Take Heart!
February is
Heart Month
(Actually, every month is Heart Health Month at Pharmasave!)
Do you have a relative, co-worker, a friend or an acquaintance having experienced health problems due to a heart disease? Maybe you are yourself?
Heart problems can range from high blood pressure to heart attacks, and all have a huge impact on your health. When your heart is working sub-optimally, your daily activities can be limited, affecting your quality of life. This is why PREVENTION is so important!
Your heart
The normal heart is a muscle slightly larger than your fist. On average, it beats 100,000 times a day and pumps about 8,000 litres of blood. In 70 years, the average human heart beats more than 2,500,000,000,000 times. The right side of the heart receives dark, bluish blood from the veins and pumps it to the lungs where carbon dioxide is removed and oxygen is picked up. The oxygen-rich blood, now bright red, returns to the left side of the heart where it is distributed to the body through arteries. The circulating blood brings oxygen and nutrients to all the organs and tissues of the body, including back to the heart muscle. It also picks up waste products from the body's cells. These waste products are removed through the kidneys, liver and lungs.
Your pacemaker
The heart pumps blood to the body's tissues by a sequence of contractions of its four chambers. The beating of the heart is controlled by electrical impulses from 2 small bundles of cells called the sino-atrial node and atrio-ventricular node. These natural "pacemakers" allow your heart rate to change in response to physical changes, such as when you exercise or have an emotional reaction.
Who gets heart disease?
Extensive research has identified the major risk factors for heart disease. Some factors such as family history of premature heart disease, age, and male sex are non-controllable. However, you can reduce your risk of developing heart disease. Smoking, high cholesterol level, high blood pressure, obesity and lack of exercise are controllable. Both diabetes and obesity are considered to be risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Changes in your lifestyle can help reduce your chances of developing a heart disease, whether you are susceptible or not.
Know your blood pressure!
When reading your blood pressure, you will see two numbers. The systolic blood pressure (the "top" number) represents the pressure generated when the heart beats. The diastolic blood pressure (the "bottom" number) represents the pressure in the vessels when the heart is at rest. Hypertension or high blood pressure is diagnosed when the systolic pressure (top) is consistently higher than 130-140, or when the diastolic pressure (bottom) is consistently over 85-90.
When the blood pressure is elevated, the heart has to work harder. Over time, the heart muscle expands. When the heart pumps against high pressure in the blood vessels, the left ventricle expands, and the total cardiac output (the volume of blood pumped by the heart) will actually drop, and thus heart failure may result.
Hypertension is associated with arteriosclerosis. This is characterized by the accumulation of fat and cholesterol deposits, causing thickening and hardening of arteries. High cholesterol levels can lead to this condition.
Knowing that one of the main cause for strokes and heart attack is high blood pressure; we understand how important it is to monitor blood pressure. Most pharmacies have blood pressure machines to help you monitor your pressure. You can also buy blood pressure monitors to use at home at your convenience. Keeping an eye on your pressure gives you an idea of how well your preventative therapy is working. |