Coronary artery disease is one of the major killer diseases of the modern society. It is not a solitary problem but brings with it a multitude of issues including obesity, diabetes, stroke, and other metabolic disorders. A thorough understanding of what causes it and how to manage it can help save thousands of lives.

Causes: The circulatory system is mainly made up of the heart and a complex network of arteries and veins. The inner walls of these are lined with smooth muscles, allowing for free flow of blood. Gradually, over a period of time, given the density, the fat from the blood flowing through these vessels settles along the walls of these vessels. This attracts more fat, lipoproteins, and other inflammatory cells and so the process continues. This reduces the diameter of the blood vessels, therefore reducing the amount of blood supply to the target organs. If the target organ is a vital one like the brain or the heart, then it could lead to stroke or heart attacks.

Main causes for coronary artery disease include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, smoking, diabetes, and stress. Men are more prone than women, and family history and age puts them at higher risk.

Symptoms: Reduced blood supply to the target organ causes the following symptoms:

Shortness of Breath: A person with coronary artery disease will feel short of breath and tired with most activities, even like walking a few meters.

Chest Pain: A strong pressure sensation on the left side of the chest is an indication of coronary artery disease. Known as angina, it comes with stress and goes away once the stress is removed. It could sometimes radiate to the shoulder, down the arm, or up into the jaw also. These are classical symptoms of angina or heart attack and is considered an emergency. Of note, this is often mistaken for indigestion.

Palpitations: A sensation where you are able to hear your heartbeat.

Nausea and Excessive Sweating: Nausea and excessive sweating are also seen during angina.

Treatment: There are 3 modes to manage this.

Medications:

Aspirin to reduce the viscosity of the blood.

Statin to control the cholesterol levels.

Beta blockers to control hypertension.

Nitroglycerin for temporary relief of angina pain.

Surgical Procedures:  Surgical procedures including balloon angioplasty followed by placement of drug-eluting stents and coronary artery bypass surgery are done to manage more severe cases.

Lifestyle Change: Lifestyle changes including reduced fat consumption, decrease body weight, stop smoking, increased physical exercise, and reducing stress are highly important in preventing further damage.

Once suspected, coronary artery disease can be effectively managed and the extent of damage controlled using the above techniques.

Coronary Artery Disease   Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

While heart attacks are commonly experienced by men and women, the symptoms experienced by them are different. Symptoms of a heart attack in women are much more subtle as compared to signs of a heart attack when experienced by men. 

Many women even compare the symptoms of a heart attack to the flu or acid reflux. Hence it is important to be able to recognize the symptoms of a heart attack and be able to distinguish them from symptoms of other less fatal conditions. 

Some of the characteristic symptoms of a heart attack that a woman should look out for are:

Discomfort or chest pain: Chest pain is one the characteristic symptoms of a heart attack but this is not experienced in the same way by me and women. While men may feel pain in the left side of their chest, women can feel pain in any part of their chest. This may be accompanied by a feeling of the chest being squeezed in a vise.
Pain in the jaw, neck, arms and back: Men consider pain in the chest and left arm to be a symptom of a heart attack but women can experience this pain in their jaw and back as well. This pain can develop gradually or come on suddenly. It may also wax and wane before it becomes intense. In some cases, this pain can even wake you up from a deep sleep. Hence, do not ignore any unexplained pains in the upper part of your body.
Stomach ache: A stomach ache is one of the most subtle signs of a heart ache. This may feel similar to that caused by heartburn or a stomach ulcer. It may also feel like a great weight is on your stomach.
Shortness of breath: Feeling lightheaded or having trouble breathing even when you are not exerting yourself could be a sign of a heart attack. At times this could also make you feel like throwing up. This symptom is usually also accompanied by one of the other more characteristic symptoms of a heart attack.
Excessive sweating: Perspiration as a symptom of a heart attack is not the same as perspiration caused by exercise. When sweat is a symptom of a heart attack, it is more of a cold sweat that can be compared to the sweat caused by stress. If you do not sweat heavily but suddenly find yourself sweating excessively, you should not ignore it but consult a cardiologist immediately.
Tiredness: Feeling tired even when you haven t exerted any energy can be a sign of a heart attack. Sometimes, this fatigue can be so much that it can keep a woman from even moving from the chair to the bed.
It is therefore advised to not ignore any above-mentioned symptoms and see a doctor immediately; stay healthy and stay happy!

Heart Attack In Women - Signs You Must Watch Out For!

9 health benefits of walnuts:

1. Lowers risk of diabetes
2. Promotes a healthy heart and circulatory system
3. Lowers cholesterol levels
4. Boosts brain power and improves memory
5. Slows the progression of rheumatoid and osteoarthritis
6. Acts as an anti-inflammatory food
7. Rich in antioxidant properties
8. Fights breast and prostate cancer
9. Improves reproductive health in men.

9 Ultimate Reasons to Eat Walnuts Everyday

Diabetes mellitus is a condition affecting the way one s body utilizes blood sugar (glucose). Glucose is essential to your health since it is a vital energy source for the cells that make up the tissues and muscles. Diabetes is characterized by excess blood sugar levels. The complications might get aggravated and turn fatal if it is left untreated over a period of time. 

Diabetes mellitus can be of two types - Type 1 and Type 2. 

In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin to metabolize sugar and starch from the foods that you consume while Type 2 diabetes affects the way the body processes the blood glucose.

Diabetes substantially increases the risks of numerous cardiovascular disorders (a condition that affects the heart s blood vessels due to fatty deposits within the arteries) such as atherosclerosis (narrowing of arteries), stroke, heart attack (wherein flow of blood to the heart muscle gets blocked all of a sudden), heart failure (inability of the heart to pump blood throughout the body) and angina (chest pain).

Why are diabetic people at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases?

The following factors are associated (could be the common reason as well) with both diabetes and cardiovascular diseases-

High blood pressure and hypertension.

High triglyceride level (a kind of fat present in the blood) and abnormal cholesterol level.

Obesity.

Lack of exercises and physical activities.

Uncontrolled blood sugar level.

Smoking.

Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes 

The heart is not just the seat of emotions. It is a vital organ that keeps your body working. It helps in circulation of blood throughout the body. You might get a heart attack if you don t take care of it. It is an organ that needs utmost care. It is a muscular organ. A heart attack occurs when muscles that form the organ are deprived of sufficient oxygen supply. It is also known as myocardial infarction. It is believed that when there is not enough oxygen supply to the heart muscles, the part that has been affected gets damaged, which is a dangerous situation. 

Sometimes, it even gets deadly or fatal. There are certain risk factors for heart attack. These are as follows:
1. Age
2. Heredity
3. Obesity
4. High blood pressure and high cholesterol
5. Excessive consumption of alcohol and smoking
6. Sedentary lifestyle
7. Poor and deficient diet

Warning signs of heart attack

There are certain warning signs for heart attack. One must check this and immediately seek medical help, on experiencing them. Here are some of the warning symptoms:
1. Chest pain and a feeling of discomfort in the area: While some complain of pain, other doesn t feel it. The pain can also radiate to surrounding regions such as arms and shoulders.
2. Excessive sweating
3. Fatigue
4. Shortness of breath
5. Light-headedness: It can occur at the time of heart attack. It is most commonly experienced by women.
6. Palpitations
7. Indigestion, nausea, and vomiting
8. Chest fullness
9. Toothache
10. Jaw pain

Tips for a healthy heart
1. Maintain a healthy lifestyle by getting an adequate amount of night sleep. Go to bed early and wake up early too.
2. Don t spend long hours in watching television or work till late night
3. Be happy. Happiness is the ultimate medicine for the good heart.
4. Eat a lot of fresh and green-leafy vegetables daily.
5. Avoid the intake of spicy, oily and fast foods.
6. While eating, ensure that the atmosphere around is absolutely peaceful and serene.
7. Consume home-cooked food only. Avoid eating out at restaurants or street-side joints.
8. Don t drink excess coffee, tea or aerated drinks.
9. Don t consume alcohol or smoke up cigarettes. Intake of raw tobacco or getting addicted to drugs is also harmful to the heart.
10. Don t live a sedentary life and be a couch potato. Workout and exercise on regular basis.
11. Avoid emotional outburst and try to keep a control over your reactions.
12. Maintain a peaceful environment inside your home.

Heart Attack - 10 Warning Signs You Must Not Ignore!

On an average a person consumes nearly 800 calories daily from added sugar. This does not just include natural sugar found in fruits or milk but the processed sweet sugar as well, that is added to cakes, tea, coffee, confectionery and even pasta sauce and salad dressing. However, it is possible that you can limit your sugar intake or even quit it to get some truly amazing benefits.

When you take this hard decision, you may experience withdrawal symptoms such as mild depression, anxiety or restlessness. But if you remain adamant and continue with your decision, your body will soon show some incredible results that you couldn't have imagined.

Here are a few of them:

1.&nbsp;Your heart will beat happily

Sugar raises insulin levels that activate the responses of sympathetic nervous system thereby elevating your bp and heart rate. When you cut down on sugar, your ldl cholesterol will decrease by 10% and triglycerides will reduce by 20-30%. And your risk of heart attack will reduce manifold.

2.&nbsp;Your weight fluctuations will be gone

With the exception of fruits, sugar is mostly present in processed or high-carb foods that contain loads of other unwanted constituents like fat etc.

So when you quit sugar, your body has to no longer worry about those unwelcome calories and your weight will stop moving right and left across the scale.

3.&nbsp;Digestion will become efficient

When you quit sugar, the digestive system becomes more efficient. Since your stomach and intestines have to no longer worry about those difficult to digest processed foods, their abilities and functioning improves. Even your colon begins to work better, may be you take more trips to the restroom, so things get even more on track.

4.&nbsp;No more acne troubles

Sugar triggers acne troubles. When you cut it down, you will no longer be troubled by those zits that dampen your looks. Your skin will actually clear up, cracks will disappear and you will get a healthier skin.

5.&nbsp;You will no longer have sweet craving

With sugar, there is a huge negative, as you enjoy sweets, you crave for more sweets. But if you quit sugar, slowly you will begin to avoid foods that contain sugar and as a result, whenever you will eat anything that has sugar, it will taste over sweet and you will not be able to have large portions. This means no more cravings for sugar!

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on'consult.

5 Wonderful Things That Happen to Your Body When You Quit Sugar!

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