There are so many conditions that affect the heart one or the other way. Few of them are mentioned below which are on top list…
High blood cholesterol
Cholesterol in the form of “bad cholesterol” is the real risky factor for heart. Bad cholesterol carries fats or lipids from liver to the heart and other organs. If this remains high in the blood, it causes damage to the heart. The bad cholesterol gets accumulated in tiny arteries that supply the heart and result to this, the heart is not supplied by enough blood. This results into cell death and so the heart.
High blood pressure
Hypertension puts pressure on the heart. Heart has to work more forcefully to pump the blood through out the body. This makes heart muscle tired and finally giving up. This increases the chances of having heart stroke and heart attack.
In other words, when the blood pressure is elevated, the heart has to work extra hard to pump the blood to the entire body. If this situation remains the same, the heart tends to enlarge as it has a tough time keeping up with the demands.
In high blood pressure condition, the arteries get hardened. Hypertension may increase the chances of strokes due to damage to various blood vessels in the brain called as cerebro-vascular stroke. This may also further damage kidney. Congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease are later stage of the high blood pressure situation.
Smoking
Research has shown that this increases heart rate. Increased heart rate tightens major arteries and that causes irregularity in heartbeats. All these factors make heart working harder and faster. The carbon monoxide when enters into the blood, it reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood that is available to the heart and all other parts of the entire body.
Smoking raises the blood pressure and so the risk factors having heart stroke. Tar, carbon monoxide and nicotine are poisonous to heart. These build fatty plaques in the tiny arteries that supply the heart itself and possibly injuring them. This is believed to be to affect the level of fibrinogen which is blood clotting material. Blood clotting leads to major heart problem. Overall smokers die with 70% greater death rate than the non-smokers. The heavy or chain smokers have a death rate twice or thrice greater than non-smokers.
Many people switch on to low tar and low nicotine cigarettes, which makes no difference as they inhale more deeply to fulfill their requirement of nicotine or tar.
Obesity
If one crosses his or her limit of BMI – body mass index (which is measured by weight (kg)/height (meter 2)). If this crosses 30, one is obese and at risk for having heart disease. Ayurveda says that if the medo dhatu (fatty tissues) are increased in the body, there will be obstruction in srotus (micro channels) and hence person’s heart gets into trouble. The further dhatus (vital tissues) like asthi (bones), majja (marrows) and shukra (spermatozoa) don’t get nourished properly. Result to this, the heart works more to nourish those vital tissues ultimately getting tired and diseased.
Diabetes
The high sugar level in the blood is susceptible of developing coronary artery disease. A raised blood glucose level accelerates in the thickening of the coronary artery basement membrane that predisposes the patients to development of the coronary artery disease.
Adherence to a management regimen, regular checkups and weight control are essential to prevent this. .
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