The heart pumps pure blood to all parts of the body through a network of arteries. These are thicker in the beginning and become finer and thinner as they reach the various organs. These arteries are lined by a layer of epithelial tissues and as blood flows through them, the heavier cholesterol / fat molecules settle down along the walls. 


This attracts more and more fat molecules to settle down.  This is known as atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Over a period of time, the vessels circumference reduces and the blood supply to the target organ reduces. This impacts proper functioning of these organs and when this happens to the major organs like the heart, kidney or the brain, conditions like stroke or thrombosis or heart attack can occur.


This condition, known as coronary artery disease, is becoming a major cause of deaths.  While that is the bad news, the good news is that it is largely lifestyle dependent, and if steps are taken, it can be prevented, and in the early stages, the damage completely reversed.


Preventive measures: 
1. Diet: A low-fat, high-fiber, heart-healthy diet consisting of Omega-3 fatty acids is recommended by doctors, especially to people who are prone to develop heart disease.  This also requires reduced salt, increased unsaturated fats, reduced triglycerides and reduced sugar.  Include loads of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds and fish oils. Include multivitamins or other supplements after checking with your doctor.


2. Exercise:  Regular exercise in any form increases the efficiency of the circulatory system, keeps the cholesterol levels in check and helps in blood pressure management.  Exercise in any form is advisable, based on individual preference. A moderate physical activity of 30 to 45 minutes per day is advisable.


3. Smoking: This is one of the major risk factors for smoking, and quitting or controlling smoking is one of the best methods to prevent coronary artery disease.


4. Alcohol consumption:  While moderate alcohol consumption is believed to be healthy for the heart, excessive alcohol consumption is a strict no-no.  Binge drinking especially is shown to cause heart attacks.


5. Weight management: Check with your doctor on what is ideal BMI for you and work out a plan to keep your weight under check.


6. Regular medications: If you are on blood pressure or diabetes medications, ensure you do not miss them.  Keep a constant check to ensure your readings are managed well. 


7. Watch out:  Ask your doctor if there are specific symptoms that you need to watch out and seek medical support if you see any of them.


Coronary disease is not treatable fully, but can be prevented and managed effectively to improve the overall quality of life.

Coronary Artery Disease - 7 Ways You Can Prevent it 

5 natural ways to control your blood pressure

Blood pressure rises with each heartbeat and falls as your heart relaxes. The normal blood pressure should be less than 120/80 mm hg. An increase or decrease on either end can cause various problems.

Here are some of the natural ways to control your blood pressure.

1. Having a diet low in sodium

In the event of a high blood pressure, curtail the consumption of foods that are rich in sodium. However, research reveals that sometimes it is not just enough to cut down on sodium in your diet. A person suffering from high bp should consume foods rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium and potassium as well to keep his/her bp in check.

2. Drink plenty of water and curtail the consumption of alcohol

In case a person suffers from low blood pressure, it is advisable to drink plenty of water as low blood pressure is usually accompanied by bouts of dehydration, and consumption of water can help increase your blood pressure. Also, health drinks, which are rich in electrolytes, help your raise blood pressure. But one should avoid drinks that are high in sugar, and abating your alcohol consumption also helps to quite an extent.

3. Burn extra calories and exercise regularly

Blood pressure usually increases with weight. Being overweight can lead to sleep apnea, which is marked by disruptive breathing while you sleep, which in turn condition can lead to increased blood pressure. Studies have found that weight loss is one of the most effective ways to control high bp. Regular physical activity is also advised to maintain a stable blood pressure.

4. Avoid long, hot showers

The hot water in showers and spas can expand your blood vessels, which can often lead to a drop in blood pressure. A common sign of this would be dizziness and fainting while taking a bath. Therefore, for people suffering from this condition, using warm water rather than hot water is advisable.

5. Completely avoid stress

One of the contributing factors of high blood pressure is chronic stress. Stress tends to affect blood pressure in indirect ways. Many react to stress by overeating, consumption of alcohol and smoking, all of which can increase your blood pressure. Try to know what triggers your stress and take steps to avoid it.


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Related Tip: Got High Blood Pressure? Eat These 5 Foods!



5 Tricks that Control Your Blood Pressure, Naturally

Blood pressure is the measure of the resistance to the natural flow of blood in the blood vessels. The major, minor and few smaller blood vessels themselves have a thin muscular lining that keeps the vessel supple and aids the flow of nutritious blood within its tube-like structure. The vessel walls resist the free flow causing a reverse pressure that is referred to as Blood Pressure. This pressure strains the heart muscles (Left Ventricle more) to contract strongly to push the nutritious blood into the body circulation system.

Due to numerous factors, there is an increase of resistance within the blood vessels that leads to an increase in blood pressure. At a later stage, this results in lack of adequate blood flow to the end tissues and an accumulation of fluids in the various tissues/organs and a mismanagement of the nutrition-detoxification rhythmic cycle of the body. This takes a long time to develop and unless the last stage hampers body functions, it is not detected. Hence, blood pressure is known as a silent disease.

Systolic and diastolic are the two rhythms corresponding to the expansion and contraction of the heart chambers during pumping of blood into the body. This rhythm creates two distinct pressures within the blood vessels. Systolic is when the heart ventricular chamber contract to pump blood into the body, so the pressure is higher. This indicated the force or strain on the heart to push blood into the circulatory system. Hence, this count is considered significant in evaluating health parameters.

High BP as a disease is declared when three or more readings taken at different times of a day or on consecutive days shows increase in BP. Higher the BP, more strain is exerted by the heart. Since the heart is essentially a muscular organ, the muscles of the heart get affected. Sometimes, the heart muscles increase in mass and size making the heart chambers smaller in volume. This further deteriorates the circulation capability leading to numerous diseases. The strain of pumping nutrition to different body organs is also felt by the heart itself. Lack of nutrition can lead to death of cardiac tissue leading to heart failure. High blood pressure makes the heart walls thicken and becomes stiffer which makes it even more difficult to pump blood. Thickening of the heart muscles is also known as left ventricular hypertrophy and cause heart failure.

A systolic blood pressure reading that is higher than 140 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure higher than 90 mm Hg characterizes by high blood pressure. High blood pressure is said to be responsible for 50% of the recorded cases of ischemic strokes and also increases the risk of hemorrhagic strokes.

When heart cannot pump with enough force, there is a mismanagement in the intra-cellular and tissue fluid restoration. This puts a great strain on the kidney function. In due course of time, numerous organs of the body suffer and depending on the body constitution, immunity for rejuvenation and restoration of order, the person suffer from numerous diseases.

Diabetes worsens the situation of BP and adds to the deterioration of heart health, blood vessel health. Poor heart functioning leads to different symptoms like:

Shortness of breath
Swollen ankles or feet
Difficulty lying flat on your back
Bloating and nausea
Irregular pulse
Frequent urge to urinate at night
Fatigue
Due to disturbances in BP and other factors leading to lacking of nutrition to the heart tissue. Heart Disease complications are commonly seen with symptoms as follows:

Radiating or dull pain, especially in the chest, radiating in the arms, especially left arm, neck, back and in the stomach especially in women.

Shortness of breath; change in breathing patterns and heaviness in chest
Dizziness and fainting sometimes
Irregular pulse and palpitations
Sudden onset of excessive sweating
Unexplained fatigue, weakness and depression
Heart Disease can be treated with natural ayurvedic medicaments successfully in more than 80% of patients. Numerous ayurvedic medicines have been clinically evaluated to show positive changes supported with clinical investigation. Since ayurvedic medicines are targeted to reaching the root cause of the disturbances and to reduce the burden of the disease they go beyond the relief of symptoms.

Natural Ayurvedic medicines also participate in the rejuvenation of the heart muscles, the blood vessels, the detoxification of the body and re-balancing of health parameters, Ayurvedic treatment options are gaining great relevance and patient opt for such treatment in greater numbers from all over the world. These treatments are non-invasive and very cost effective. They are good to be taken from prevention to after angioplasty, stent or bye-pass to treat the cause of disease.

Ayurveda is a health science that takes into consideration lifestyle modifications, adequate detoxification, re-balancing body element and strengthening the system from all aspects. Ayurvedic medicines have proved useful in the treatment of Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Vascular disease (leading to atherosclerosis, blockages, wear-tear of blood vessels) and Heart disease. Today, these treatment options are gaining importance and acceptance in our society.

Link Between Heart Diseases and High Blood Pressure

Commonly people believe that you can understand your blood pressure is high if you are feeling dizzy suddenly or you are not able to sleep at night. Also sweating profusely is often related to having hypertension. But, to be honest, hypertension usually does not have any symptoms, which might help you get alert and take action to control it. This actually imposes a great threat to your well-being as you do not understand if you have hypertension. It is extremely important for you to keep checking your blood pressure level in order to avoid developing hypertension and hence developing a risk to your heart.

Although there aren't any major or very noticeable symptoms, here is a list of some rare symptoms which you can follow:

1. Headaches: If you are suffering from dull headaches almost regularly, it might be because you blood pressure has increased. The headaches can be a dull buzz or a severe migraine like ache. Keep monitoring your headaches and consult your doctor as soon as possible.

2. Dizziness: You might suddenly feel dizzy or you might feel you are about to pass out if your blood pressure increases. Make sure you refer to a doctor as soon as something like this happens.

3. Nosebleeds: A sudden occurrence of nosebleed might also be a symptom of a sudden increase in your blood pressure.

4. Severe anxiety: Severe anxiety or a panic attack is often referred to as a symptom of hypertension. If you have a sudden panic attack with no apparent reason, it may be because your blood pressure has suddenly risen.

5. Shortness of breath: High blood pressure may often cause a shortness of breath. You might experience it during various every day activity like walking, climbing stairs, etc.

6. Nausea: A sudden increase in blood pressure might make you feel nauseous. You might even vomit when this happens. Make sure you consult your doctor if this happens.

Hypertension: Symptoms that Can Control it on Time

Coronary Artery Disease - Symptoms and Causes

Coronary artery disease is the disease in which the major blood vessels (coronary arteries) that supply blood, nutrients and oxygen to your heart get damaged or disease stricken. It is mostly caused due to the coronary artery getting plagued or inflamed. The consequent reduction in blood flow to the heart causes the various symptoms of coronary artery disease like angina (chest pain), short breath etc.

Symptoms:

Here is a list of a few symptoms that help in identification of the coronary artery disease.

1. Angina

Pressure or tightness may be felt in or near the area of the chest that results in pain. It is mostly felt in the middle or left side of the chest.

2. Shortness of breath

Another symptom of coronary artery disease is short breath, fatigue and a feeling of exertion.

3. Heart attack

Complete blockage of the coronary artery results in a heart attack that is a prominent symptom of coronary artery disease. A person may feel heavy pressure in the chest, pain in the shoulder or arm, sweating etc. prior to getting a heart attack.

Causes:

Coronary artery disease occurs when damage or injury is done to the inner layer of the coronary artery. This damage causes plaque, which are deposits made of fat, cholesterol and other cellular waste materials to accumulate near the damaged area of the artery. This process is known as atherosclerosis.

The various causes that result in coronary artery damage are listed below.

- Smoking
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol
- Obesity
- High stress
- Physical inactivity

Knowing Coronary Artery Disease - Symptoms and Causes

Symptoms of heart attack

A heart attack (myocardial infarction) should not be confused with stroke or heart failure. It is the condition which causes major damage to heart muscles because of sudden blockage by a blood clot. The most common symptom of heart attack happens to be chest pain. Heart failure and ventricular fibrillation are probably the most common complications in this condition. 

Clear symptoms of heart attack are:

1. Feeling vaguely ill - very vague feeling of illness is one symptom. You cannot really put your finger on what is wrong with you, but you do feel unwell.

2. Pain in left arm - pain in the arm, mainly the left arm is also one of the symptoms of an impending heart attack.

3. Sweating and heartburn - a lot of people have reported experiencing sweating, indigestion and heartburn before a heart attack. If you are sweating profusely and without any particular reasons, or having an unbearable heartburn, consult a medical specialist immediately.

4. Chest pain - feeling of fullness or tightness in the chest followed by pain is also a symptom of a heart attack. A lot of people have reported to ignore it; kindly don't.

5. Breathlessness - sudden shortness of breath and inability to do a lot of work at one point of time is not a good thing. This could be an indication of a heart attack.

6. Silent attack - the scariest of all is silent heart attack. At times, it comes with no symptoms at all. A person could be visibly physically fit, and suddenly have an attack. This usually happens with those who are suffering from diabetes mellitus.

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All You Need To Know About Heart Attack Symptoms

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