by: Dr. Craig A. Maxwell
Heart disease is the number #1 killer of men and women. It is responsible for 41% of all deaths, outweighing other common causes of death including cancer, accidents, and AIDS. Heart disease affects more women than men though women may be more likely to recover from the disease than their male counterparts. Even in this world of modern medicine, one person dies from heart disease every 33 seconds. This page will help you reduce your heart disease risks naturally.
What it Heart Disease?
Heart disease is a blanket term used to describe any chronic problem with the heart.
Examples of heart disease include:
- Angina – This occurs when the heart muscle doesn’t get enough oxygen. Common symptoms of angina include chest tightness and pain.
- Cardiac Arrhythmia – Irregular heartbeat affects many people and may indicate a magnesium deficiency.
- Congenital Heart Disease – Congenital heart disease is a type of heart condition that begins at birth. Blockages, holes in the heart, and insufficient oxygen supply can cause lifelong health challenges.
- Coronary Artery Disease – This occurs when plaque deposits narrow the arteries surrounding the heart, resulting in loss of oxygen to the heart.
- Dilated Cardiomyopathy – If coronary artery disease is allowed to progress unchecked, it can develop into dilated cardiomyopathy. The heart becomes dilated due to lack of proper blood flow and can greatly increase your chances of dying from a heart attack.
- Myocardial Infarction – Otherwise known as a “heart attack”, this occurs when a blood clot develops in one of the coronary arteries, blocking blood flow.
- Heart Failure – Heart failure is closely associated with high blood pressure and can make the heart too weak and stiff to pump blood effectively.
- Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy – This is a common heart disorder that affects athletes. It is characterized by a thickening of the left ventricle wall, which makes it difficult for blood to leave the heart and circulate to the rest of the body.
- Mitral Valve Regurgitation – When the heart valve doesn’t close as tightly as it should, it can cause pumped blood to backflow into the heart. This can cause feelings of fatigue and weakness as the body starves for oxygen.
- Mitral Valve Prolapse – Mitral valve prolapse is a common type of heart disease whereby the left atrium and ventricle do not close properly. It often has few symptoms associated with it, which can make it difficult to detect.
- Pulmonary Stenosis – In pulmonary stenosis, the right ventricle of the heart is too tight, which causes it to have to work very hard to pump blood to the lungs. The blood is less oxygen-rich, which can cause skin to turn blue.
Heart Disease Risk Factors
In order to reduce heart disease risks, it’s important to understand how heart disease develops. Some risk factors you can help and some you can’t do much about. Risk factors such as age, ethnicity, genetics, and menopause are uncontrollable. However, there are lifestyle factors that can be changed in order to decrease your risk for developing cardiac disease.