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The Six Major Causes of Heart Disease

Here's How to Prevent Your First Heart Attack

Feb 16, 2009 Mario Carini

Heart disease is the second largest killer next to cancer. It is estimated that some 80 million Americans exhibit some of the symptoms that will lead to heart disease.

There is no one cause of heart disease. There is no virus that can causes a heart attack and stroke to occur. While heredity plays a part, it is a small part, next to the unhealthy lifestyle factors that many people live with on a daily basis. A few simple changes, however, can make a big difference in future health and well-being. Simply understanding the factors that contribute to heart disease, steps can be taken to insure that the symptoms do not occur and the enjoyment of life is preserved.

Diet

The media and the medical community constantly broadcast the need for a healthy diet. Unfortunately many have grown accustomed to the habit of consuming high fat, sugar and highly refined foods which lack the essential nutrients the body needs to maintain health. Most Americans today do not even meet the minimum RDA requirements as set by government health agencies. Their intake of essential vitamins and minerals is woefully inadequate. Consequently their bodies do not have the tools to fight disease.

Exercise

It's not easy to do in a high-speed lifestyle. Cubicle and home life on the couch is not conducive to health. The human body is designed to be active. Hours spent before a computer monitor does not help burn off calories. Even children, who should be active, are increasingly overweight and this guarantees a future of serious health problems. The consequences of a sedentary lifestyle is weight gain and clogged arteries. Exercise doesn't require running a marathon, just the simple act of walking helps to relieve stress and get the circulation to oxygenate the blood and get it moving to all parts of the body.

Stress and Sleep

Everyone is busy running the treadmill of life. There seems to be little time to just relax. But the simple act of just letting go can do wonders. It helps to focus concentration and even find solutions to those nagging problems that defy solutions. Stiff necks, shoulder, back pain and high blood pressure are the result of a high-stressed life. Both prayer and meditation can reduce those stress levels and lead to a better night of sleep, something that few people are able to do.The proper amount of sleep helps the body heal itself so it is refreshed for next day activities.

Lifestyle Habits

Smoking does nothing more than add to the toxins already in the food eaten everyday and weakens the immune system. While standard drugs can be helpful for certain conditions, many of them contain a soup of chemicals that make it difficult for the body to eliminate them. Antibiotics today are over-prescribed and abused by many people. Alcohol in moderation has healthful benefits, but like drugs, will have no beneficial effects when it is too easily abused.

The Environment

The pollutants in the air, water supply and in the soil make it difficult for anyone to live a disease-free life. This is one area where little can be done to maintain health except to avoid areas of high pollution which, unfortunately, includes many homes. But steps can be taken to lessen the impact environmental pollutants can have on health.

Contributing Factors

The wrong lifestyle does not kill immediately. High blood pressure, obesity and high cholesterol do not immediately result in sickness or death. The constant bombardment of pollution, bad habits, stress and wrong eating practices reduce the immune system's ability to fight viruses and bacteria that can get a foothold in the body. More people succumb to diseases that few ever experienced a century ago and if they did, were able to overcome them easily. Those minor colds, headaches and stomach problems lead to the more serious diseases of cancer, arthritis, diabetes and Alzheimer's

No wonder drug nor doctor can insure that treating the symptoms will ever make anyone healthy. The incentive is up to the individual to take their health into their own hands and make the effort required to change the lifestyle that is making them sick. Only then will the diseases of today become a relic of the past.

The copyright of the article The Six Major Causes of Heart Disease in General Medicine is owned by Mario Carini. Permission to republish The Six Major Causes of Heart Disease in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.