Cardiovascular Disease
By: Betty Hart
The leading health problem in the world today is cardiovascular disease or heart disease. It claims more than one million lives every year. Because of the narrowing of blood vessels the heart is unable to maintain an adequate amount of blood circulation through the body. This inadequacy of the heart and blood vessels is called heart disease or cardiovascular disease. Heart Health is making sure that the heart and blood vessels have the necessary nutrients to keep them strong and working properly. The blood vessels have to be soft and plaque free.
There are different types of heart disease.
Coronary Heart Disease, is caused by the accumulation of fatty deposits along the innermost layer of coronary arteries. This thickening narrows the arteries and can lesson or eventually block the flow of blood to the heart.. Symptoms may include pain in the chest and /or heaviness, tightness and pressure. .
A heart attack happens when the heart muscle lacks oxygen. this occurs when there is a blockage of blood flow to the heart, robbing it of oxygen, and therefore robbing the rest of the body as well. most times this is caused by a build up of cholesterol and other fatty substances in the arteries.. If this lack of oxygen happens for a prolonged time , it damages or kills off the heart muscle cells in the area that was cut off , and this causes that area to malfunction. Symptoms may include 1.Severe chest pains, that may not recede even with rest 2.severe pressure and squeezing in the centre of the chest 3.pain in the shoulders ,neck, arms or the jaw 4.sweating, dizziness 5. nausea, and vomiting, and indigestion.
. Heart health contributes to health longevity because it affects not only the body but also the mind, and therefore has a long-term role in anti-aging.
Congestive heart failure is a condition in which your heart cannot pump enough oxygenated blood to meet the needs of other organs. Itmay result from high blood pressure, excessive sodium intake, heart valve disease, previous heart attack(s), and coronary artery disease, among others.
Symptoms may include:
1. Weight gain
2. Visible swelling of the legs and ankles .
3. Shortness of breath during rest or exercise
4. Fatigue
5. Loss of appetite and nausea
6 Persistent cough - often producing mucus or blood-tinged sputum.
Yet another type of cardiovascular disease can be the result of malfunctioning heart valves.
Heart valve disease is a malfunctioning of your heart valves, which are responsible for letting blood flow in and out of your heart. When your heart valves fail to open and close properly, your heart's capability to pump blood through your body may be severely disrupted, leading to heart failure. Heart valve disease may be due to damage from a previous heart attack or infection.
Symptoms may include:
1. Chest pain 2. Palpitations caused by irregular heartbeats 3. Migraine headaches
4. Fatigue 5 Dizziness 6 Shortness of breath
Angina is recurring chest pain or discomfort that happens when some part of your heart does not receive enough blood. Angina is a symptom of coronary heart disease.
Symptoms may include 1. pressing, squeezing, or crushing pain, usually in your chest under the breastbone. 2.pain in your arms, shoulders, jaw, neck, and/or back.
An episode of angina does not indicate that a heart attack is occurring, or that a heart attack is about to occur. Angina does indicate, however, that coronary heart disease is present and that some part of your heart is not receiving an adequate blood supply. If you have angina, you may have an increased risk of heart attack.
Doctors must diagnose correctly if one is to receive proper and beneficial treatment for heart disease. Some common methods for diagnosing heart disease are, electrocardiogram(EKG), where a set of sensory pads are placed on strategic areas of your chest and a record of the heart's beating patterns are recorded.
Another method is the Stress Electrocardiogram(Stress EKG), where one is put under physical stress , like running on a treadmill, where abnormalities in the beat of the heart are recorded. Angiocardiography is another method which is used to diagnose the condition of the arteries. A catheter is inserted into the artery and dye is released into the blood stream. Blockages and other abnormalities are discovered on a monitor, by observing the dye flowing through the arteries.
It is always best to have a heart check up every year as part of the normal annual check up regardless of age, as heart disease can strike at any time.
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Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com
Read More......Exercise Bikes - Good Option for Workout
By Sharon Mirin
Although we pride over the fact that human is the most developed of all species, we have to admit that we are also very lazy. Most of the time we blame our working environment for making our lifestyle so hectic, but in reality most of us are just too lazy to walk that extra mile or exercise. We have bad food habits, relying mostly on junk food. It is true that the job situation demands such a lifestyle, but can’t we be more responsible towards our own health?
People often find it impossible to jog or run outside in the parks. Maybe the lack of empty spaces and time constraints are the reasons for this. Therefore, the next option is to perform the same exercises in the closed doors. Bicycles are known not only as a means to travel but also for its good effect on health.
This feature, that bicycles are good for health is used in exercise bikes. Exercise bikes are used for workout of the whole body. They resemble an ordinary bicycle and perform the same function, only difference being that they are stationary. Even normal bicycles can be used as a stationary machine if they are placed on rollers or trainers.
How it works?
An exercise bike is provided with a seat where you can sit jus as in a normal bicycle. There are two pedals provided with a chain. You have to keep your feet on the pedals and start the circular motion. You can increase or decrease the resistance of the pedals at your will. The resistance is the key to developing muscle strength in the hips, calf and legs. Magnets, as well as friction are used to increase the resistance. Different people are advised to use different levels of resistance based on the training they need.
Benefits
In most multi-gyms, exercise bikes are must. They are very good for body “warm-up” or toning the body before one starts hardcore fitness training.
Exercise bikes help to tone up the muscles in the hips and in the calf region of the legs. Changing resistance levels help to build a better impact on the muscles. People who are suffering from obesity are generally advised to use exercise bikes. It helps to increase body metabolism and thus excess calories and fats are used up.
Exercise bikes also give a very good cardiovascular workout. In medical clinics and rehabilitation centers, patients are advised to workout on these bikes.
These are also low-impact machines. Low impact means that using these machines will not affect the bones of the body. Unlike in a treadmill where you have to run, jog or brisk walk, here you do not have to exert that much pressure on your feet. As a result, there is little possibility of your bones being jarred and in turn sustain damage.
Balancing is also easier in exercise bikes. It is very unlikely that a person on an exercise bike will lose balance. Even if he does, he will not be injured, unlike in a treadmill The new generation bikes provide recumbent seats. Prolong use in normal seats can damage the bones in the spinal chord. Besides, it can cause neck pain. Recumbent seats are thus more comfortable to be used.
So, what are you waiting for? Stop complaining about busy work schedule, stop cribbing over lack of parks, hit an exercise bike now and get a completely toned up body.
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sharon_Mirin
Heart Disease Prevention | The Diabetes-Heart Disease Connection
by Diana Benzaia
If you saw a tiger, you'd run for your life. But what if you didn't see it? For those of you with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, heart disease is that unseen tiger. You're two to four times more likely to develop a heart condition than people without diabetes? Even more shocking, those individuals are more likely to die from heart disease or other cardiovascular ills than from the complications of diabetes itself. Yet surveys show that 68 percent of Americans with diabetes are unaware of their increased cardiovascular risk.If you have diabetes, now is the time to take steps to protect your heart.
"High blood glucose alters cell metabolism," says Richard Kahn, Ph.D., chief scientific and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association (ADA). When the function of platelet cells changes, the likelihood of blood clots increases and the risk of heart attack rises. Cells that line the artery walls are also affected; the ability of blood vessels to dilate is impaired, which can lead to high blood pressure.
One pivotal phenomenon underlying these changes is inflammation, already known to promote heart disease. Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, for example, found high blood glucose linked to chronic inflammation in the blood vessel walls of mice.
Prevention Works
The first step to protecting your heart? Control your glucose. In the groundbreaking Diabetes Control and Complications Trial to determine the effects of glucose on complications, type 1 patients underwent intensive glucose control. A later study found these participants were 57 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease over the next 16 years.
Although the findings haven't been confirmed in those with type 2, high blood glucose levels have been proven to increase the risk of heart disease in both kinds of diabetes. Says David Nathan, M.D., professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and co-chair of the type 1 study, "The major difference is that people with type 2 are generally older, heavier and more likely to have hypertension and abnormal cholesterol levels, all of which puts them at much higher risk for heart disease." For them, prevention is even more urgent.
Keep your heart healthy by following the ABCs of diabetes prevention: Aim for A1C levels below 7 percent, blood pressure below 130/80 mm Hg and LDL cholesterol below 100 mg/dl.
"Everyone with diabetes should know their numbers and goals, and get checked regularly," says John Buse, M.D., lead author of the ADA and American Heart Association's new joint statement on preventing cardiovascular diseases in people with diabetes. Start with a healthy lifestyle:
Even if your doctor prescribes medication, don't give up on diet and exercise: A healthy lifestyle not only has broad positive effects on blood glucose levels, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, says Dr. Buse, but also helps you fight depression, function at your best and maintain your energy.
Sources: Journal of the American College of Cardiology, November 20, 2002; Journal of the American Medical Association, November 27, 2002, and January 21, 2004; Arthritis and Rheumatism, 2005 supplement, Abstract 149; New England Journal of Medicine, December 22, 2005.
If you have diabetes, you can stem your risk for heart disease by controlling your glucose levels and adopting a healthy lifestyle--and enjoy the years ahead in better health.
About the Author
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