AGING CONDITIONS
Cardivascular Disease
Coronary Artery Disease
In the absence of genetic pathology; coronary artery
[heart] disease is largely preventable. Factors that
increase your risk of coronary artery disease include
some beyond your control; but most of them can.
You CANNOT control your age, gender, race, family
medical history or previous heart conditions.
Learn
More About Heart Health
Personal Medical History Risks
If you have a personal history of heart disease, artery
disease or blood disorders, your risk of heart attack
and stroke may be increased. In many cases, treatment
can reduce the risk.
You CAN control, treat or prevent the following risk
factors:
Weight Loss
A weight loss of 10 to 20 pounds can help reduce your
risk for heart attack and stroke. Losing one or two
pounds per week is considered a healthy weight loss.
Smoking Risks
Smoking cigarettes significantly increases your risk
of heart attack and stroke because:
- Tobacco smoke damages artery walls and creates
cholesterol deposits promoting development of atherosclerosis.
- It reduces the level of good cholesterol, high-density
lipoprotein (HDL).
- It can cause formation of blood clots leading to
heart attack or stroke.
Continuing to smoke following a heart attack may lead
to sudden cardiac arrest, emphysema and death. The good
news is, there is little residual effect; when you stop
smoking, you immediately start reducing your risk.
Treatments
In heart and artery disease, medication can be prescribed
to help prevent clots from forming.
In carotid artery disease, surgery can be performed
to remove clots and plaque that might cause a stroke.
Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs)
are extremely important warning signs for stroke and
should not be ignored. A TIA is a mini stroke that lasts
from a few minutes up to 24 hours, producing stroke-like
symptoms such as numbness in an arm or leg, sudden dizziness
or difficult vision. Any evidence of TIA should be immediately
reported to your doctor.
There are a number of effective supplements that assist
with preventing and recovering from heart attacks and
maintaining a healthy heart and vascular system.
Vitamin B12 and Folate
Both folate and vitamin B12 have been shown to reduce
the risk if ischemic stroke by 30 percent. Both these
substances reduce the levels of homocysteine in the
blood. When levels of Homocycsteine are too high, cardiovascular
problems like stroke increase. More on
B Vitamins
Healthy
Heart Supplements
For
the latest news in cardiovascular disease and treatments.
NEXT: Cataracts
|
