Showing posts with label heart pain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label heart pain. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

What Causes Heart Disease? A List of Some Top Factors

6:03:00 AM
What causes heart disease may be a burning question in many minds. With more and more people dying each day from heart attacks and cancer, it is only natural that you want to know what is going on, what is causing your or a loved one's poor health, and how to change it.
Heart disease is a fairly loose phrase used interchangeably to describe a broad range of heart problems. Some of the illnesses that fall under the heart disease category are high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, and coronary artery disease. Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women all over the world. 40% of all deaths in the U.S. are related to heart disease! So what causes heart disease?
Heart disease is caused by a range of factors including, but not limited to:
1. Poor diets full of saturated fats and not enough fruits and vegetables. Vitamin D is also important according to recent health news reports.
2. Poor exercise habits, or no exercising at all. The heart is a muscle and needs exercise in order to maintain proper and healthy functioning.
3. Smoking is a leading cause of heart disease in both men and women.
4. Being, becoming, and remaining overweight are other major factors, especially if your weight tends to be over the "belly" area.
These above four points are primary contributors and are lifestyle habits that you can change! If you choose not to change the way you live, then these habits can create atherosclerosis, which means your arteries are hardened.
When your arteries harden, this places restrictions on blood flow to organs and tissues, which is what causes heart disease. This deprives your body's organs of vital oxygen and nutrients needed to function properly.
It should be noted that what causes heart disease isn't always hardening of the arteries. Some forms of heart disease are caused by other genetic/and or heredity diseases, such as heart valve diseases, congenital heart defects and disease, heart infections, and cardio myopathy, which is a disease of the heart muscle.
While some heart problems you may not be able to control, most are acquired over a lifetime of unhealthy habits and unhealthy living. Now that you know what causes heart disease, you can be well on your well to doing something about it and turning your life around for the better!

Thursday, January 9, 2014

5 Simple Signs to Tell if It is Acid Reflux or Heart Pain

4:52:00 AM
Chest pain can be a very scary, serious issue. If you are one of many Americans at risk for heart disease, it can be even more frightening. But sometimes chest pain isn't heart related, it is a digestive issue.
Heartburn, or it's more serious cousin acid reflux, affects millions of people everyday. The symptoms of both heart problems and acid reflux are very similar, but the treatment is obviously very different. It's easy to mistake one for the other because the esophagus is located behind the heart in the chest cavity.
Identifying the real problem when you have chest pain is very important. Here's a few things to look out for. But remember, when in doubt see your health care provider.
1. Burning in the throat due to stomach acid. This is an extension of the heartburn pain caused by acid reflux. Pain caused by stomach acid regurgitating into the esophagus and mouth is due to acid reflux, not heart problems.
2. Chest pain that begins or increases with exercise is more likely due to a heart problem. Acid reflux symptoms don't change with physical exertion. The heart experiences stress during physical exercise that can manifest potential problems within.
3. Coughing, wheezing, breathing problems, acid regurgitation, bitterness in the mouth: these are all signs of acid reflux disease. The acid entering the esophagus is to blame for each of these symptoms, some of which can be very pronounced. Pregnant women seem to be prone to heartburn during the last two trimesters where a growing fetus crowds the space the stomach normally occupies. For these women, and others in high risk groups, understanding their propensity to heartburn is also important. For example, some pregnant women with chest pain find themselves in the hospital thinking they are having heart attacks, when in fact they are having very serious acid reflux. Again, knowing you are susceptible to acid reflux can help you identify the cause of your symptoms.
4. Numbness or tingling in the arm or arms can be a symptom of a heart attack, and is generally not a symptom of acid reflux. Obviously these symptoms are serious and should be treated immediately by a health care professional.
5. Increased pain after meals is usually a symptom of acid reflux disease. Overeating or bending over after eating can exacerbate the problems, which are not heart related. The extra acid a stomach releases to digest food is to blame for the increased discomfort after meals. While these acids are effective in helping the digestive process, they can be very detrimental for those who suffer from acid reflux disease.
Acid reflux disease and heart disease do share some of the same symptoms, but with careful attention and the help of a health care professional, you can determine which of these issues is causing your chest pain.
By Jessica Deets
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