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The human heart is built for amazing
endurance - billions of beats in an average lifetime - but like
any other part of the body, it is vulnerable to breakdowns.
Heart problems vary widely in their nature and severity. They
may be transient or chronic, slow-developing or sudden, inconvenient
or deadly. Some types of heart disease that are closely linked
to diet and lifestyle choices are preventable; others are due
to genetic inheritance, infections, or other uncontrollable
factors. Two of every five North Americans will ultimately die
of heart disease.
Heart disease is the number one killer of adults in North America
and is striking younger people each year without prior warning.
Many cases do not involve symptoms such as chest pains, shortness
of breath or other symptoms common to heart disease. Cholesterol
can collect around the heart first, then accumulate in the veins
and arteries, hiding it's presence. This is why the heart can
suffer extensive damage without exhibiting any warning symptoms.
Heart conditions are related to bad diet, excessive alcohol
consumption, smoking and lack of exercise. Lifestyle and diet
change should always be considered in order to protect the circulatory
system. A typical American diet of meat, potatoes, sugar and
white flour products is paving the way for heart disease. A
good diet of whole grains (high fiber), fresh vegetables and
fruits and herbs will help clean and nourish the arteries. Regular
exercise also has a protective effect on the heart and blood
vessels.
Poor bowel function is another important cause of accumulation
of fats and other toxins on the artery walls. It creates stagnation
in the bowels, which fosters anaerobic bacteria that produce
toxic waste. If bowel movements are not properly eliminated
after each meal toxins can circulate in the blood stream and
are deposited in all the organs of the body, including the heart.
Impurities in the blood can negatively affect the heart's normal
operation. Both blood and lymph fluid attempt to protect the
heart by collecting toxins from arterial walls and the cardiac
muscles. It is very important to purify and nourish the blood,
which is best done with periodic cleansing of the colon, liver,
and arteries. A parasite cleanse may also be necessary if parasitic
infection is suspected.
Women and Heart
Disease
'Syndrome X' is a more and more prevalent
female heart condition that presents the classic symptoms of
angina (severe chest pain and difficulty breathing) or heart
attack without the classic cause, coronary artery blockage.
Until very recently, cardiologists had done little to explain
'Syndrome X'. It is still under study, but one theory holds
that it is caused by circulation problems in small vessels of
the heart. Lack of interest stemmed in part from lack of concern:
nearly two-thirds of Syndrome X patients are women, and traditionally
women were thought to get heart disease only rarely. However,
statistical evidence is greatly challenging that notion - and
finally changing attitudes about women and heart disease.
Among other things, the evidence indicates that heart disease
is the number one killer of North American women. At least half
of all North American women eventually die of heart disease,
and six times as many die of heart attacks annually as succumb
to breast cancer.
Women tend not to display the textbook symptoms of heart disease
- most likely a result of the fact that most of the textbooks
are based on all-male studies. It also turns out that some traditional
diagnostic and treatment tools (the exercise stress test being
one of them) do not work nearly as well for women as for men.
Also, the death rate for women who have undergone coronary bypass
surgery is at least twice as high as that for men, most probably
because women's blood vessels are smaller. However, the same
risk factors (such as smoking and high blood pressure) apply
to both sexes.
Syndrome X, then, is but only one of the challenges confronting
doctors in their efforts to address the special problems women
face when it comes to heart or any other diseases.
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Common
Types of Heart Disease
Heart Arrhythmias: Arrhythmias are
disturbances in the heart's normal beating pattern. The irregularities
occur in many forms, each with its own potential causes and
treatments. Serious arrhythmias are a frequent consequence
of other heart diseases, but may also occur independently.
Occasional, isolated disturbances of the heartbeat are common
and usually harmless. Signs of more serious arrhythmias include
the following:
For Tachycardia or abnormally rapid heartbeat:
Recurrent palpitations defined as an
uncomfortable awareness of your heartbeat. The palpitations
may take the form of a strong pulse in the neck, a flip-flopping
heart, or a fluttering, thumping, pounding or racing beat
in the chest.
Chest discomfort, weakness, fainting,
sweating, shortness of breath, confusion or dizziness.
For Bradycardia, or abnormally slow heartbeat:
Fatigue, shortness of breath, light-headedness, or loss
of consciousness.
Coronary Heart Disease: Coronary heart disease, the most common
of all heart problems, is characterized by blockages in the
coronary arteries that result in a reduction in blood flow
to the heart muscle, depriving it of vital oxygen. Usually,
this disease stems from atherosclerosis; an inflammatory condition
sometimes called hardening of the arteries. Severe coronary
heart disease can lead to congestive heart failure (a general
weakness of the heart that results in ineffective blood pumping
action).
Coronary heart disease can also result in painful episodes
of angina (a crushing or constrictive pain - like a vice squeezing
the chest), or a heart attack, or in the worst case scenario,
sudden cardiac death.
Heart Valve Disease: The heart has four valves: the pulmonary,
mitral, tricuspid and aortic. The valves open and close to
permit blood flow between the heart's four chambers and connected
blood vessels. A defective valve may fail to open properly,
obstructing blood flow, or to close properly, allowing blood
leakage. Congenital heart disease and various inflammatory
conditions are among the causes of valve disorders.
Valve disorders frequently involve the mitral and aortic valves,
which control blood flow on the left side of the heart. The
most common valve disorder is called mitral valve prolapse:
excessive value tissue interferes with the normal closing
of the valve, causing leakage. In most people this is not
too serious of a problem.
Endocarditis is an inflammatory condition that affects heart
valves. This disease is an infection or inflammation of the
endocardium, the innermost layer of heart tissue that lines
the chambers and valves. It is usually caused by bacterial
infection, with the staphylococcus and streptococcus bacteria
as most likely culprits. Bacteria may enter the blood and
take root in the heart during illness, after surgery, or as
a result of any intravenous drug use. The disease can be fatal
if left untreated, but it generally can be helped with antibiotics
(make sure you take a full-spectrum probiotic after taking
any antibiotics). If heart valves are seriously damaged as
a result of endocarditis, valve replacement surgery may be
needed.
Rheumatic heart disease is another type of heart disease affecting
valves, and was very common earlier in this century but is
now largely preventable, although it still occurs. The disease
stems from damage to the heart muscle and valves caused by
rheumatic fever, which itself is associated with strep throat.
Symptoms of rheumatic heart disease are generally delayed
for many years, but if valves were damaged severely enough
by the fever, they will eventually leak or impede proper blood
flow. Rheumatic heart disease generates characteristic heart
murmurs that can be detected upon examination. Congestive
heart failure (ineffective heart pumping action) and atrial
fibrillation (a particular type of arrhythmia), are also common
complications. In cases of severe rheumatic heart disease,
valves may be either reopened or replaced.
Pericardial Disease: Any disease of the pericardium, the membranous
sac surrounding the heart, is classified as pericardial disease.
The more common is an inflammatory condition called pericarditis.
It is usually caused by viral infection, a connective-tissue
disease such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis or possibly
trauma to the pericardium. Pericarditis often follows open-heart
surgery. Excess fluid buildup within the pericardium is a
frequent symptom of the disease. Listening with a stethoscope,
a doctor might detect the disease upon hearing a characteristic
scratching sound called a pericardial rub. Fever and sharp
pain in the center of the chest mark acute cases. Pericarditis
often subsides eventually on its own, but may respond to anti-inflammatories,
or in very severe cases, corticosteroid hormones or having
fluid drained from the pericardium.
Primary Myocardial Disease: Diseases of the heart muscle,
or myocardium, are collectively referred to as primary myocardial
disease, or cardiomyopathy. When diseased, the myocardium
becomes abnormally stretched, thickened or stiff. Among the
many potential causes of cardiomyopathy are connective-tissue
diseases, genetic heart conditions, metabolic disorders, and
reactions to certain drugs or toxins such as alcohol and viral
infections. Often the exact cause of cardiomyopathy is unknown.
In any event, either the myocardium becomes too weak to pump
efficiently, or stiffening prevents filling of the heart.
Symptoms can include chest pain, shortness of breath, swelling
of the feet and ankles, and light-headedness. When cardiomyopathy
progresses to the point of causing serious arrhythmias or
congestive heart failure, the outlook for long-term survival
is poor. Sudden death has been another outcome associated
with some cardiomyopathies, including idiopathic hypertrophic
subaortic stenosis, which has claimed the lives of a number
of prominent young professional athletes. Symptoms can often
be controlled and heart failure averted for many years, if
cardiomyopathy can be detected and treated early enough.
Congenital Heart Disease: Should anything go amiss in the
formation of the heart during prenatal development, a baby
will be born with one or more congenital heart defects. Such
defects are quite common, occurring in about 7 of every 1,000
babies. The exact causes of defects are generally hard to
pin down; genes and environmental factors inside the mother's
body may both contribute. Chromosome abnormalities, including
the one that causes Down syndrome, have been linked to many
congenital heart defects. Infections contracted during pregnancy
by the mother, such as German Measles, may also result in
congenital heart disease for the baby.
Congenital heart defects range widely in their effects. Some
are apparent immediately, but others do not show noticeable
symptoms until adulthood. Minor conditions often clear up
on their own, while the most severe conditions may not be
able to be corrected and may be fatal. Fortunately, many congenital
heart defects can be treated, and if necessary surgery is
available.
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