Heart disease affects all of our lives, though friends and family, or our own health concerns. There are many different names for it, some more technical than others, and it is the number one killer amongst Americans today. The facts are alarming: records show that 2600 Americans succumb to a form of cardiovascular disease. Some studies show that heart disease accounts for an average of one death every 34 seconds, and 7.1 million Americans have had a heart attack during their lifetime. But it can be prevented, and there are ways to lower your risk at being a statistic among the rates of heart disease. In order to understand how and why this happens to some people and not others, there are a few factors and traits that are common among heart disease patients that we can learn from.
5 percent of individuals who have heart disease in America are predisposed to it, due to genetics. Doctors can run tests to detect whether or not you are one of them. If heart disease runs in your family that may prompt you to ask your doctor how this may affect you and what you can do about it. Some risks associated with heart disease cannot be changed, like: increasing age, being male, and heredity. What can be changed are the other factors that put individuals at risk, like: tobacco smoke, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity, diabetes mellitus, stress and alcohol. These lifestyle choices are what truly affect the rates of heart disease in America, and they are also a way for you to learn and prevent heart disease affecting you and your family. Heart disease has also been linked to high cholesterol, so if cholesterol is a health issue that you are dealing with, you may want to take extra precautions so that heart disease does not have to become another ailment in your life.
Most people inflicted with heart disease have lived, and fully healed their hearts, so it is possible to live a healthy life with a strong heart. The key lies in prevention and nurturing and caring for the heart through leading a healthy lifestyle. The technicalities of heart disease are based on the heart muscles not getting enough oxygen to survive. Just as we need air to breath, our hearts need oxygen to function. The buildup of fat and cholesterol in the coronary arteries make it difficult for the organ to function, and you can change that. The Association of Heart Disease supplies a range of information that includes diet, lifestyle, and activism tips to jumpstart your healthy heart life. Changing your diet, getting physical activity, quitting smoking, reducing your stress and cutting back on alcohol can help to lower your odds.
You can recover from heart disease and get a second chance at living with a healthy heart, but taking care of your heart and leading a healthy lifestyle will do more than just help to avoid the odds of ever going through heart disease, it can also decrease your chances at a second heart issue, and increase the length of your life.
