Heart Health

This is my notes on heart and heart diseases obtained solely from MedicalNet.com (wholesale -picture and notes), to be shared with my readers who might be interested to know. Let it be known that MedicalNet.com claim to bring Doctor's knowledge to you ... so I take the liberty to share their notes with you on the subject and should you need to know about any doctor's knowledge ( on any other topics important to you).. you know where to go and find them.

Your heart is an amazing powerhouse that pumps and circulates 5 or 6 gallons of blood each minute through your entire body

Understanding how the heartworks

To understand heart disease, you must first know how the heart works. The heart is like any other

muscle, requiring blood to supply oxygen and nutrients for it to function. It beats about

100,000 times a day, pumping blood through your circulatory system. The cycle of pumping blood throughout your body carries fresh oxygen to your lungs and nutrients to your body's tissues. Blood also takes waste, such as carbon dioxide, away from your tissues, without this process we could not live.

What is heart disease?

Heart disease begins when cholesterol, fatty material, and calcium build up in the arteries , a process known as atherosclerosis. When this occurs in the arteries that supply the heart, this buildup, or plaque, causes the arteries to narrow, so that oxygen delivery to the heart is reduced. The reduction in oxygen delivery to the heart can create chest pain, also called angina.

Blockage of the coronary arteries by plaque may cause a heart attack (myocardial infarction) or a fatal rhythm disturbance (sudden cardiac arrest).

The link between heart disease

and heart attack

When plaque builds up to the point that it ruptures, it causes a blood clot to form in the coronary artery. The blood clot blocks blood from flowing to the heart muscle, leading to a heart attack. In a worst-case scenario, sudden cardiac arrest or fatal rhythm disturbance can occur.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S

Heart disease: the number - one killer.

Heart disease affects about 14 million men and women in the United States, and it has a high mortality rate. In fact, it takes more lives than the next seven leading causes of death combined.

What are the risk factors for heart disease?

Some of the common risk factors for

heart disease include

• smoking,
• high blood pressure (hypertension),
• high cholesterol,
• diabetes,
• family history of heart disease,
• peripheral artery disease, and
• obesity.

Lifestyle risk factors that contribute to heart disease include :-

lack of exercise,

high-fat diet,

emotional stress and

having a "type A" personality (aggressive, impatient, competitive).

One of the most devastating consequences of heart disease can be sudden cardiac arrest

Sudden cardiac death - a fatal consequence of heart disease. Everyone's experience with heart disease is different. Some people experience shortness of breath or chest pain and make it to the hospital in time to be treated. Others are not as lucky. For some people, sudden cardiac arrest can be the first symptom they experience, and it is often deadly unless treated immediately.

Besides chest pain (angina) and shortness of breath, some other common symptoms of heart disease include jaw pain, back pain, and heart palpitations.

What are common symptoms of heart disease?

Symptoms of heart disease usually occur during exercise or activity. That's because the heart experiences increased demand for nutrients and oxygen that cannot be met because the coronary arteries are blocked. Other symptoms of heart disease include

chest pain (angina), shortness of breath, jaw pain, and back pain, especially on the left side

Other symptoms of heart disease may include dizziness, weakness, irregular heartbeat, nausea, and abdominal pain.

Other symptoms of heart disease may include

• dizziness or light-headedness,
• weakness when at rest,
• irregular heartbeat,
• nausea, and
• abdominal pain.

Women, seniors, and people with diabetes tend to experience heart disease differently than men.

What are the heart disease symptoms in women, seniors, and people with diabetes?

For many women, seniors, and people with diabetes, pain is not a symptom of heart disease at all. Instead of experiencing discomfort, they often have symptoms of malaise or fatigue.

There are variety of tests to detect heart disease and it related treatments. Not to forget are some available means of control and lifestyle changes that can be made to prevent heart disease but that will another dig on this not so heart warming topic.

May Allah bless us all and keep us from suffering this dreadful disease.

Have a nice and productive days ahead.

Heart Attacks And Drinking Warm Water (updated)

In the last posting I extolled the virtue of drinking water. Then I heard about "Heart attacks and drinking warm water", when I googled on the subject, I found many similar articles on the internet.. one of them is written by Armen Hareyan on 2008-06-24. There are also articles that say it is a myth as it is yet to be scientifically proven. That said here is the article.

The article is not only about drinking the warm water after your meal, but about Heart Attacks. The Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals, not cold water, maybe it is time we adopt their drinking habit while eating.

The picture is from MedicalNet.com

For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you. It is very Harmful to have Cold Drink/Water during a meal. Because, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

French fries and Burgers are the biggest enemy of heart health. A coke after that gives more power to this demon. That are for those with western taste. On a similar note for us Malaysian, Roti Chanai (Pan cake of wheat flour fried using ghee or oil) and Nasi Lemak (Rice cooked with coconut milk) are the biggest enemy of heart health. A Teh Tarik (tea with milk -a Malaysian style concoction of sort) after that gives more ummph to the taste-bud and more power to this demon. Do try our level best to avoid them for our Heart's Health.


Common Symptoms Of Heart Attacks
A serious note about heart attacks - You should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line.You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack. Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms. 60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.

A cardiologist says if everyone who reads this message sends it to 10 people, you can be sure that we'll save at least one life. Read this & Send to a friend. It could save a life... So, please be a true friend and send this article to all your friends you care about.

It was only yesterday, I went to visit a colleague who is recuperating from an open heart surgery conducted after a chest pain during a course of heart attack. I have yet to visit another colleague who have the misfortune of having a stroke while having an open heart surgery.

I think in this few years I have visited more than five close friends who have open heart operations. Most of them very eager to share their experience and I found out the medical term they used are out of my vocabulary.

I believe it is time for me to learn more about the heart attack.. next post maybe.

Important Notes from the Readers (precious input on the subject matter)

Andrea Wh@tever said...

Until one day, my maternal grandfather told my husband to drink very warm water first thing very morning i. e. as soon as he wakes up and even before he brushes his teeth. And it worked! Somehow, the very warm water had a calming effect on his colon and jump-started the morning in a relaxed way. So every morning, it has become a routine for us. Drink very warm water first, no matter where we are. (For more detail, kindly read her full comments to this post below- thank you Andrea for sharing with us your precious input).

Rosfida Abu Sufi said...

I agree that taking water the first thing in the morning could help with digestion.

It really works!!

(thank you Puan Rosfida for sharing with us your precious personal experience)

VersedAnggerik said...

Dah hampir sepuluh tahun tak minum air sejuk or ais (for about ten years I have not taken cold or iced drinks), and I do see the effects.

Sendi kurang sakit (less joint-pain),

perut kurang buncit (less protruding stomach),

gigi kurang sakit (sensitive teeth!)

(thank you VerseAnggerik for sharing with us your precious experience)

May Allah bless us all and we take refuge in Him from getting heart attack.