Category: Heart Diseases

Heart Disease – Public Enemy Range 1

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Introduction

Heart disease is a number of abnormal conditions affecting the guts and its blood vessels. Also called cardiovascular disease, it mainly affects older people and indicates that there are problems with the center and blood vessels. It’s become the leading reason behind death in the United States, is a major reason behind disability, does not go away, however by working along with your doctor, you can live longer and feel better. Types of cardiovascular disease embody: Coronary artery disease (CAD), the foremost common type and is that the leading cause of heart attacks.

In 2003, nearly twice as several girls died of cardiovascular disease (both heart disease and stroke) than from all cancers combined. The older a woman gets, the more likely she is to develop cardiovascular disease; however women of all ages ought to be concerned. African Yankee and Hispanic American/Latina ladies are a lot of probably to get heart disease as a result of they tend to own more risk factors such as obesity, lack of exercise, high blood pressure, and diabetes than Caucasian women. Women of color are more possible to die of the disease.

Having diabetes raises your chances of getting heart disease and high levels of triglycerides are linked to the disease in some people. Additionally Being overweight will increase your risk. Chest or arm pain or discomfort can be a signal of cardiovascular disease and a wake-up call of an actual or impending heart attack. If your dad or brother had a heart attack before age 55, or if your mom had one before age 65, you’re more seemingly to develop heart disease. Birth management pills will pose risks for a few ladies, especially women older than 35; ladies with high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol and girls who smoke.

Almost 700,000 folks die of heart disease within the U.S. every year. You’ll find out additional about heart disease by contacting the National Ladies’s Health Information Center at one-800-994-9662. The risk of coronary disease can be reduced by taking steps to stop and management those factors that put folks at greater risk for cardiovascular disease and heart attack. The very best ways that to stop heart disease are to regulate high blood pressure, diabetes or a high cholesterol level and, if you smoke, STOP SMOKING.

Cholesterol

What does high cholesterol have to do with heart disease? Cholesterol can clog your arteries and keep your heart from obtaining the blood it needs. Individuals with high blood cholesterol or high blood triglycerides often haven’t any symptoms, so have your blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels checked regularly. If your levels are high, speak to your doctor regarding what you can do to lower them. You’ll be able to lower your levels by eating higher and exercising a lot of, if not, your doctor may prescribe medication to lower and bring it under control.

When there’s an excessive amount of cholesterol in your blood, it will build up on the walls of your arteries, forming plaque and causing blood clots. There are basically two varieties of cholesterol: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is usually called the “dangerous” type because it can clog the arteries that carry blood to your heart. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is called the “good” kind as a result of it takes the dangerous cholesterol out of your blood and keeps it from increase in your arteries. All girls age twenty and older should have their blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels checked a minimum of once every five years. If you’re overweight, losing weight can facilitate lower your total cholesterol and LDL (“bad cholesterol”) levels.

Strive to eat additional foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol. Skim (fat-free) or low-fat (one%) milk and cheeses, and low-fat or nonfat yogurt, Fruits and vegetables (try for 5 daily), Cereals, breads, rice, and pasta created from whole grains (like “whole-wheat” or “whole-grain” bread and pasta, rye bread, brown rice, and oatmeal), Eat less organ meats (liver, kidney, brains), Egg yolks, Fats (butter, lard) and oils, Packaged and processed foods.

There are two diets that may facilitate lower your cholesterol: Heart Healthy Diet and Therapeutic Lifestyles Changes (TLC) Diet. Exercise can facilitate lower LDL (“unhealthy cholesterol”) and raise HDL (“good cholesterol”). If your doctor has prescribed drugs to lower your cholesterol, take it specifically as you have been told to.

Conclusion

Heart disease is not contagious – you cannot catch it like you’ll the flu or a cold. It is a general term that refers to a variety of acute and chronic medical conditions that affect one or more of the parts of the heart. The symptoms you describe to your doctor will help to come to a decision if you would like to be tested for heart disease. Your doctor will additionally check if you’ve got any conditions that can increase your chance of obtaining the disease. These conditions embody: high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol level, menopause in girls, relations who have had heart disease at a young age. If you have got cardiovascular disease, your angina will be treated by treating the heart disease. Maintaining a healthy diet and weight and a regular exercise program will facilitate your avoid heart disease.

Heart Disease remedies

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Black strap Molasses has long been revered for it’s ability to strengthen heart muscles. It has a considerable amount of chromium which is good for reversing heart disease, and for a high blood pressure remedy as well.The major causes of heart failure, according to cardiologist, are coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy, and valvular heart disease. There are many other various risk factors- smoking, high serum cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, family history of heart disease, low HDl cholesterol, and inactivity.

The tendency of the heart to adjust to changes in the mode of living of its owner, known as compensation, is one of the vital factors, which prolong life in spite of maladies to which this king of organs is susceptible. This adjustment sometimes enables a person to go through life without suspecting the disease, which invade the heart. The answer is the same as it is for everything in life, YOU. Use your God given intelligence to find out and incorporate as many naturally healthful heart solutions as you can possibly stomach, into your life. You already have a good idea of what you need to focus on and the first place I would recommend, is on the readout that comes with the medication your taking.

The danger of poisoning with lily of the valley does not exist as its glycosides have a unique chemical structure that ensures they are easily excreted and do not build up in the body – but there is still the possibility of some toxicity. Diet does matter but it doesn’t have to be all fish and salads. The Mediterranean diet is one of the best and while it includes fish you can enjoy low-fat recipes with chicken, veal, and even red meat.

Although the herb is considered safe and may be useful in the handling of heart failure, angina, and cardiac arrhythmias, these are serious, potentially life-threatening circumstances require professional medical care. Olive oil also boosts heart health by keeping a lid on cholesterol levels. It lowers total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.

Overall, no herbs or supplements have clearly been shown to be better than prescription meds in preventing heart attacks. And the best prevention is from diet and exercise, which is twice as good as any herb or supplement, or prescription drug for that matter. If you are suffering from rhythmic disturbance heart disease, you are recommended to consume fish oils. In this type of cardiovascular condition, you may experience an array of things, such as palpitation, flutter, and fibrillation.

Nattokinase is an enzyme found in a cheese like food, natto, made from fermented soybeans. There are strong claims made for its properties. Apparently it quickly lowers blood pressure, controls cholesterol levels, and prevents and even breaks up blood clots. The heart is a four chambered, hollow muscle and double acting pump that is located in the chest between the lungs. Heart diseases caused by high blood pressure contributes to hardening of the arteries. Complementary and alternative medicine includes a variety of medical systems. Eastern cultures have used traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, and acupuncture for centuries.

Coronary Heart Disease – 7 Key Steps To Cut Back Your Risk Of Coronary Heart Disease

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This article will tell you what you need to grasp concerning coronary heart disease, and can provide you 7 key steps you can take, starting now, to reduce your risk of coronary heart disease.
What’s Coronary Heart Disease?
Coronary heart disease, which is also known as atherosclerosis, is a condition in which the arteries accountable for carrying oxygen to your heart muscle are blocked by accumulations of plaque. If you’re in an early stage of the disease, you probably have no symptoms, and your doctor could not even be ready to tell that you’ve got the disease. However later, when the disease has progressed over the course of the many years, it can cause sudden death because the arteries cannot get enough blood to the guts muscle to stay it functioning. Coronary heart disease ranks among the top causes of death for men and women.
What Causes Coronary Heart Disease?
There’s no single reason for coronary heart disease. However, doctors and researchers have identified certain risk factors that may heighten the danger that you will have this deadly disease. The necessary risk factors include family history, high cholesterol, obesity, smoking, and high blood pressure. Whereas you can’t modification your family history, you’ll be able to scale back your risk of coronary heart disease by controlling some of the opposite risk factors.
seven Key Steps to Reduce Your Risk
1. See your doctor for a cholesterol test and angiogram
If you’re concerned concerning the risk of coronary heart disease, begin by seeing your doctor. The doctor should take an angiogram, which measures your heart’s activity, and order a blood test that can live your cholesterol levels.
2. Lower your total cholesterol level
If your total cholesterol is over two hundred mg/dl, you ought to take steps to scale back it. Exercise and diet are the simplest means to cut back total cholesterol.
3. Exercise regularly
Most doctors currently suggest 30 minutes of aerobic exercise — like walking, jogging, swimming, or bicycling — 5 days a week.
4. Quit smoking
If you smoke, quit now. Smoking could be a significant risk factor for coronary heart disease plus for lung cancer.
5. Take a coffee-dose aspirin every day
Some proof indicates that a low-dose aspirin every day can cut back the danger of death from coronary heart disease.
6. Scale back your dietary consumption of animal fats, particularly from red meat.
Reducing your consumption of animal fat can reduce your dietary cholesterol, which in flip ought to reduce your blood cholesterol.
7. Increase your dietary consumption of contemporary fruits and whole grains.
Increasing your consumption of fruits and whole grains will also help to scale back your blood cholesterol.
Different Steps You Will Take
Additionally to the seven key steps on top of, some doctors now suppose that drinking alcohol in moderation can reduce the chance of coronary heart disease. You will want to have a drink or a glass of red wine each evening.
Doctors currently live 2 totally different types of cholesterol – HDL or “smart” cholesterol, and LDL or “bad” cholesterol. Relying on the results of your blood cholesterol test, your doctor may suggest that you just increase your HDL cholesterol level and decrease your LDL cholesterol level.
This article has outlined 7 key steps for reducing your risk of coronary heart disease. By following the steps in this article, together with your doctor’s advice, it’s very doubtless that you’ll scale back your risk of succumbing to this killer disease. Plus, you’ll get pleasure from life additional and feel higher if you create the suggested lifestyle changes.

Losing Weight Can Be Connected To Heart Disease

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Folks are never too old to begin an effective healthy weight loss diet program for weight loss. Also, folks losing pounds leads to lowering the chance of heart disease. People will discover a couple of options an individual may perform to reduce pounds and decrease their risk for heart disease.

Numerous people believe cigarette smoking assists in removing unwanted pounds. That belief happens to be extremely destructive to a person’s physical condition. Smoking is enemy number one regarding high blood pressure. Even just a couple of cigarettes a day could be harmful. Current studies have discovered smoking only a single cigarette daily will harden blood arteries by a whopping 25%.

Whenever a person quits smoking tobacco typically pounds are gained because foods are a substitute for the cigarette while bored. An individual will need to come across a not food related substitute which will keep the hands occupied. A magnificent replacement tends to be an activity for instance gaining experience in Arabic, crocheting or perhaps participating in basketball.

Consider this situation. Cigarette smoking will stiffen arteries that results in limited blood flow. Nutrients as well as contaminants are transferred by a person’s blood. When blood flow is limited a human body has a difficult time moving necessary nutrients throughout all of the body. Additionally, the body will have difficulty eliminating pollutants. Both these scenarios can make getting rid of unwanted pounds hard.

Moderate quantities of red wine may have a significant effect regarding a person’s heart. Practical means one drink every day or about six ounces. But, quite a few individuals drink way over this quantity. Excessive drinking may raise cholesterol and increase blood pressure which will make decreasing unwanted pounds difficult.

Plus, excess alcoholic beverage intake possibly will bring about obesity on account of all those empty calories. Those calories are monosaccharide or simple carbs that a body absorbs rapidly. After drinking alcoholic beverages, people will still be experiencing hunger pangs relatively soon after. Hence, more alcohol is ingested.

When people consume alcohol, particularly beer or hard liquor, often unhealthy processed food items are eaten. For instance, pizza, fried chicken wings and French fries generally are related to ingesting beer. Folks generally will not consume an orange together with the beer. A healthy weight loss diet system suggests consuming a lot of fruits and vegetables every day instead of consuming simple carbohydrates.

Quitting smoking as well as reducing alcohol intake might temporarily result in extra fat. Though, an individual might discover dropping body weight easier long term. Incorporating a better way of life as well as sticking to a healthy weight loss diet plan results in dropping body fat and decreasing an individual’s risk for hypertension.

What about Heart Disease and Cardiomyopathy

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Well since we are back on the topic of heart disease, since it is the number one killer of mankind in the world, I thought it might be beneficial if I shared some important information about heart disease and cardiomyopthy. What is Cardiomyopathy? It is called by most ” heart muscle disease ” but can be related to any disease of the heart. As a rule of thumb it is usually referred to as ” severe myocardial disease “. It means your heart muscle is not pumping as it should be due to both internal and external forces. What are some of these external and internal forces that bring it about you may ask? Good Question. Here are some causes of Heart Disease.

Alcoholism or severe use of alcohol, prescription drugs as well as other drugs and smoking are three of the largest external forces that are causes of heart disease. On the other hand the most common cause of heart failure internally speaking is ischemia. What is that you may ask? It is a restriction of blood supply to the heart. Yes the heart muscle is the strongest muscle in the human body, but it needs fuel as all other muscles do. A lack of blood supply leads to a lack of oxygen, glucose and other blood fuels needed to fuel the pumping action of the heart. If you dont put gas in your car its simple the car wont go anywhere, will it? The same is with the Heart Muscle, it needs fuel. The following is a list of internal variables that may cause Cardiomyopathy.

Some causes of Cardiomyopathy are:

Atherosclerosis: which are lipid-laden plaques obstructing the lumen of the arteries.

Hypoglycemia: which is a lower than normal level of glucose.

Tachycardia: which is an abnormal rapid beating of the heart.

Hypotension: low blood pressure, e.g. in septic shock, heart failure.

Thromboembolism: which are blood clots.

Now I want to talk about a trace mineral that is very important to start getting into your diet and that is Selenium. Selenium is one of the most important trace minerals needed for the heart, to keep it pumping properly and well fed so that you may live an active life to be free of a Heart Attack, prevent heart disease and heal from a Stroke. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine published 2006,” it was hypothesized that low selenium concentrations are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and that selenium supplements help prevent coronary heart disease.” Have you suffered from a Stroke? Then please just continue to read on.

Now I want to get off topic for a moment and give some interesting case studies to bring home the importance of selenium in your diet. I dont know if you have ever heard of a man named Stewart Berger. In regards to health and nutrition he wrote 5 best selling books on diet and nutrition. He got his degree from Tuft Medical School in Boston and he is most noted for ” The Southhampton Diet for Weight Loss “, ” Forever Young”, ” 20 Years Younger in 20 Weeks” and ” How to be your own Nutritionist ” and guess what. He died at the age of 40 of Cardiomyopathy. What was he lacking in his diet? Selenium, that is what he was deficient in.

How Many People Die From Heart Disease – The Numbers May Surprise You

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When asking how many people die from heart disease most people know some do, but may not have a grasp on the true scope of the problem. The main culprit in these figures is a heart attack, which generally occurs when blood supply to the heart muscle is cut off. When this happens it is only a matter of minutes until oxygen deprived heart cells begin to die. The longer the elapsed time between the coronary event and restoring blood flow the greater the damage.

According to the American Heart Association, approximately 785,000 Americans have their first heart attack each year with an additional 470,000 experiencing a recurrent heart attack. That equals a staggering 1,255,000 Americans each year falling prey to a heart attack.

But the question we are asking is how many people die from heart disease (heart attack) and that number is approximately 632,000. Broken down as a percentage that is one out of every four disease related deaths in the United States are attributed to heart disease. Out of all the types of heart disease coronary heart disease accounted for two out of every three of these.

Certainly, these are shocking numbers and their financial impact on the American economy is substantial, eclipsing the 3 billion dollars a year mark according to recent estimates. Now that we know how many people die from heart disease the most logical next question is why?

There are many different factors that contribute to these numbers but perhaps the three most obvious are inactivity, diet, and cigarette or pipe smoking.

For many the idea that inactivity could be the evil wizard behind the curtain of coronary death may come as a surprise. According for the Center For Disease Control approximately 4 out of every 10 people who have heart disease are also inactive. When you think about it you have to admit it makes a lot of sense. As we get older we may become less and less active. We no longer feel the need to exercise vigorously to attract a mate, find a date, or to interact with new friends. Instead we sit around and watch television, focus on work, spend time with our kids, or surf the net looking new games to play or participate in social networking. It is simply a matter of our priorities changing over time.

Diet is also another factor that is a major contributing factor as for how many people die from heart disease. As Americans we love a hearty high fat breakfasts, fast foods, high fat desserts, and deep fried specialties. According to AHA a heart healthy diet should consist of no more than 7 percent of total calories coming from saturated fat, and now more than 30 percent of total calories form overall fat. Considering that cheese contains 27 percent saturated and luncheon meats are somewhere from 10 to 30 percent it is easy to see how we might fall a little short of these lofty goals.

Perhaps out of all the risk factors cigarette and/or pipe smoking are two of the worst. One out of five people with heart disease are smokers. Smoking causes arteries to constrict lessening blood flow to the heart. Smoking also reduces the amount of protective HDL cholesterol and increases the amount of harmful LDL cholesterol.

What else? Other risk factors are being overweight, stress, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

In summary, how many people die of from heart disease should cause for you to drop that cheeseburger in the middle of big bite and run to the nearest salad or vegetable shop! Additionally, research suggests that by taking steps to modify diet, exercising 5 days a week, saying no to smoking, and adding a natural cholesterol reduction supplement a person can substantially reduce their chances of becoming just another heart attack death statistic.

Heart Disease, Risk Factors, And Treatments

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William Walters
Heart-Condition-Guide
Thursday, 2:48 pm
Today we are going to talk about Heart Disease, Risk Factors, and Treatments.
Heart disease, is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States. Heart disease is a variety of conditions that affect the performance of the heart. The basics of heart disease, how heart disease is diagnosed, heart disease screening tests, heart disease risk factors, and heart disease prevention.
Education about heart disease is crucial for African-American women. Coronary heart disease is the main form of heart disease. Reversing heart disease is not only possible, it is likely. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death in America, it accounts for 90,0000 heart attacks and strokes each year, affecting not only men but women as well. Heart disease is something we all need to be more aware of.
Extensive clinical and statistical studies have identified several factors that increase the risk of coronary heart disease. Risk factors are conditions that increase your risk for developing diseases. For both men and women, the biggest factors that contribute to heart disease are smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, family history, and age. The more risk factors a person has, the greater the likelihood of developing the deadly disease.
Diabetes, is also a serious risk factor for heart disease. Aggressively managing risk factors can prevent or delay the onset of heart disease, even if you have strong family histories. Risk factors for heart disease you CAN’T change. Factors such as race, increasing age, and a family history of heart disease cannot be changed.
Heart Surgery, Repairs may involve both open-heart surgery and less invasive procedures like placing stents in the arteries so the blood can flow more smoothly to the heart. Most defects will require surgery or an interventional procedure to repair the problem. Coronary artery bypass surgery is a treatment option for ischemic heart disease (too little blood reaching the heart muscle).
Heart valve repair or replacement surgery is another treatment option for valvular heart disease. High Risk Cardiac Disease Surgery is for those who have had previous by-pass surgery and/or are at risk for complications of heart disease.
How can knowing about genetics help treat heart disease. Genetics — People who have a family history are more likely to develop heart disease. We can use genetics to characterize someone’s risk in the same way we measure cholesterol to identify risk for heart disease. Genetics plays a role in heart disease — but it is not the whole story”. Our growing understanding of genetics could one day help doctors not only predict heart disease but also tailor treatments to suit individual needs.
In Summary: Heart disease is very serious and detecting heart disease is the key to living a happier and healthier life. Heart disease is something we all need to be more aware of. It is the nation’s leading killer. The American Heart Association says, Heart disease is a disorder that affects the heart muscle or the blood vessels of the heart. The development of most heart disease is related to the way we live.
I hope that this article on Heart Disease, Risk Factors, and Treatments to Heart Disease provided you with enough information that you were seeking about it. I will be writing more articles soon!

Intake Of Health Food Keeps Heart Ailments At Bay

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Many individuals suffer from heart diseases all over the world. In the case of most of the patients who have heart problems experiences a kind of pain in his chest area which gradually become worse with time. When the heart problem happens right at the onset it is known as anigma . This problem can however be cured with the help of antiginal drugs which are available in the market.

Access To Food For Maintaining The Health

However it is important to remember that a lot of factors are often responsible for heart disease. The family history coupled with certain genetic factors also have a key role to play in heart attacks. However it has generally been observed that men are more susceptible to heart ailments. One of the major reasons for heart attack is due to stress and several lifestyle factors such as poor diet that is devoid of vital nutrients.

Smoking also affects the lungs as well the heart. The blood vessels become blocked over a certain period of time due to smoking. Eventually the heart does not receive blood which leads to degeneration of the cells in the heart.

For Food To Maintain The Health Of Heart Problems Remotely

The food (In French antioxydants) that we consume on a daily basis is often responsible for heart problems .Intake of refined food and junk food in the form of cakes, pastries and noodles should be avoided Oily foods also need to be avoided. The cholesterol level in the blood increases which further lead to heart problems. A sedentary lifestyle is also responsible for heart problems.

In order to prevent heart disease we should begin early by encouraging our children to eat healthy .Children of today are addicted to junk food and spent most of their waking hours in front of the television. We should encourage children to exercise regularly and eat proper health food (In French cardiaque symptome). A family should ensure that children should have adequate food which is rich in the key nutrients. Having proper health food is necessary for children to grow up as strong individuals.

It is important to reduce saturated and trans fats from our diet by not having butter, margarine. We can choose health food in the form of lean meats and lot of green vegetables and fruits .Instead of using butter one can choose yoghurt or even a low calorie spread on the breads is advisable that you always check the contents and the labels of any health food to have an idea but the type of food it is .To keep heart disease at bay w e can use canola oil or olive oil which are good for heart.

A Vegetarian Lifestyle Change – Heart Disease is a Killer!

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So you’ve decided to make the change to a vegetarian diet. It’s understandable that you will feel some anxiety as we are creatures of habit and resistant to change.

To make you feel at ease it’s important to point out the benefits of the decision you have taken to eventually eliminate all meat and animal products from your diet. For example, you should know that a vegetarian person has a much less chance of contracting many forms of cancer such as colon, breast, ovarian and prostate cancer as well as heart disease.

A study of women in Japan who follow western style, meat-based diets, showed that they are eight times more likely to develop breast cancer than women who follow the more traditional vegetarian lifestyle.

Another study concluded that if men and women regularly consume quantities of red meat they increase their risk of colon cancer by approximately 300 percent. Our digestive system is more likely to function properly by obtaining the kind of dietary fiber provided by fruits,vegetables, legumes and nuts. Diseases of the bowel occur a lot less frequently in humans following a vegetarian diet due to the increased fiber content in a vegetarian meal.

If you are someone who has had a recent health scare it is understandable that you will feel the need to change your eating habits immediately. It is a fact that if you don’t make a dramatic change all at once, you’ll have a much greater chance of long term success.

Start by increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables you eat and at the same time look to reducing the red meat you are eating on a weekly basis. Vegetables and grains should become the main part of your meal with meat as a side dish. Remember, you are making a change to last a lifetime, so make it natural and gradual with the goal of enjoying many years of healthy living.

Now it’s time for you to start your vegetarian journey by finding some recipes to begin the education process. Take your time to experiment with the different ingredients and ways you can prepare your meals. You will find them to be wholesome, delicious and enjoyable by all members of the family. Let’s hope they will realize as well, the importance and benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle.

Symptoms And Preventative Measures Of Heart Disease

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As we get older, the arteries surrounding the heart become smaller and smaller as fatty deposits stick to the walls of the veins and arteries surrounding the heart. As this happens, the flow of oxygen is restricted and the heart becomes oxygen starved. This is the time that a heart attack occurs. There are several things to look for that are signs of heart disease and ways that you can prevent it.

Someone can have severe coronary artery disease (CAD) without experiencing a heart attack or experiencing any chest pains. If you experience any of the following symptoms, even occasionally, seek the attention or advice of your doctor.

-Chest pain
-Shortness of breath
-Palpitations (an irregular heartbeat, skipped beats, or a flip-flop feeling in your chest
-Fast or racing heartbeat
-Weakness
-Dizziness
-Nausea
-Sweating (not due to exercise)

The most common symptom is chest pain or angina. This can be described as and uncomfortable feeling usually felt in the chest just below the breastbone. There are other places that the discomfort or pain can be felt including the left shoulder (because your heart is on the left side of your body), arms, neck, throat, jaw or even your back. Angina has often been described as a heavy feeling or aching, burning, fullness and squeezing. The symptoms often resemble those of heartburn or indigestion. Get emergency treatment if the feeling lasts for more than about 15 minutes.

For those who have not experienced a heart attack or who have not displayed symptoms of coronary artery disease can work these preventative measures into their lifestyle to greatly reduce the risk of heart disease.

-Quit smoking! This includes not only cigarette smokers, but pipe and cigar smokers as well. Even smoking just one cigarette per day can double the risk of a hear attack.

-Lower your cholesterol. Cholesterol in the body produces fatty substances which can clog the arteries or greatly reduce the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart. If your cholesterol level is above 200 mg you are at risk. Women should have a cholesterol profile done every year beginning at age 40 and men at age 30. If there is a history of heart disease in the family, cholesterol levels should be checked each year beginning at age 20.

-Raise your HDL levels of cholesterol. HDL is the good cholesterol. This is the cholesterol that carries the bad cholesterol away from the arteries back to the liver. From there it is removed from the bloodstream.

-Reduce high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force applied in your arteries as your heart beats. The higher your blood pressure, the harder your heart and kidneys are working and this in turn increases your risk of heart disease.

-Maintain a healthy body weight. The more you weigh, the harder your heart has to work. Having excess weight on your body is not healthy and causes your organs to function differently. Women should aim to have a waist measurement of less than 35 inches and men less than 40. Your body mass index (body fat) should range from 18.5 to 24.9.

-Exercise. Moderate exercise for about 30 minutes a day for at least 3 days is all that is required to gain the benefits.

-Eat heart healthy foods. Fatty foods with increased sugar and fat levels do not fall into this category. Fruits, vegetables, proteins, nuts and whole grains do.

-Reduce stress. Stress causes the heart to work overtime, therefore increasing the risk of heart disease.

-Limit alcohol consumption.

If you are uncertain about your health in relation to any of these topics, consult your doctor for advice.

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