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Health Awareness - Preventing Heart Disease
» INTRODUCTION
» SMOKING /
TOBACCO
» DIET
» EXERCISE
» BLOOD
PRESSURE
» WEIGHT
» STRESS
» DIABETES
INTRODUCTION
Heart disease is the leading cause of death
for people over the age of 35. Coronary artery disease is caused
by a process called atherosclerosis whereby there is deposition
of cholesterol on the inner walls of the artery, leading to
narrowing of the lumen of the arteries thus, decreasing the
blood supply to the area supplied by those atherosclerosed
arteries. When cholesterol deposits cause narrowing of the
coronary arteries, the patient complains of angina (chest pain)
and a total occlusion of these arteries causes myocardial
infarction or, heart attacks.
Scientists have identified factors that
increase a person’s chances of developing heart disease. These
are known as risk factors. Some risk factors for heart disease
cannot be changed. For example, men have a higher risk for
heart disease than women. Having family members who have had
heart disease also increase your risk. But fortunately, many
risk factors for heart disease can be controlled. Smoking, diets
high in fats, high blood pressure, diabetes, stress, obesity and
lack of routine exercise are all linked to increased risk of
heart disease. When one risk factor, such as high blood
pressure, is combined with other risk factors, the risk of heart
attack or stroke is greatly increased. Managing all the risk
factors for heart disease really works. Well, for example,
during the past 20 years, deaths from heart disease have gone
down 33% in the United States, saving as many as 2,50,000 lives
each year !
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SMOKING /
TOBACCO :-
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Cigarette smokers have more than twice
the risk of having a heart attack than non-smokers. They
have two to four times, the risk of cardiac arrest. The
earlier a person starts smoking, the more he smokes, the
greater the risk to his health. Giving up smoking rapidly
reduces the risk of heart disease. After about 8-10 years,
the risk for a person who stopped smoking is the same as the
risk for a person who never smoked.
Even tobacco chewing, rubbing on the gums
or sniffing can be equally injurious. Nicotine in tobacco is
absorbed and reaches heart within a few seconds only.
Inhaling the smoke of others, called second-hand smoking,
may be as dangerous as smoking. You should avoid long-term
exposure to high levels of smoke and protect children from
this potential danger. If you do not smoke, do not start. If
you do smoke, quit.
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DIET :-
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Diets high in saturated fats and cholesterol increase the
risk of heart disease. These diets raise the level of
cholesterol found in the blood. This increase the chances
that cholesterol will be deposited on blood vessel walls,
reducing blood flow.
Although some cholesterol in the body is essential, excess
of it is harmful. The amount of cholesterol in the blood is
determined by how much your body produces and by the food
you eat. Foods high in cholesterol include egg yolks and
organ meats such as liver, shrimp and lobster.
A more significant
contributor to an unhealthy blood cholesterol level is
saturated fat. Saturated fats raise the blood cholesterol
level by interfering with the body’s ability to remove
cholesterol from the blood. Saturated fats are found in
meat, whole milk, and whole milk products.
Limit your intake of saturated fats.
Moderation is the key. Make changes whenever possible.
Substitute low fat or skimmed milk for whole milk and
margarine for butter. Trim visible fat from meat and boil or
bake instead of frying. Substitute fish for red meat
occasionally. Eat fruit and vegetables for snacks instead of
fast food .
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EXERCISE :-
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Regular sports or exercise has many
benefits, including increased muscle tone and weight
control. Exercise may also help you survive a heart attack
due to the increased circulation of blood through the
development of additional channels for blood flow. We know
that exercise is good for almost every system in our body.
Exercise can help you cope with stress, control your weight,
ward off infections, improve self-esteem, sleep better and
accomplish your personal fitness goals. To achieve
cardiovascular fitness, you must exercise your heart. To do
this, you should exercise at least three times a week for 20
to 30 minutes, maintaining you target heart rate range for
at least 15 minutes. Your target heart rate range is 65 to
80% of your maximum heart rate. To find your target heart
rate range, subtract your age from 220, and then multiply
that number by 0.65.
Consider a 40 year old who wants to
exercise at 65% of his or her maximum heart rate. The target
heart rate would be (200-40) x 0.65 = 117 beats per minutes.
This person should get his or her pulse rate to 117 beats
per minute for at least 15 - 25 minutes doing the workout.
(But for heart patients or those taking medicines that can
alter heart rate response to exercise this formula may not
work. Ask your doctor regarding this.)
As you exercise, take your pulse
periodically at the wrist or neck. Exercise must be
continuous and vigorous to maintain the target heart rate.
As you build cardiovascular fitness, you will eventually be
able to exercise for longer periods of time and at a higher
target heart rate. Be sure to warm up before vigorous
exercise and cool down afterwards.
Turn your daily activites into exercise.
Walk briskly or bicycle instead of driving. Climb the stairs
instead of taking the escalator. Pedal an exercise bike
while watching TV, listening to music or reading.
If you have not been exercising regularly
or have health problems, see your doctor before starting an
exercise program. Build up slowly.
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BLOOD PRESSURE :-
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Uncontrolled high blood pressure can
damage blood vessels in the heart and other organs. You can
control high blood pressure by losing excess weight,
exercising regularly, and changing your diet. When these are
not enough, your doctor can prescribe medications. You
should take medications only as prescribed. Quitting smoking
and tobacco is also very helpful.
High blood pressure has no specific,
easily recognized symptoms. It is important to have regular
checkups to guard against high blood pressure and its
effects.
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WEIGHT
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Many adults and children are overweight,
some to the point of obesity. It is defined as weighing 20%
more than your desirable body weight. Obesity contributes to
many diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure,
diabetes, and gall bladder disease. However, body weight is
not the main problem. The presence of too much body fat
contributes to these disease.
Losing weight, especially fat, is no easy
task. Weight loss and gain depend on a balance of intake of
calories and output of energy. If you take in more calories
than you use, you gain weight. If you use more calories than
you take in, you lose weight.
Day-to-day weight changes reflect changes
in the levels of fluids in your body. So if you are watching
your weight, track your weight loss on weekly account, not on
day-to-day differences.
Diet changes should always be combined
with daily exercise. Any activity, such as walking to the
bus, climbing the stairs, and cleaning the house, uses
calories. The more active you are , the more calories you
use.
Your body’s metabolism slows down as you
age. Hence, your eating habits should change, as you grow
older. It is important, as you grow older to eat foods that
provide your body with essential nutrients but are not high
in calories.
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STRESS
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Excessive, persistent stress, negative
emotions, isolation, psychological problems like depression,
anxiety etc. can greatly increase you risk for developing
heart disease or stroke by aggravating risk factors like
high blood pressure, diabetes, blood cholesterol, behavioral
abnormalities like overeating and unwillingness to exercise,
etc. Severe persistent stress can even accelerate clogging
of your coronary arteries and may precipitate heart attack
or aggravate your old stable angina.
Stress is inevitable in today’s competitive demanding
life. Learning to handle stress by various relaxation
techniques (yoga, meditation) and managing your work and
time more efficiently can help reduce your overall stress
level and hence risk for heart disease.
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DIABETES
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Compared to non-diabetics, diabetics
(especially, Indians with poor diabetes control, obesity,
and lipid abnormalities) are at 2-3 times higher risk for
developing heart disease. Moreover diabetics tend to develop
multiple blocks in their coronary arteries and yet may not
experience classical angina pain (silent Ischemia) due to
the damaged nerves of the heart. Because of these reasons
overall treatment outcome of diabetic patients is
comparatively poorer.
Good and persistent control of blood
sugar levels with periodic regular checkups, along with
other precautions like regular exercise, low fat diet,
maintaining ideal body weight, etc. can help them reduce
their risk and severity of heart disease.
Participate in our cardiac rehabilitation and
comprehensive risk factor reduction program and reduce your
risk for heart disease.
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