or eliminate your intake of red meat and fats in your diet. This includes fatty foods such as whole milk, dairy products, potato chips, rich gravies, and the like. These foods can and do raise your bad cholesterol level. Switch to skim milk, eat lean meats, and just do without the chips and the other junk foods that you just do not need for good health. Put more fresh vegetables and fresh fruit into your daily diet. Eat plenty of fiber which has been shown to help in reducing the bad blood cholesterol level.
Tobacco Smoke
A smoker’s risk of heart attack is more than twice that of nonsmokers. The nicotine and carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood. They also damage blood vessel walls and may trigger the formation of blood clots. Smoking also reduces “good” cholesterol, which promotes heart disease. If you do smoke, get help to quit now! There are many effective programs to help you quit. Once you stop smoking your risk of heart disease starts to drop and over time will be about the same as if you’d never smoked.
Niacin is the closest thing available to a perfect treatment that corrects most causes of coronary heart disease. Niacin blocks the release of fatty acids from fat cells. Niacin plays a critical role in energy production, gene expression, and hormone synthesis. You cannot live without it. Niacin also tends to shift LDL particle distribution to larger particle size and improve HDL functioning. The intake of 3 grams Niacin for as little as two weeks can reduce serum cholesterol by 26 percent.
Pectin limits the amount of cholesterol the body can absorb. High pectin count in apples may be why “One a day keeps the doctor away”.
Brittany
Heart disease has become the number one cause of premature death in the United States and many other parts of the world. Heart disease is also a debilitating malady that disables many people. Heart disease treatment methods are thus vital for improving the quality of life of people suffering from these illnesses. The number one killer in America today is a disease that can often be prevented.
According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the nation’s single leading cause of death for both men and women. At least 58.8 million people in this country suffer from some form of heart disease. It involves the blocking, either partial or total, of the arteries that lead to the human heart. But, you can help to protect yourself from heart disease by following these simple health tips:
Maintain a healthy weight
As you put on weight in adulthood, you gain mostly fatty tissue. This excess weight can lead to conditions that increase your chances of heart disease — high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
How do you know if your weight is healthy? One way is to calculate your body mass index (BMI), which considers your height and weight in determining whether you have a healthy or unhealthy percentage of body fat.
BMI numbers 25 and higher are associated with higher blood fats, higher blood pressure, and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
Exercise
Exercise has an effect on every other risk factor for heart disease except smoking. When you exercise regularly, your heart, which is muscle, gets stronger. Stronger hearts require fewer beats to pump blood and oxygen throughout your body. Your blood pressure can be reduced as you become more physically fit. And if you burn more calories than you eat, you’ll lose body fat and weight, too.
Exercise also affects the blood itself, increasing circulation, producing more HDL (the “good” cholesterol) lowering blood sugar levels, helping prevent the formation of harmful blood clots and lowering the amount of adrenaline that your body needs.
Best of all, exercise makes you feel better. Walking is one of the best ways to control stress and prevent depression — for heart patients and everyone else, too.
Lose weight if you’re overweight. Your doctor can advise you about the best ways to lose weight.
Eat right. Lower or eliminate your intake of red meat and fats in your diet. This includes fatty foods such as whole milk, dairy products, potato chips, rich gravies, and the like. These foods can and do raise your bad cholesterol level. Switch to skim milk, eat lean meats, and just do without the chips and the other junk foods that you just do not need for good health. Put more fresh vegetables and fresh fruit into your daily diet. Eat plenty of fiber which has been shown to help in reducing the bad blood cholesterol level.
Tobacco Smoke
A smoker’s risk of heart attack is more than twice that of nonsmokers. The nicotine and carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood. They also damage blood vessel walls and may trigger the formation of blood clots. Smoking also reduces “good” cholesterol, which promotes heart disease. If you do smoke, get help to quit now! There are many effective programs to help you quit. Once you stop smoking your risk of heart disease starts to drop and over time will be about the same as if you’d never smoked.
Niacin is the closest thing available to a perfect treatment that corrects most causes of coronary heart disease. Niacin blocks the release of fatty acids from fat cells. Niacin plays a critical role in energy production, gene expression, and hormone synthesis. You cannot live without it. Niacin also tends to shift LDL particle distribution to larger particle size and improve HDL functioning. The intake of 3 grams Niacin for as little as two weeks can reduce serum cholesterol by 26 percent.
Pectin limits the amount of cholesterol the body can absorb. High pectin count in apples may be why “One a day keeps the doctor away”.
Brittany
Feb
20
New Ways To Test For Heart Disease
Filed Under heart disease | Comments Off
Darrell Miller asked:
In the recent issue Circulation, a new method for detecting heart disease was discussed. This may offer hope for those with a family history of heart disease. Scientists at Michigan University and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN discovered that by administering calcium to patients may allow doctors to detect blocked arteries for people who show no symptoms of disease. This is a non-evasive way for doctors to detect heart disease early.
This is a fifteen minute test, called electron beam computed tomography (EBCT) test which detects calcium in arteries. Originally this test was used for patients already experiencing symptoms of heart disease, but researchers have discovered this EBCT test can be used for those not experiencing heart disease and is very effective. A study was tested on both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients and the results were seventy percent accurate.
You might be wondering how the EBCT works? This test measures the calcium buildup or deposits in artery plaque. Plaque in the arteries will block blood flow and eventually can lead to coronary artery disease (CAD). Coronary arteries supply your heart with blood and oxygen. A complete blockage in one of these arteries can cause a heart attack. Calcium seems to adhere to plaque in the arteries so scientists have determined that the more calcium detected by the EBCT test means more plaque in the arteries and the more advanced CAD a person could have. If patients of 50 years or older scoring 200 or more and patients younger than 50 years old scoring 100 or more could have early onset CAD. This applies for both men and women.
If you suspect that you have CAD, here are some simple signs and symptoms to look for. One symptom is chest pain, do you feel tightness or pressure in your chest as if someone is pressing against your chest or standing on it? This sort of pain is usually triggered by physical or emotional stress. The pain goes away when you stop the stressful activity. This pain may feel sharp extending to your abdomen, back and/or arms.
Second symptom you may experience is shortness of breath. This happens when your heart can not pump enough blood to supply the body’s needs. You could experience heart failure - shortness of breath can be followed by extreme fatigue, and swelling of the feet and angles.
Thirdly and worst is heart attack, this happens when the arteries are completely blocked. Symptoms may vary but usually consist of terrible chest pain, pain in shoulders and arms, followed by shortness of breath. Women tend to experience other warning signs like nausea, back and/or jaw pain. Occasionally heart attacks display no symptoms.
If you have a family history of heart attacks, early detection is recommended. When one goes for regular screenings, most doctors use one of the following electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiogram, angiogram, electron beam computerized tomography (EBCT), magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), or perform a stress test.
When a heart attack occurs, the heart is damaged and it is irreversible. Its best to take steps to change your life style such as quitting smoking, monitoring and controlling blood pressure, get regular cholesterol checks, keep diabetes under control, exercise regularly, manage stress levels, maintain a healthy weight level, and above all eat healthy foods. Nutritionists suggest taking a multiple vitamin on a regular basis to help support your healthy diet. If you are looking for a good multiple vitamin, stick with name brand vitamins that supply a full spectrum of natural ingredients, stay away form synthetic brands. All natural multiple vitamins can be found at your local or internet health food store.
Patrick
In the recent issue Circulation, a new method for detecting heart disease was discussed. This may offer hope for those with a family history of heart disease. Scientists at Michigan University and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN discovered that by administering calcium to patients may allow doctors to detect blocked arteries for people who show no symptoms of disease. This is a non-evasive way for doctors to detect heart disease early.
This is a fifteen minute test, called electron beam computed tomography (EBCT) test which detects calcium in arteries. Originally this test was used for patients already experiencing symptoms of heart disease, but researchers have discovered this EBCT test can be used for those not experiencing heart disease and is very effective. A study was tested on both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients and the results were seventy percent accurate.
You might be wondering how the EBCT works? This test measures the calcium buildup or deposits in artery plaque. Plaque in the arteries will block blood flow and eventually can lead to coronary artery disease (CAD). Coronary arteries supply your heart with blood and oxygen. A complete blockage in one of these arteries can cause a heart attack. Calcium seems to adhere to plaque in the arteries so scientists have determined that the more calcium detected by the EBCT test means more plaque in the arteries and the more advanced CAD a person could have. If patients of 50 years or older scoring 200 or more and patients younger than 50 years old scoring 100 or more could have early onset CAD. This applies for both men and women.
If you suspect that you have CAD, here are some simple signs and symptoms to look for. One symptom is chest pain, do you feel tightness or pressure in your chest as if someone is pressing against your chest or standing on it? This sort of pain is usually triggered by physical or emotional stress. The pain goes away when you stop the stressful activity. This pain may feel sharp extending to your abdomen, back and/or arms.
Second symptom you may experience is shortness of breath. This happens when your heart can not pump enough blood to supply the body’s needs. You could experience heart failure - shortness of breath can be followed by extreme fatigue, and swelling of the feet and angles.
Thirdly and worst is heart attack, this happens when the arteries are completely blocked. Symptoms may vary but usually consist of terrible chest pain, pain in shoulders and arms, followed by shortness of breath. Women tend to experience other warning signs like nausea, back and/or jaw pain. Occasionally heart attacks display no symptoms.
If you have a family history of heart attacks, early detection is recommended. When one goes for regular screenings, most doctors use one of the following electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiogram, angiogram, electron beam computerized tomography (EBCT), magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), or perform a stress test.
When a heart attack occurs, the heart is damaged and it is irreversible. Its best to take steps to change your life style such as quitting smoking, monitoring and controlling blood pressure, get regular cholesterol checks, keep diabetes under control, exercise regularly, manage stress levels, maintain a healthy weight level, and above all eat healthy foods. Nutritionists suggest taking a multiple vitamin on a regular basis to help support your healthy diet. If you are looking for a good multiple vitamin, stick with name brand vitamins that supply a full spectrum of natural ingredients, stay away form synthetic brands. All natural multiple vitamins can be found at your local or internet health food store.
Patrick
Feb
20
The Cholesterol - Heart Disease Myth
Filed Under heart disease | Comments Off
Gregory Smyth asked:
In the last decade, cholesterol has become a familiar word in many homes - Dad can’t have bacon and eggs for breakfast because of the eggs’ cholesterol, we buy low-cholesterol margarine to lower our risk of heart disease, you buy the low-cholesterol sausages because they are healthier for you, even though they cost more. The reason that cholesterol has become such a buzzword in our homes is that it is linked to heart disease. But, is the link statistically and scientifically valid? We explore the concepts that cholesterol really is not to blame for the current high rates of heart disease.
Cholesterol is said to cause blockages in the arteries, circulating in the blood, sticking to artery walls, and eventually blocking blood flow to the heart. The facts that it has been found that arteries become blocked by the fat makes it intuitive that consuming less animal fat will lower your risk of heart disease. However, studies do not come to this conclusion. In fact, cholesterol is an essential part of your body. The body uses cholesterol as a bandage to have a tiny tears in damaged arterial walls - it also does this for other wounds.
However, they consistently is not found to be a link between cholesterol can see it, and cholesterol in the blood. A study sponsored by the German Ministry of Research and Technology showed this, as does the fact that in Japan, the number of heart attacks has dropped in recent years, while cholesterol consumption has actually risen. A long study was recently completed, where researchers observed 10,000 people with high cholesterol levels. Half of the participants received a statin drug (a cholesterol lowering drug), while the other half were told to eat a normal diet, and make sure they got enough exercise. The findings were surprising - despite the fact that these statin drugs are prescribed to tens of thousands of people with high serum cholesterol, they were found to have no effect on the death rate due to coronary heart disease. The control group, that ate a normal diet, and get a normal amount of exercise, was found to have no higher incidence of fatal heart attacks and non-fatal arterial disease. These drugs also have some serious side effects, such as liver failure, muscle deterioration, and they can even cause sudden death. It makes you wonder how many deaths are actually attributable to statin use, rather than prevented by these drugs.
In fact, studies repeatedly demonstrate that dietary cholesterol is not linked to serum cholesterol, and that serum cholesterol is not even linked to heart disease. But first things first! The Framingham study, one of the more famous studies on the topic, set out to prove that people who ate more cholesterol in their diet, had higher levels of blood cholesterol. The researchers were surprised and disappointed - in fact, there was little or no difference in the participants’ blood cholesterol levels, even when the amount of cholesterol consumed varied widely. There have been many studies since which have borne this principle out.
The Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial was one of the largest studies to ever be performed on coronary heart disease and cholesterol levels. It involved over 350,000 men and women, over a wide variety of demographics. This study had participants cut down their cholesterol consumption, saturated fat consumption and total calories, by significant amounts, over a long period. However, there was absolutely no effect on heart disease occurrence, and serum cholesterol was only modestly affected.
In fact, the benzenes and other chemicals in margarine and spreads have been linked to increasing levels of coronary heart disease - your best advice is to eat as naturally as possible, cutting out processed foods as much as you can.
Reginald
In the last decade, cholesterol has become a familiar word in many homes - Dad can’t have bacon and eggs for breakfast because of the eggs’ cholesterol, we buy low-cholesterol margarine to lower our risk of heart disease, you buy the low-cholesterol sausages because they are healthier for you, even though they cost more. The reason that cholesterol has become such a buzzword in our homes is that it is linked to heart disease. But, is the link statistically and scientifically valid? We explore the concepts that cholesterol really is not to blame for the current high rates of heart disease.
Cholesterol is said to cause blockages in the arteries, circulating in the blood, sticking to artery walls, and eventually blocking blood flow to the heart. The facts that it has been found that arteries become blocked by the fat makes it intuitive that consuming less animal fat will lower your risk of heart disease. However, studies do not come to this conclusion. In fact, cholesterol is an essential part of your body. The body uses cholesterol as a bandage to have a tiny tears in damaged arterial walls - it also does this for other wounds.
However, they consistently is not found to be a link between cholesterol can see it, and cholesterol in the blood. A study sponsored by the German Ministry of Research and Technology showed this, as does the fact that in Japan, the number of heart attacks has dropped in recent years, while cholesterol consumption has actually risen. A long study was recently completed, where researchers observed 10,000 people with high cholesterol levels. Half of the participants received a statin drug (a cholesterol lowering drug), while the other half were told to eat a normal diet, and make sure they got enough exercise. The findings were surprising - despite the fact that these statin drugs are prescribed to tens of thousands of people with high serum cholesterol, they were found to have no effect on the death rate due to coronary heart disease. The control group, that ate a normal diet, and get a normal amount of exercise, was found to have no higher incidence of fatal heart attacks and non-fatal arterial disease. These drugs also have some serious side effects, such as liver failure, muscle deterioration, and they can even cause sudden death. It makes you wonder how many deaths are actually attributable to statin use, rather than prevented by these drugs.
In fact, studies repeatedly demonstrate that dietary cholesterol is not linked to serum cholesterol, and that serum cholesterol is not even linked to heart disease. But first things first! The Framingham study, one of the more famous studies on the topic, set out to prove that people who ate more cholesterol in their diet, had higher levels of blood cholesterol. The researchers were surprised and disappointed - in fact, there was little or no difference in the participants’ blood cholesterol levels, even when the amount of cholesterol consumed varied widely. There have been many studies since which have borne this principle out.
The Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial was one of the largest studies to ever be performed on coronary heart disease and cholesterol levels. It involved over 350,000 men and women, over a wide variety of demographics. This study had participants cut down their cholesterol consumption, saturated fat consumption and total calories, by significant amounts, over a long period. However, there was absolutely no effect on heart disease occurrence, and serum cholesterol was only modestly affected.
In fact, the benzenes and other chemicals in margarine and spreads have been linked to increasing levels of coronary heart disease - your best advice is to eat as naturally as possible, cutting out processed foods as much as you can.
Reginald
Feb
17
kitty katty asked:
1. male
2. 45
3. smoked cigarettes since 12 yrs old
4. smoked weed and other drugs since an early age
5. have a very poor diet (high in fat)
6. high cholesterol
7. stressed
8. overweight
what are the chances of someone like this having heart disease/cancer now or getting it in the near future?
Lucy
1. male
2. 45
3. smoked cigarettes since 12 yrs old
4. smoked weed and other drugs since an early age
5. have a very poor diet (high in fat)
6. high cholesterol
7. stressed
8. overweight
what are the chances of someone like this having heart disease/cancer now or getting it in the near future?
Lucy
Feb
7
Heart Diseases Causes, Know About the Heart Diseases Symptoms and Prevention
Filed Under heart disease | Comments Off
peterhutch asked:
The risk of coronary heart disease can be reduced by taking a number of steps to prevent and to control the adverse factors that put specific people at greater risk for heart disease and heart attack. Knowing the signs and symptoms of a heart attack, calling 911 immediately, and getting to a hospital as soon as possible are crucial to getting a positive outcome after a heart attack. It is also possible for people who have already had one heart attack to work to reduce the risk of future heart events.
People suffering from heart diseases are being treated with various heart surgery techniques. When treatments by medicines, changing lifestyle and various medical procedures fail to work, then heart surgery is the last option. Heart surgery involves treatment of coronary artery disease and cardiovascular attacks. It is also used to replace damaged heart with the healthy one as well as to fix the heart valves for the proper regulation of your heart-beat.
Causes of Heart Diseases
There are many causes of heart diseases. Most of heart diseases are caused by high blood pressure contributes to hardening of the arteries. High levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) build up in the arteries as a result of uncontrolled diet with high levels of saturated fat and trans fat. All these add to the formation of atherosclerosis lesions and eventually arterial blockage or anything that serves to damage the inner lining of blood vessels and impedes the transportation of oxygen and nutrition to the heart can be defined as a risk of heart disease.
Symptoms
Chest pain
Chest pain is caused by blood vessels in the heart temporarily being blocked up. It is also caused by inadequate oxygen supply to the heart muscle or coronary . The persistence of chest pain would be an early indication of heart diseases.
Dizziness
Dizziness can have many causes including low blood count, low iron in the blood stream and other blood disorders, dehydration, and viral illnesses. Since there are many different conditions that can produce these symptoms, anybody experiencing episodes of severe headaches or dizziness ought to be checked by your doctor.
Heart Diseases Prevention
Having high blood pressure is usually attributed to the kind of food being consumed by the person. It is best then to add some fruits, vegetables and whole grains to the diet to balance out the oils and fats usually found in meat.
Exercise can also prevent heart diseases. The person doesn’t have to enroll in a gym but take an occasional stroll or engage in a sport with friends. This will help the individual burn excess calories and keep the heart pumping.
Treatment for different forms of cardiovascular disease depends upon the symptoms shown in patients. Still effective treatment for this disease always includes changes in lifestyle. However, it is important that before taking any medicines first consult an expert cardiologist and have complete diagnosis of disease. It will help you in taking right treatment without introducing any harm to your body. Depending on your condition, your cardiologist might suggest you surgery to reopen or repair damaged blood vessels.
Erik
The risk of coronary heart disease can be reduced by taking a number of steps to prevent and to control the adverse factors that put specific people at greater risk for heart disease and heart attack. Knowing the signs and symptoms of a heart attack, calling 911 immediately, and getting to a hospital as soon as possible are crucial to getting a positive outcome after a heart attack. It is also possible for people who have already had one heart attack to work to reduce the risk of future heart events.
People suffering from heart diseases are being treated with various heart surgery techniques. When treatments by medicines, changing lifestyle and various medical procedures fail to work, then heart surgery is the last option. Heart surgery involves treatment of coronary artery disease and cardiovascular attacks. It is also used to replace damaged heart with the healthy one as well as to fix the heart valves for the proper regulation of your heart-beat.
Causes of Heart Diseases
There are many causes of heart diseases. Most of heart diseases are caused by high blood pressure contributes to hardening of the arteries. High levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) build up in the arteries as a result of uncontrolled diet with high levels of saturated fat and trans fat. All these add to the formation of atherosclerosis lesions and eventually arterial blockage or anything that serves to damage the inner lining of blood vessels and impedes the transportation of oxygen and nutrition to the heart can be defined as a risk of heart disease.
Symptoms
Chest pain
Chest pain is caused by blood vessels in the heart temporarily being blocked up. It is also caused by inadequate oxygen supply to the heart muscle or coronary . The persistence of chest pain would be an early indication of heart diseases.
Dizziness
Dizziness can have many causes including low blood count, low iron in the blood stream and other blood disorders, dehydration, and viral illnesses. Since there are many different conditions that can produce these symptoms, anybody experiencing episodes of severe headaches or dizziness ought to be checked by your doctor.
Heart Diseases Prevention
Having high blood pressure is usually attributed to the kind of food being consumed by the person. It is best then to add some fruits, vegetables and whole grains to the diet to balance out the oils and fats usually found in meat.
Exercise can also prevent heart diseases. The person doesn’t have to enroll in a gym but take an occasional stroll or engage in a sport with friends. This will help the individual burn excess calories and keep the heart pumping.
Treatment for different forms of cardiovascular disease depends upon the symptoms shown in patients. Still effective treatment for this disease always includes changes in lifestyle. However, it is important that before taking any medicines first consult an expert cardiologist and have complete diagnosis of disease. It will help you in taking right treatment without introducing any harm to your body. Depending on your condition, your cardiologist might suggest you surgery to reopen or repair damaged blood vessels.
Erik
