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Heart Disease and Stroke still major Killers in UK
Heart Attacks:
In the UK we have one of the highest rates of death from heart disease in the world – the statistics tell us that
- One British adult dies from the disease every three minutes
- 80% of the people that die from heart attacks are over 65
What causes Heart Attacks?
A heart attack occurs when blood flow is blocked; this is often caused by a blood clot
Heart Disease causes many illnesses
When blood is not pumped properly around the body properly a range of conditions can cause long term problems, even death for suffers. The heart is responsible for pumping blood around the body which carries oxygen and nutrients to areas of the body which need them. If this process is interrupted or for one reason or another it does not work properly serious illness can be the result, the individual could even die. We have given a number of heart problems the generic term of Heart Disease, for example;
- Angina
- High Blood Pressure
- Hardened arteries
- Heart Muscle and Valve complaints
- Irregular or disturbed heart rhythm
And of Course
- Heart Attack
- Heart failure and
- Congenital heart disease
Some simple facts about your heart
- Your heart pumps around 100,000 times a day which equates to about 2.5 billion times during an average lifetime.
- Surprisingly the heart pushes the equivalent of eight tonnes of blood around your body every twenty four hours. And it doesn't stop for a rest; if it did we would be in big trouble and normally, you can't feel it doing all this pumping!
Potential symptoms of Heart Disease
Chest Pains, Shortage of breath, Pains in the arm/shoulder, Tiredness for no apparent reason. Whilst these are some of the symptoms of heart disease they are not all of the symptoms and you should consult a doctor if you have any worries on the matter. If you have any of these you should consult your General Practitioner, the sooner any anomaly is found the quicker it can be treated.
Strokes
What are strokes?
Strokes are caused by blocked blood vessels or blood vessels that burst in the brain.
There are two types of stroke;
- Those which are caused by blood clots in the brain - this is known as a ischaemic stroke and
- Those that happen when a blood vessel in the brain bursts - known as a haemorrhagic stroke
In both cases the brain is starved of oxygen and this damages brain cells or actually kills them. When this happens the sufferer is usually left with certain disabilities such as having difficulty walking, speaking or performing simple tasks which we all take for granted.
You can reduce your chances of having a stroke by taking regular exercise, by not smoking or stopping smoking, reducing alcohol consumption and by enjoying a good healthy diet.
Contributing Factors to Heart Disease and Strokes
It appears that many of the contribution factors to both heart disease and strokes are similar, here are some key factors.
- The use and abuse of certain drugs, in particular cocaine and also those taken intravenously, has been linked to heart disease and to strokes. Not surprisingly Cocaine can cause abnormal heartbeat, heroin and opiates can cause lung failure all of which can prove fatal. The process of drug use is also dangerous as Injecting drugs can cause an infection of the heart or blood vessels.
- Poor diet is cited as being a major contributor to heart disease, smoking is another, lack of exercise also contributes to heart conditions with men being more likely to take less exercise than women.
Tests and Treatments:
For heart and stroke problems there are a number of tests and treatments which include drugs, surgery and as a last resort, in the case of heart problems, bypass operations and transplants which can help sufferers by alleviating symptoms and in some cases actually saving lives.
What can we do to help ourselves?
Well the good news is that you don't have to live like a saint or hermit!
A good diet and regular exercise could help us all; in fact there are those who believe than a number of our illnesses are caused by not actually breathing properly and that breathing exercises should be just as important as physical exercise.
I recall when I used to practice martial arts regularly, a key part of the warm up and warm down process was to stimulate and control breathing through a series of exercises.
Food for thought in this I shouldn't wonder, let's face it if you can't do physical exercise due to an illness or condition it may be quite possible to do some breathing exercises without moving from a chair or bed. The breathing exercises help to increase and stimulate the flow of oxygen and nutrients being transported around the body by our blood. Physical exercise does this as well, the added value from physical exercise is that it exercises and strengthens the heart muscles as well as the lungs.
Regular Monitoring:
You should ask your family doctor for a regular check-up and if you are over 50 make sure that you have regular blood pressure readings, height and weight monitoring, and tests for cholesterol levels.
If you have not exercised for some time have a check up before undertaking any exercise! Do not push your body too far too quickly, you will only do more harm than good.
Note:
We are not and do not profess to be experts on any of these conditions – what we print here is for information only and if you have any worries about your heart or other areas of your body we recommend you consult your doctor who will treat any information given in strict confidence.
