Protect Your Heart: Your Health Matters

In the U.S. alone, over 800,000 people die from the various types of cardiovascular disease each year. That’s one in every three deaths. What about heart attacks? Out of 1.5 million sufferers, they claim the lives of 500,000 a year. Too, around 14 million have arrhythmias, which increase the risk for heart attack, cardiac arrest and stroke.

Needless to say, there is plenty that can go wrong with the heart. That’s why you need to care for your heart now before a serious condition threatens your well-being. To do this, though, you need to know what factors put you at risk and how you can decrease that risk.

This term encompasses many conditions that affect the structures and function of the heart. This includes coronary artery disease, congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathy and so on. These result in an array of troubling symptoms. Are you among those who have a greater chance of developing one of these diseases?

Males are more likely than females to have cardiovascular disease. Increasing age and a family history of the disease also increase risk. These factors are not in your control, yet, there are some things that are.

You’ll want to reduce stress, keep active and properly manage conditions such as diabetes and HBP. If you smoke, it would also be wise to quit. Making these lifestyle changes just might help you ward off any variation of cardiovascular disease.

Myocardial infarction — also known as “heart attack” — occurs when the flow of oxygen-rich blood through the heart is interrupted. If blood flow is not restored quickly, there is progressive damage to the muscle. In reality, the affected section of the heart begins to die

Here again, men, older individuals and those with a family history of heart attack are more prone. Race is also a factor. A higher concentration of other risk factors means that African Americans, Mexican Americans and minority groups have higher risk.

The best protection is exercise, healthy eating, reduction of stress and avoidance of smoking. Too, existing conditions such as diabetes and high cholesterol must be closely monitored and controlled.

Arrhythmia is when the heart beats irregularly, too fast or too slow. Depending on the type alone a person may be more likely to develop other more serious cardiovascular issues. So what measures can you take for prevention?

Cut down on possible triggers such as caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and stress. You might also try Omega-3 fatty acids, which can be found in cold-water, fatty fish. Adding this to your diet or even taking a supplement may lower your risk.

If you are not currently suffering from any of the above problems, you surely want to keep it that way. Why not follow the actionable steps discussed above to protect your heart? But don’t be dedicated only to the health of your own heart. Why not show that you care just as much about the health of others? How can you do this?

By celebrating World Heart Day, which is coming up on September 29. World leaders instituted this special day in hopes that by 2025, the number of deaths from such diseases would be reduced by a quarter. By raising awareness, you can help others to understand the importance of cardiovascular health and to take action!