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.