Women articles online

By: Michael Aldridge

To accomplish a good cardio-vascular workout all you really need is a good pair of running shoes. Most cardio-vascular exercise needs little or no third party apparatus to help you accomplish your routine. Running, dancing, walking can all be done with no equipment (well, if dancing, then maybe some music would help). Other forms of cardio are step, circuit training, bike riding, swimming, aerobics and more…

With most exercise you should always remember to warm up first and cool down afterwards. This means gently stretching and moving your muscles to start off with. Suddenly moving into full exercise without building up first will cause problems such as stiffness and cramps. Ease yourself into it. Then after exercise, the cool down is basically gently moving the muscles and joints to stretch and relax, as your body returns to its normal pace.

Running:
Make sure you have a good pair of running shoes. The technology put into these shoes nowadays is highly researched and designed to reduce shock to the feet, ankles, legs and back. So don’t skimp on these - you get what you pay for.

Before you start your run, be sure to warm up first. Start with a brisk walk ensuring you move your arms vigorously gradually breaking into a slow jog. It is better to run at a speed to which you can still converse. If you find yourself losing breath, slow your pace down until you’ve recovered. If you are a novice runner try running and walking, until you can hold your run for 15 minutes.

Now increase the length and time of your run by a couple of minutes every other time you hit the road or treadmill, until you can run for 30 minutes without stopping. Try to increase your run time by 10% each week, remember not to over do it and don’t forget to warm down at the end of each by slowing down gradually. When your run is complete stretch your legs for 30 seconds per muscle, hamstring, calf and thigh.

Cycling:
Cycling is one of the best ways to get a good cardio-vascular workout.

First of all, if you are riding on the roads safety is paramount, always use the appropriate safety equipment when road riding. You can stay fit by riding a bike to work, most people work within a five mile radius of there place of work, which is a perfect distance for a bike ride.

Exercise bikes can be used in a variety of ways, general riding for specified length of time, this is like going for a bike ride with out the dangers of road riding and the weather. Warm up riding you can use an exercise bike for warming up the legs before a leg workout. Also exercise bike classes, these classes are taken by an instructor, who will put you through various levels of pace, quite like a circuit training exercise with a bike.

You may find it surprising to find that riding a bike five miles 3 times per week will improve your heart rate, your posture, skin and weight control. Some even say that riding and running are great ways of relieving stress.

Swimming:
One of the best ways to firm up and trim your body down. Due to the resistance the water has on the body swimming involves all the major muscle groups this allows the body to burn up to 20% more calories than swimming through air. Swimming a few lengths per day will keep you fit and give you an excellent workout. Swimming also has less impact on the joints than say, running.

If you wish to take your swim a little further try picking up the pace of your swim, you can work up to a great aerobic exercise and give your body an excellent workout.

Start off by swimming 1-2 lengths at a time resting between sets if necessary, after you have swam ten lengths call it a day. The next day repeat the process until you can swim five lengths without a break. Progress to ten lengths in by adding an extra length each time you return.

You can put together your own cardio raining routing in the gym, if you have a problem with this then the staff on hand will write one for you and show you how to achieve your goal. Try to make your cardio last between an hour and an hour and a half. A good start point for cardio is always a run.

This cardio workout will work for a person of medium fitness, however adjust the times and pace according to your fitness levels.

1. Run at a light pace for 20 minutes, start off at a walking pace and gradually move to a run, this helps you get warmed up and the blood pumping.

2. Rowing machine- set the rowing machine for a countdown time of 15 minutes or keep a check on your watch or the clock. Start off with a slow rowing motion to get the pace up, maintain this steady pace throughout the full 13 minutes and use the 2 minutes to slow the pace down.

3. Move immediately on to exercise bike take a stead paced ride for 12 minutes with a sprint finish for the remaining 3 minutes.

4. After the exercise bike move directly on to the step climber for a period of 15 minutes climbing on a light level to get the legs going. Try to move at a swift pace for the full 15 minutes as this is the last of the leg work you will be doing.

5. When you have completed the step climber, move onto the abs bench for some crunches. 4 sets of crunches to failure is your target for this exercise. Try twisting your body and touching your left knee with your right elbow and vice versa.

6. The last exercise in this quick cardio workout is the leg raise apparatus. Bring your knees up to your chest for 3-4 sets for as many reps as possible (failure)

After the completion of this cardio workout, remember to do a full warm down by stretching the muscles. The full workout should take you around 1 hour 20 minutes.

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By: Maggie Lichtenberg

It’s essential to organize a Home Team before you go in for heart surgery, even if you have little time before your surgery to plan it. On the other hand, if you have just gotten home from the hospital, don’t worry it’s not too late. A Home Team is a group of friends and family who are willing to assist you in your recovery following your surgery. Make a list of up to fifteen people, family and friends (but not your primary caregiver) who would be glad – even honored – to be called to help out. Pick a leader among these friends and engage her or him to contact the others about the tasks ahead. Set up a revolving schedule of assignments for your first three to four weeks at home.

Your Primary Caregiver Has The Most Important Role

Who will your primary caregiver be; your spouse, your partner, a friend, or another family member? In my new book, The Open Heart Companion: Preparation and Guidance for Open-Heart Surgery Recovery the following scenario is explained to help you better understand their importance: Suddenly your caregiver, your close personal ally, has the extended responsibility for all previously shared arrangements – nursing aid, household tasks, transportation, medical and social plan coordination. It can become overwhelming and too much for one person. That is why it is essential that you line up a supportive Home Team to pitch in. Your primary caregiver needs assistance and taking care of too. Once you are home and recovering, he or she is now “on” 24/7. He or she also needs continuing acknowledgment, appreciation and love from you. Plan to regularly express your gratitude. Find out how your loved one is feeling – every day. Though sometimes you won’t feel like it, remember to smile, and show you care and appreciate all that is being done for you.

Five basic tasks to assign to your Home Team

1. Dinner nightly
Some friends will like to prepare a home cooked meal for both patient and caregiver, while others can pick up a heart healthy take-out meal. Since the reality of landing back home means the primary caregiver has antenna focused on you continuously, your caregiver loved one will appreciate the sit-down break at dinner time.

2. Buddy system
During the many hours and days of convalescence, neither patient nor primary caregiver wants to feel isolated at home. Anticipate a buddy system in advance. Is there a friend who has been though open-heart surgery who will agree to check in with the patient regularly? Is there someone that the heart patient can call spontaneously? Many basic questions can be answered this way, by a friend or family member. Naturally, any substantial recovery question requires picking up the phone and calling your designated medical professional. Maybe you know, or know of, a former heart patient who also is a medical professional? Arrange chat times (perhaps twice weekly) with him or her. Primary caregiver and patient should also plan regular phone time with a best friend independently, to be free to let their hair down to tell it like it is.

3. Running errands
Who – friend or neighbor – would be willing to be counted on to run to the pharmacy or to deposit or pick up laundry or dry cleaning? How about someone who will shop for staples at the supermarket or buy a box of thank-you notes? Recruit a list of volunteers beforehand. It’s critical to have this in place to enable you to focus on getting well.

4. Housekeeping
In the hospital take-home instructions, there are very specific physical directives that must be honored while the sternum (breastbone) is healing. You are not to lift more than five to ten pounds for four to six weeks. As well, you are to avoid pushing/pulling activities with your arms, and also avoid heavy one-armed lifting for three months. This eliminates carrying groceries, carrying a toddler, vacuuming, shoveling snow, mowing the lawn, raking leaves – even wiping up a kitchen counter with a sponge can be challenging in the first couple of weeks. It is best to schedule others for regular housekeeping duties for at least four to six weeks and/or consider hiring a house cleaner for the short term.

5. Chauffeuring
An open-heart patient may not resume driving for six to eight weeks – until the sternum is fully healed. Because you don’t want to risk re-injuring the sternum should a passenger airbag need to be deployed, you might be advised to ride in the back seat using the shoulder seat belt. That said, you can ride in a car as soon as you’re home – to a medical appointment, to the store, to eat out. However, all these outings become a lot of driving for the primary caregiver, so line up chauffeur volunteers.

Recovering from heart surgery can be challenging, but with these tips and more tips on planning ahead found in The Open Heart Companion you can ensure that your recovery will go smoothly.

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By: Paul MacIver

Cholesterol is a fatty lipid, steroid and an alcohol found in the body tissues and blood plasma of vertebrates. It is the essential part of the outer membranes of human body cells, and it circulates in the blood.

Cholesterol in the human body comes from two major sources. About three-quarters of the body’s total cholesterol is produced within the body, while only one-quarter comes from cholesterol in food.

Higher concentrations of cholesterol are present in body tissues which have more densely packed membranes – i.e. the liver, spinal cord, brain, atheroma, adrenal glands and reproductive organs.

The liver is the most important site of cholesterol biosynthesis. It is secreted from the liver in the form of an acidic secretion known as ‘bile’.

Diets rich in animal fats, meat, poultry, fish, oils, egg yolks and dairy products are a rich source of dietary cholesterol. Organ meats, such as liver and kidney, are extremely rich in cholesterol content, but foods of plant origin contain no cholesterol.

High cholesterol levels in the bloodstream can influence the pathogenesis of certain conditions. Recent studies have revealed that the abundance of protein complexes called lipoproteins, are responsible for the cholesterol build-up in the blood vessels.

Cholesterol gets attached to these lipoproteins. The high-density lipoprotein (HDL) carries cholesterol out of the bloodstream for excretion, while the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) carries it back into the system for use by various body cells.

LDL cholesterol is called bad cholesterol, because elevated levels of it are associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. LDL deposits cholesterol on the artery walls which leads to the formation of a hard, thick substance called cholesterol plaque. Over time, cholesterol plaque causes thickening of the artery walls and narrowing of the arteries, a process called atherosclerosis.

The levels of both HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol may also determine risk for heart disease; however current medical opinion is that the ratio of HDL cholesterol to LDL cholesterol is much more important than the level of cholesterol.

Methods to control your cholesterol levels:

Lower your consumption of foods containing saturated fats - fried fast foods, butter, cream, cheese, and fat on meat - to help reduce cholesterol. Add more plant foods to your diet – vegetable oils, nuts, legumes, breads, cereal grains, fruits and vegetables. A low cholesterol diet, combined with regular exercise is the best way to lower cholesterol levels.

Medications can also help lower cholesterol levels. HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, ‘Statins’, such as lovastatin (Mevacor) and atorvastatin (Lipitor) are the most effective and widely used medications to lower LDL cholesterol. Other medications include nicotinic acid (niacin), fibrates such as gemfibrozil (Lopid), resins such as cholestyramine (Questran), and ezetimibe, Zetia. These medications should be taken after consulting the experts.

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By: Vigdis Tange Andersen

Heart attacks are something that can be inherited from others in your family or you can create a world where you are eating and leading the lifestyle that is going to lead to a heart attach. No matter if your parents have had heart attacks, or if you are leading a sedentary lifestyle, it is important to understand and learn about what is going to be the signs of a heart attack. Heart attack symptoms are something that should not be ignored, and that you should seek medical attention for if you feel or think that you are having a heart attack. A heart attack can lead to death, and a severe heart attack can sometimes be prevented or treated if you know what some of the heart attack symptoms are.

Heart attack symptoms in every day life
No matter what you age, there can be underlying problems that are going to lead to a heart attack if you are not careful. The first line of defense for anyone, is to get regular checkups. For the doctor to see you when you are healthy and feeling good, and then when you are sick, the doctor can determine easier what may be ‘out of line’ or ‘out of whack’ making you feel ill. Getting a regular physical is going to be a good defense preventing medical problems in the long run.

Heart attack symptoms can be very sudden and for other people they can be long-term problems, pains and even just discomforts. A heart attack is one that can come on and not last very long, or for other people it can be sudden and the pain can last for hours.

If you feel a heavy feeling in your chest, like someone is standing on your chest and you just can’t catch your breath, this is a sign of a heart attack. If you have been feeling a pain that comes and goes, that is uncomfortable, that is a squeezing feeling or a sharp shooting pain, this could be signs of a heart attack.

Another sign of a heart attack can be a shortness of breath. If you are a very active person, you know what it will feel like when you are unable to catch your breath or take in a deep breath. The signs of a heart attack include not being able to take a breath, or a deep breath which can in turn leave you feeling dizzy and feeling as if you need to sit down for a while. A heart attack symptom is not one that you should ignore. If you are feeling combinations of symptoms it can be vital to get to your doctor as soon as possible.

If you feel pains or discomfort in your arms, legs or in the chest, and you feel as if your neck or jaw are hurting uncontrollably, these could be additional signs of a heart attack. Heart attack symptoms will vary from person to person, but pain that is not normal, that you don’t usually feel, in combination with shortness of breath and or a tightness in your chest could be a huge sign that you are heading towards a heart attack.

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By: Paul MacIver

Acid Reflux – also known as Heartburn - is caused when acid from the stomach backs up into the esophagus, causing an uncomfortable burning sensation.

Almost everyone experiences heartburn at some point in their life. However if these symptoms occur more than two days a week for several months, a person may have Acid Reflux Disease, otherwise known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).

Acid reflux occurs when the valve separating the esophagus and stomach (known as the lower esophageal sphincter) does not close properly, allowing acid to travel up into the esophagus. This often occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter relaxes more often than it should, and at inappropriate times.

Acid reflux can be triggered off by a number of things:

Eating the wrong food - including acidic, spicy, or fatty food, or even over-eating before bedtime.

A medical condition - can also trigger heartburn, including Hiatus Hernia, or pregnancy for example.

Lifestyle habits - are also to blame, like undue stress, smoking, or consuming excess caffienated beverages.

Exercises - Lying down or bending over on a full stomach can also trigger heartburn, as can being overweight, along with any exercises that cause increased pressure on the abdomen, and wearing tight clothes.

Unless treated, Acid reflux disease may lead to more serious medical conditions. Acid reflux can eventually erode the lining of the esophagus - a condition known as Erosive Esophagitis.

Gastroesophageal Reflux can even occur in infants – a common symptom being spitting up. More than half of all babies experience reflux during their first few months of life. A small number of infants can suffer severe symptoms due to Gastroesophageal Reflux.

Fortunately Acid reflux is curable and a doctor can prescribe appropriate treatments, some of which can heal areas of the esophagus that have been eroded by acid reflux.

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By: Dave Carter

When acids in the stomach rise the food pipe, it leads to heartburn. Heartburn is a digestion problem, as opposed to popular opinion of being a heart problem. Heartburn can also be termed esophageal disorder. Heartburn is burning sensation in the esophagus. Heartburn pain may also be felt in the upper abdomen and chest area. There are three causes of Heartburn - poor food habits, sleeping postures and tight clothes. One can prevent heartburn or lessen its intensity by following some simple rules related to food, sleeping and clothes. One should be careful if suffering from heartburn. Many times, heartburn is supposed to be the cause of pain totally ignoring impending heart attack.

Heartburn can be treated either through medicines or surgery. The medical treatment starts with antacids. These antacids can be taken as tablets or liquid (syrup) form. Such medicines are easily available with all the druggists. Antacids are effective when the heartburn is present in its mild form. Antacids may not work for stronger cases of heartburn. Second level of medication includes the use of H2 antagonist. H2 antagonist is a medicine which reduces the quantity and flow of acids in the stomach. These medicines were popular till couple of years back. However, proton pump inhibitors have almost replaced this method of medication.

Proton pump treatment is prescribed to those patients who don’t respond to antacids or some acid blockers. The principle of proton pump inhibitor is as thus - it simply blocks the proteins and disables them. These proteins control the pH mechanism of the stomach. Once this is achieved, the medicine starts having effect on the stomach, and don’t let the acids from inflicting any damage on the digestion. This relieves the person from heartburn. Proton pump inhibitors control acid formation in the stomach and thereby reduce the chances of heartburn. Proton pump inhibitors are widely accepted as a better alternative than any other medication available. However, it is strongly recommended to consult your physician for any such medication. Some medical practitioners strongly recommend control of foods and their types while treatment is being given to the patients. History suggests that patients with diet control respond better to medication that those with no control on diet.

When medication doesn’t work, doctors prescribe surgery to the patients. This surgical operation, can be carried out traditionally or with later day method like laparoscopy.

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By: Barney Garcia

With heart disease on the rise in North America, it is vital to know the warning signs of heart disease before its too late - it could save your life. There are several warning signs of heart disease, and they include the following.
Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or comes and goes. The feeling can come in the form of pressure, squeezing or a feeling of fullness of the chest. Heart attacks are often also accompanied by pain in other parts of the body, such as the neck, back, jaw, arms or stomach. Heart attacks can also cause shortness of breath, either while you are experiencing chest discomfort, or before the chest pain occurs. Other symptoms can include nausea, sweating and lightheadedness. It is important to note that in women, these signs are often less severe. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms you should see your doctor immediately. Many times there is nothing to worry about, but you should always check with a doctor when chest discomfort is involved just in case.

If you are experiencing these symptoms while at home, you should immediately call 911, or have someone call for you, and lay down in a comfortable position. If you are already on heart medication, take your normal dose, and take an aspirin because aspirin will thin your blood and allow oxygen to get to your heart. Do not take other pain medications such as Advil or ibuprofen. Then just try to relax while help arrives.

While heart disease can be hereditary, there are many things you can do to try to lower your risk of developing the disease. Even if all of your other family members have had heart disease, it doesn’t mean you have to get it too. Things you can do to help lower your risk are eating a better diet including lots of vegetables, whole grains, fruit and low fat protein. You should also try to cut out fast foods and junk foods as these significantly increase ones risk of developing heart disease. Even if you are going to order a salad at a fast food restaurant make sure the salad dressing you get is low in fat and trans fats. You should also make an effort to exercise at least 3 times a week for 30 mins each time. You should also limit your alcohol consumption and quit smoking. All of these things are going to help lower your chances of getting heart disease.

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By: Knut Holt

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a persistent blood pressure above 90 mm Hg between the heart beats (diastolic) or over 140 mm Hg at the beats (systolic). The blood pressure varies naturally in response to stress and physical work load. Therefore the blood pressure shall be measured in a relaxed situation and several times before this diagnosis is certain.

Hypertension does not in itself give dramatic symptoms, but it is dangerous because it causes a highly increased risk for heart infarction, stroke and renal failure.

THE PREVALENCE OF HYPERTENSION

One out of six persons is hypertensive. Most persons suffering from hypertension is over the age of 35. Still 6% of teenagers are hypertensive and also 1% of every child.

THE SYMPTOMS AND CONSEQUENCES OF HYPERTENSION
Hypertension is often without symptoms. By mild hypertension, flushing and headache can occur.

More serious hypertension gives symptoms like: Fatigue, dizziness, palpitations, tachycardia (rapid heart rate) and nosebleeds.

Extreme hypertension gives morning headache, blurred vision, dyspnoea (breathing difficulties) and elevated values of certain components in the blood, like urea and serum creatinine.

Hypertension will in the long run hurt the blood vessels, and serious hypertension can do extensive damage to the blood vessels in a few months or years.

The damaged blood vessels will impair the blood flow. They can also rupture causing a bleeding or be clogged by a blood clot that shuts out the blood flow and causes tissue damage. These things can occur in the brain, causing a stroke, in the heart causing heart infarction or in the kidneys with renal failure as a consequence.

A renal failure will in the next turn cause the hypertension to aggarvate, partly because a damaged kidney will not manage to secrete water and salt well enough, and partly because a kidney that do not get enough blood will start a hormonal mechanism that induces the kidney to actively hold back salt and water.

THE MECHANISMS AND CAUSES OF HYPERTENSION

The direct mechanisms causing hypertension is one or more of these factors:
- An increased tension in the blood vessel walls.
- An increased blood volume caused by elevated levels of salt and lipids in the blood holding back water.
- Hardened and inelastic blood vessels caused by arteriosclerosis.

The primary causes behind these mechanisms are not fully understood, but these factors contribute to causing hypertension:
- A high consume of salt
- A high fat consume.
- Stress at work and in the daily life.
- Smoking.
- Over-weight
- Lack of exercise.
- Kidney failure.

LIFESTYLE MEASURES TO PREVENT AND TREAT HYPERTENSION

Lifestyle measures shall always be a component of the hypertension treatment. Sometimes such measures are enough to cure the condition. Those measures are:
- Reducing salt consume.
- Reduction of the consume of fat, and especially saturated fat.
- Weight reduction.
- Relaxing and stress reduction techiques, for example meditation and autogenic training.
- Regular exercise.

SPECIAL FOOD TYPES THAT REDUCE THE BLOOD PRESSURE

Research projects suggest that the following food types reduce blood pressure.
- Fish oil and fat fish. The working substances seem to be the omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The effect from fish oil seems to cease when the fish oil supplements are stopped.
-Olive oil, especially olive oil of the quality extra virgin.

NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS TO HELP AGAINST HYPERTENSION

Natural supplements to treat hypertension exist. These supplements reduce blood pressure by lowering the cholesterol and lipid content in the blood, by preventing oxidation of tissue components by free radicals, and by helping damaged blood vessels to heal. Examples of ingredients having these effects are vitamin B3, inositol, turmenic extract and gum guggul extract.

They may also contain Ingredients giving a direct anti-hypertensive effect, like potassium, magnesium, calcium, vitamin C and fatty acids from marine sources.

MEDICAL TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION

When lifestyle measures and supplements are not enough to cure the condition, medical treatment must be applied.

Diuretics, or medicines to increase the urine production, are used to decrease the water content in the blood vessels, and thereby reduce the pressure in the vessels. When the water content is lowered, the heart does not need to pump so hard any more, and this will also reduce the pressure.

Beta-adrenergic blockers are another group of medicines to treat hypertension. This group of medicines block the signals that hormones and neurotransmitters give to the vessel walls, and the vessel walls then relax. They also slow down the heart rate to give a lower pressure exerted by the heart upon the blood.

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By: John Totum

A healthy heart is necessary for a healthy life. If you get any heart disease then you will lose a lot in your life even though you have a lot of money. Eating healthy to maintain a healthy heart is an essential thing in life. You have to be careful in choosing your food so that you can avoid any heart disease. Your food should contain less of fat, sodium, calories and have more fiber content.

Meat, butter, cheese, and milk contain more fat and hence they should be taken in fewer quantities. If you take less sodium your blood pressure is reduced to some extent and this helps in avoiding the risks of a heart disease. Problems of the heart come to the persons who are obese. It is essential to reduce the weight to avoid a heart disease. To reduce weight you have to take fewer calories. Foods that contain more fiber content can be taken. Fruits, vegetables, and grains contain more fiber content.

One of the other factors that lead to a heart disease is a sedentary life style. People who have this style of life should do some exercise that aims at strengthening your heart. With the advent of technology based jobs more and more people are working in computers. These people who work in the computer often sit before the computer without doing any physical activity. The only thing that is active is their brain and their fingers! Such people should take frequent breaks to have a little walk which can refresh them to a greater extent. Some people try to relax by sitting before the television. Either you sit before your computer or in front of the TV. This is also a bad habit. If you want to relax try to take a walk outside. Walking is a good exercise for your heart. A brisk walk for about 40 minutes daily will change your life beyond your expectations. Try it.

Cardiovascular or aerobic exercise can also be done to strengthen your heart. Some of the aerobic exercises are bicycling, jogging, jumping rope and skating. These exercises can be done for at least 20 to 30 minutes, 3 or 4 times a week. It is better to have an exercise schedule every alternate day. This habit makes you do your exercises regularly and without getting tired. If you are overweight then it is time to a look at your work schedule and allot some time for exercises. This will help you in the long way to have a healthy heart.

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By: Knut Holt

Coronary heart disease and heart attack like heart infarction can in great extend be prevented by lifestyle measures.

 
THE DIRECT CAUSES OF HEART DISEASE

The direct causes of coronary heart disease and heart attack are factors like these:

- Narrowing of blood vessels in the heart and the rest of the body by arteriosclerosis.
- High blood cholesterol level.
- High blood pressure.
- Over-weight.
- Diabetes.
- High level of the amino acid homocystein in the blood.
- High content of low density lipoprotein (LDL) and low content of high density lipoprotein (HDL) in the blood. Lipoprotein is a combination of protein and fatty substances bound together.
- Inflammation in the circulatory system.
- High age.
- Inherited tendencies for high cholesterol levels and heart disease.
- Men have somewhat greater chance of getting heart disease than women.

These factors are interrelated in complicated ways, and are causing or amplifying each other. For example, arteriosclerosis will cause higher blood pressure, and high blood pressure will cause even more arteriosclerosis. Many of these factors are ultimately caused or aggravated by these lifestyle factors:

-A too high consume of fat, cholesterol and sugar.
-Consuming the wrong fat types.
-Lack of fibre, vitamins, minerals and other diet deficiencies.
-Stress at work and in the daily life.
-Smoking.
-Lack of exercise.

Lifestyle adjustments will therefore be the main methods of preventing heart failure.

GENERAL DIET ADVICES

A diet with the aim of preventing heart disease is generally the same as a diet to prevent cancer and other diseases. Here are the general diet advices

- Avoid or reduce the amount of food that are industrially processed, artificially made or heavily fried.

- Eat fish at least every second day. Also eat seafood and fouls.

- Do not eat very much red meat.

- Eat 5 fruits or vegetables each day. Each piece should be of the size of an apple or carrot. They should be raw or carefully boiled so that the nutrients are not washed out.

- Eat full corn bread, full corn cereals, peas, beans and potatoes.

- Eat just a moderate amount of fat.

- Consume cholesterol rich foods like egg, spawn or liver in just moderate amounts.

- Ideally most fat you eat, should be of the type mono-unsaturated. You also need some poly-unsaturated fat of the types omega-3, and omega 6, but not too much of omega-6. The consumption of saturated fat should be moderate.

- In order to achieve right fat balance, much of the fat supply should come from a blending of sources like olive, olive oil, canola oil, nuts, nut oil, sunflower, sunflower oil, linseed oil (flax oil), fish and fish oil.

- Use only a moderate amount of soy oil and corn oil in the diet. Only using such oil types will give you too much poly-unsaturated fat of the omega-6-type.

- Use just a very moderate amount of fat sources like butter, coconut oil and palm oil. A high consumption of these fat sources gives you too much saturated fat.

- Avoid altogether fat that has been chemically altered, giving so-called trans-fat. This type of fat is often found in margarine, cookies, snacks, fast food and other pre-made food.

- Consume just a very moderate amount of sugar, refined flour or refined cereals.

- Consume just a moderate amount of tranquilizers and stimulants like alcohol and caffeine.

- Use just a moderate amount of salt in the food. However, in warm weather and by hard physical work, you will need more salt.

 
DIET SUPPLEMENTS THAT HELP PREVENT HEART DISEASE

Evidence suggests that it will be helpful to take some supplements of natural substances to prevent heart disease and help to ameliorate already manifest heart problems. These supplements are:

- Omega-3-fatty acids derived from fish and other marine sources, especially the fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and alfa-linolaeic acid. 1 gram a day of each of these substances may be taken as a supplement. Higher amounts should only be taken under medical supervision, since higher amount of these substances may cause bleeding tendencies, and may suppress the immune system.

- Supplement of vitamin C has been thought to help prevent heart disease, but newer findings cast doubt upon this.

- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine), folic acid / folate, vitamin b12 and riboflavin seem to prevent the building up of the substance homocystein in the blood and thereby help prevent heart disease, according to results from research projects.

GET RID OF OVER-WEIGHT

The lifestyle measures listed in this article will also help you loose weight. If these measures are not enough, you should consider engaging in a more specific weight reduction program. You should choose a program that has a moderate fat content philosophy. Some weight reduction programs have a higher fat and low carbohydrate consume philosophy, and those are probably not the best ones to reduce the chance of getting heart disease.

EXERCISE

You should do some exercise of at least half an hour at least every second day. Condition training as vigorous walking, jogging, cycling or swimming is best for reducing the heart attack probability. Muscular building exercises are also of value, especially exercises building leg muscles

STOP SMOKING

If you smoke, stopping or reducing this habit radically will decrease the chance of getting heart problems.

CONTROL DIABETES

If you suffer from diabetes type 1, a good control of the disease by insulin medication and by diet adjustments will help to prevent heart disease.

Many people over the age of 50, and an increasing number of young people suffer from diabetes type 2 because of bad lifestyle. This disease does not necessarily give dramatic symptoms, but the disease increases the chance of getting serious heart problems, and many have the disease without knowing it. This disease can be prevented by the same lifestyle measures depicted above. If you already have got the disease, a more rigorous control of carbohydrate intake is necessary. And sometimes also medication must be used. People over the age of 50 and younger people that do not feel well should find out if they suffer from this condition.

TAKING ASPIRIN

Low doses of acetyl salicylic acid or aspirin prevent heart disease by persons bearing a high risk for heart disease. However, this medication increases the risk of bleeding and should not be used without constant medical supervision. For persons with a low risk of heart disease, the dangers of aspirin will be greater than the benefits.

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