Please Be Careful With Your Heart

The title of this post-valentine article reminds you of a familiar song. This, however, is not about love or falling in and falling out of love, or the usual boy meets girl and the boy loses girl topic. This is about heart problems and how to deal with them naturally.

The cardiovascular system

The heart is the part of a body system called cardiovascular system. The cardiovascular system is composed of the heart and the blood vessels. The heart pumps out blood with oxygen through a big blood vessel called the aorta. The blood is then distributed and circulated throughout the body through the different blood vessels.

What are the common medical problems related to the heart and the blood vessels?

Cardiovascular disease or heart disease is one of the leading causes of sickness and death among Filipinos. It is the leading health problem in the Western world.

One common condition is angina pectoris. This is a condition brought about by narrowing of blood vessels that supply oxygen to the heart itself. These blood vessels are called coronary arteries. When coronary arteries are blocked due to cholesterol or fat deposits, oxygen deprivation results to the classic chest pain characterized as heaviness or tightness on the chest.

Angina pectoris can be a precursor to a heart attack or myocardial infarction. When oxygen and nutrients to the heart are obstructed, the flow of blood may be cut off completely, leading to heart attack. Myocardial infarction results to damage in the heart muscles. Aside from fat deposits, the hardening of the blood vessels in arteriosclerosis and deposits of blots clots or thrombus can clog blood vessels in the heart. Heart attack, if not addressed immediately, can lead to cardiac arrest or death.

Abnormal rhythms of the heart are called arrythmia. Arrythmia may be in the form of fast heart beat (tachycardia, palpitations), slow heart beat or bradycardia, missed or skip beats (ectopic beats), and flutter and fibrillation (rapid twitching of heart muscles due to electrical error). Disruptions in the normal rhythm of the heart are caused by defects of the electrical conductive cells' ability to fire normal electrical conduction.

Other conditions that can affect the heart are: cardiomyopathy (a group of heart diseases that affect the heart muscles), carditis (swelling or inflammation of the heart muscles), aneurysm (the wall of a vessel becomes thin and bulging), and congestive heart failure (caused by accumulation of fluid in the lungs).

Being charge

Always have your blood pressure checked and monitored. Addressed related problems like diabetes and hypertension. Avoid fatty foods. Avoid sweet and sugary foods. Exercise. Sleep well. Avoid tension and anxiety: Learn to forgive and forget.