Understanding Heart Disease

Most people struggle with cholesterol and heart health because they do not understand the dynamics that cause heart problems, or result in a healthy heart. The mix is corrupted by the fact that age, diet, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, physical activity, and disease has a dynamic impact on the heart’s health.

Blood is alive. It needs to be fed and nurtured. Healthy blood promotes a healthy body, and a healthy heart.

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

Pressure is created when the heart contracts. To work right, the heart muscle needs to be healthy, and the arteries clear enough to accept the oxygenated blood.

The heart is nourished by the blood supplied to the heart through the coronary arteries. So, in fact, the strength of the heart depends on the blood supply.

A healthy heart has elastic coronary arteries that are flexible. The inner lining of the artery is smooth. This allows the blood to flow without clotting.

Almost 1.5 million Americans have a heart attack each year, or that is 1 heart attack every 20 seconds, with a 1/3 fatality rate. Currently, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the USA.

Understanding the importance of blood is the first step in understanding how to prevent a diseased heart. Once you understand that blood is alive then it is possible to establish a heart attack prevention program.

Heart attack prevention starts by monitoring and modifying certain risk factors. These risk factors are interrelated – there is no one stand alone risk factor. This is where people run into problems. They treat one risk factor, or one symptom, and leave the rest of their system. The entire system is co-dependent on each other. If the blood is not healthy, the heart will not be healthy. If the heart muscle is not healthy, blood pressure will have a detrimental effect on the heart and arteries.
Each of us may have one or more risk factors. If we make moderate change in one area of life, we may reduce other risk factors at the same time.

The most misunderstood aspect of heart health is believing that exercise and diet automatically equals a healthy heart. This is not true. In some cases, a healthy diet will not correct high cholesterol. Exercise will not improve the effectiveness of a weak heart.

This is why drugs and doctors are needed. Heart health is a partnership between the doctor and the patient. A doctor cannot single-handedly protect a patient from a heart attack. A patient cannot protect themselves without the assistance of a doctor.

In a very liberal way, a healthy heart depends on a collaboration between doctor and patient. A patient should consult their doctor before taking any supplements or changing their diet. This does not mean the patient must ask permission – instead, the patient should instigate educated conversations with their doctor.

Patients should take an active roll in their own health program if they want to enjoy a high quality of life right to the end – whenever that might be.

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