Health

World Heart Day- Healthy lifestyle can preempt future heart ailments

The best thing about regular check-ups is the doctor can preempt any heart ailment of the future.

September 29 is celebrated all over the world as World Heart Day. The day is celebrated to create awareness about the working and the ailments which can afflict the most important organ in our body. Cardiovascular Diseases that were once thought to afflict the elderly is becoming more common in the young.

The recent incidence of death of prominent T.V. personality Sidhartha Shukla who succumbed to a heart attack at the age of 40 has once again highlighted the fact that heart ailments can occur in the young also.

The heart never stops pumping

Before delving deeper into the problem let us understand the amount of work our heart does. Right from our birth until our death the heart pumps and pumps continuously. No other muscle with the exception of uterine muscles can contract with such force and regularity as the heart. The uterine muscles contract only during childbirth and that too for a short duration.

You can imagine the amount of work our heart does and the amount of energy it needs to keep it working that way. No doubt the heart needs oxygen-rich blood to keep working and this is achieved by the coronary arteries which supply to the walls of the heart.

The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart and if there is a blockage due to a clot or plaque, the supply of blood to that part of the heart is restricted, a condition is known as a heart attack. If the supply of the blood is restricted for a long time, the portion of the heart which is devoid of blood supply dies, or necrosis happens.

Most heart ailments depend upon our lifestyle. A sedentary lifestyle, long hours of work, irregular food habits, lack of fibre in diet, stress, and hereditary factors are all important precipitating factors for heart ailments.

Heart ailments can be prevented with lifestyle adjustments

To a large extent, heart ailments can be prevented by suitable adjustments to our lifestyle. Moderate exercises like brisk morning walks, cycling or jogging can rejuvenate and help the heart cope better with the stress of modern lives. Regular monitoring of the health of the heart is very important. We go for an E.C.G only after the incidence of pain or some other symptom of the heart. The best thing about regular check-ups is the doctor can preempt any heart ailment of the future. A careful analysis of E.C.G will help the doctor understand the state of your heart and advise procedures accordingly.

Another important thing, something which can save a person’s life is CPR procedures. In the U.S. all kids are taught about cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The first few minutes after a person suffers from a Heart attack is very important. If CPR procedure is affected and blood circulation restored in a person suffering from a Heart Attack, the chances of survival are very high. Sadly no education curriculum in schools includes CPR.

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Manoj Nair

Manoj is a passionate writer who loves writing on a variety of subjects including trivia, retro movies, unique and unkno More »
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