Heart Disease

A lot of people struggle with heart health because they do not understand the dynamics that cause heart problems or that result in a healthy heart. Understanding heart disease, its causes and the ways on how to prevent it is very essential.

The heart is a pump located in the chest where blood flow and oxygen is depleted while circulating through the body. The blood then flows into the right ventricle, which pumps the blood out to the lungs for oxygenation.

Every time the heart contracts, pressure are then created. For it to work correctly the muscles of the heart need to be healthy and the arteries should be clear enough to accept the oxygenated blood.

The blood supply that goes to the heart through the coronary arteries is what nourishes it. So, as a fact, the heart’s strength depends on the blood supply it gets.

A healthy heart is characterized by elastic coronary arteries that are flexible. The artery’s inner lining is smooth which allows the blood to flow without clotting.

Preventing heart attack starts through monitoring and modifying certain risk factors for it. Risk factors are interrelated to each other - there is no risk factor that is stand alone. This is where a lot of people run into problems as they tend to treat one risk factor or symptom and then leave the rest for their system to work on. It is essential to note that the entire system is co-dependent on each other. As an example, if the blood is unhealthy, the heart will neither be healthy. If the heart muscle is not healthy, blood pressure will have a deleterious effect on the heart as well as the arteries.

Each of us may have one or more risk factors and these may be reduced if we make moderate changes in one area of life. One most common misunderstood aspect of heart health is believing that exercise and diet automatically equates to a healthy heart, which is not true at all. A healthy diet in itself will not correct high cholesterol. Exercise on its own does not improve the effectiveness of a weak heart.

Having a healthy heart involves a partnership between the doctor and the patient, the reason why doctors and drugs are needed.  A doctor cannot single-handedly protect a patient from a heart attack and a patient on the other hand cannot protect themselves without the assistance of a medical professional.

In order to enjoy a high quality of life right to the end, it is important for patients to take an active roll in their own health program.