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Is Lifestyle Killing Your Heart?

2020-10-21

Are you suffering from High blood pressure, Obesity, Diabetes or High Cholesterol? If you answered yes, then you need to ask yourself another question, how long will your heart remain healthy? Lifestyle diseases like the above mentioned are now known to increase the risk of a heart disease. So coupled with the burden of one you will get this other one if you are not careful.

Are you suffering from High blood pressure, Obesity, Diabetes or High Cholesterol? If you answered yes, then you need to ask yourself another question, how long will your heart remain healthy? Lifestyle diseases like the above mentioned are now known to increase the risk of a heart disease. So coupled with the burden of one you will get this other one if you are not careful. <img class="right-img" src="http://www.drmorepennow.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/broken-heart-clipart.jpg" alt="Heart failure, heart attack, congestive heart failure, how to avoid heart attack" /> Lifestyle diseases, which are being reported among a larger population each year, are a growing threat. But, even a bigger threat is how people are responding to it. While, most of them just look for an instant solution, some of them don’t even consider tackling it until it becomes life threatening. Act on it as soon as you can, you might have only a limited days until it becomes really difficult to manage. In earlier times, Communicable diseases were the major threat to the society, they could spread rapidly and treating them was not easy. Information regarding these diseases were also not sufficient to properly diagnose them or treat them. As, we advance into the age of science and technology, new and better treatments available for management of these diseases. Diseases like malaria, cholera and polio are now treated at lower costs. New viral and bacterial infections have been identified. Monitoring of anti-microbial resistance to commonly used drugs is being extended to include more organisms. Disease surveillance at the molecular level has also been expanded and strengthened. It seems that we are winning the fight against communicable diseases. However a new era of diseases has come into existence, diseases called ‘Lifestyle diseases’ such as heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes are becoming a common topic of discussion. This shift from infectious diseases as the leading cause of death to non-infectious diseases is the story of every country which is on the path of development. Far from being an exception – India as well is on such an accelerated journey of “epidemiological transition,” the process of changes in patterns of diseases as societies develop. This development is not favorable since the treatment of these diseases cannot be done permanently like the communicable ones. The root cause of such diseases is not determined by any external harmful agent such as a pathogen or a virus but due to intrinsic factors rising because of the malfunctioning of the body itself. Since, the problem itself lies within the body, in order to maintain proper functioning of the body, only an external or internal compensation can be provided to that part of the body which is malfunctioning. Therefore, the treatment is a prolonged one and the use of such methods proves to be of a higher cost to the patients. So, what exactly are lifestyle diseases? These diseases are a result of an inappropriate relationship of people with their environment. In simpler terms, unhealthy ways of living causing your body to malfunction is a lifestyle disease. The onset of these lifestyle diseases is insidious, they take years to develop, and once encountered require a lot of struggle from the patient’s part for an effective cure. The main factors causing lifestyle diseases include bad food habits, physical inactivity, wrong body posture, smoking, and a disturbed biological clock (sleeping cycle, etc.). The most prominent of these factors, however, remains to be a basic one, which is lack of exercise. It is so because exercise is what forces our body to function more efficiently. While exercising, Increase in blood circulation of the body forces blood to reach every part of the body. The blood which supplies oxygen and nutrients to the tissues is needed by almost each part of your body, even for repairing itself. Thus, the more amount of blood a tissue gets, the healthier it will be. Lack of exercise reduces this blood flow over time. The peripheral blood vessels do not get enough supply thus starving the cells they are providing blood to. There are even treatments available nowadays that are effective because they are simply able to correct this problem. ECP treatment or EECP treatment or ECP therapy is one of these treatments. It increases the blood flow which helps in reducing risks of these major types of lifestyle diseases. Some of the common lifestyle diseases are Heart disease, Obesity, Diabetes, Stroke, Hypertension, Allergies, Hearing problems, Heat shock, Cold shock, Depression, Anxiety disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and Chronic backache. These are all known to be related to some or the other unhealthy habits of an individual which have made their impact in the long run. <img src="http://www.drmorepennow.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/lifestyle-diseases-artwork.jpg" alt="diabetes, lifestyle diseases, controlling diabetes, insulin" /> As per WHO estimates, lifestyle diseases account for almost 60% of the total mortality reported annually in India. India as compared to the rest of the world, stands out menacingly, since lifestyle diseases strike not just the old-age people here, but the younger generation as well. Cardiovascular diseases are affecting Indians a decade earlier than the rest of the world, according to the WHO’s Menabde. According to Lybrate’s annual report, about 45% young people, in the age group 20-45 years, are actively consulting doctors for prevention of diseases caused by lifestyle issues, while the majority of others are reaching out to healthcare experts for treatment of these diseases at an affordable price. Out of all these major lifestyle diseases, heart disease has emerged as the biggest killer. A quarter (25%) of all mortality is due to a heart disease known as Cardio-Vascular Disease. Along with this, some aspects of this Cardio-Vascular Disease epidemic are particular causes of concern, including its accelerated build-up, the high case fatality rate (the number of people who could not survive their heart disease) and the fact that epidemiological transition from predominantly infectious disease conditions to lifestyle diseases has occurred over a rather brief period of time, that too when the economic development of the country was taking place rapidly. Heart is the engine of your body; every cell waits for the oxygen and nutrients it brings each 20 seconds. The organ works ceaselessly, beating 100,000 times a day, 40 million times a year—in total clocking up three billion heartbeats over an average lifetime. Another reason for paying special attention to your heart is the fact that the muscles of the heart are different from the other types of muscles in your body. The muscles of the heart are involuntary and striated, which are unlike any other tissues in the body. They depend on a continuous blood and electrical supply for delivering oxygen and other nutrients. The coronary arteries help fulfil this function. An occlusion or blockage of the coronary arteries can be a serious problem for its functioning. It can be caused by atherosclerosis with or without thrombosis. Atherosclerosis is a process of narrowing of blood vessels due to the plaque deposition on the artery walls, while thrombosis is a process of complete blockage in the blood vessels due to the formation of blood clots inside the blood vessels. These conditions can lead to a myocardial infarction which is also known as a “heart attack”. <img class="right-img" src="http://www.drmorepennow.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/blocked-artery-diagram.jpg" alt="reason for heart attack, heart failure, congestive heart failure, heart failure treatment" /> A myocardial infarction or a “heart attack” is a permanent damage caused to the heart muscle, “myo” means muscle, “cardial” refers to the heart, and “infarction” means the death of a tissue due to lack of blood supply. This condition is serious because your heart cannot compensate for the loss in the performance due to this death of cardiac tissue. Another factor which makes preventing coronary blockage so important is that coronary arteries are the functional end arteries which mean that there is almost no overlap in the areas supplied by different arteries (anastomoses) and blockage in one artery cannot be compensated by the other arteries. However one biological fact which can be beneficial for people concerned about their heart health is that these coronary arteries have the potential to create newer blood vessels around themselves, a process known as angiogenesis, for providing alternate pathways for the blood to flow. These “natural” bypasses can be created using newer improved treatment methods available in the market which are completely non-invasive. “ECP treatment” (external counter pulsation treatment) is one such treatment which increases the blood flow in order to create multiple natural bypasses across your heart. Other lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and high cholesterol, affect the conditions required by your body for maintaining a healthy heart as well. Thus, these can increase your risk of heart diseases. Here are some facts you might want to know about these silent killers of the heart. <h2>HIGH BP – 1 Billion people in the world*</h2> <img class="right-img" src="http://www.drmorepennow.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/blodd-pressure.jpg" alt="hypertension, high bp symptoms, how to control high bp, hypertension treatment" /> 80% of the people suffering from high blood pressure develop Heart Disease later in life*. Blood pressure is now known among almost each individual of the population. Blood pressure is also known to rise as we age, but the fact that this trend is “normal” doesn’t mean that it is good for you. It is so because artery walls become stiff with age. Stiff arteries force the heart to pump even harder. This sets up a vicious cycle. Blood pounding against these stiff artery walls damages them over time. The overworked heart muscle then becomes less effective and pumps even harder to meet the body’s demands for blood. This further damages the arteries and invites more fat into these irregular artery walls. This is the explanation to why a high blood pressure leads to stroke or plaque build-up. In fact, high BP is one of the foremost diseases which act as a kick-off point for many other serious heart conditions. Your optimal blood pressure reading should be 120/80mmHg, check & manage it regularly. (*Source: WHO, NCBI). You can control your blood pressure by watching your waistline, reducing alcohol and sodium in your diet and exercising regularly. Other than these, increased blood flow during the “ECP Treatment” (EECP Treatment) also leads to better management of hypertension. Since, the overall vascular function improves and the stiffness of the blood vessels is reduced. Improved energy level and reduced fatigue is also noticed in the patients. Thus, ECP treatment or EECP Therapy can be considered as a hypertension treatment. <h2>OBESITY & OVERWEIGHT – A time bomb</h2> <img class="right-img" src="http://www.drmorepennow.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/obesity-artwork.jpg" alt="obesity treatment, weight loss treatment, treatment of obesity, weight loss treatment" /> If you are obese, then you are a sitting time bomb for diseases like heart disease, hypertension and diabetes to strike you. Excessive fat in your arteries could trigger a “heart attack” or a stroke. So reduce your intake of saturated fat, trans-fat, cholesterol & get active today. Seek help, as your obesity might be due to a medical condition that you may have. “ECP Treatment” or “EECP heart Treatment” which enhances blood circulation, improves organ function and increases the flow of nutrients and oxygen. Consequently, it results in improved body metabolism and fat burning capacity. Furthermore, undergoing the “EECP Treatment” is similar to undergoing passive exercise, which improves the energy levels and removes fatigue. As the exercise capacity increases, it results in weight loss and inch loss in the body. Hence, ECP can be an effective obesity treatment. <h2>DIABETES – 8 times greater risk</h2> <img class="right-img" src="http://www.drmorepennow.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/diabetes-artwork.jpg" alt="diabetes, controlling diabetes, diabetes treatment, how to control diabetes" /> India is the world capital of diabetes and heart disease. Diabetes damages your nerves and blood vessels, leading to complications in the heart. Diabetes is treatable, but even when your sugar levels are under control, the risk of heart disease and stroke increases greatly. Adults with diabetes are 2 – 4 times more likely to die of heart disease, than those without diabetes*. Your optimal fasting blood sugar reading should be under 100mg/dl. (*Source: AHA) “ECP Treatment” (EECP Treatment) also has an additional positive effect on diabetics. As blood flow in the body increases, it increases insulin delivery and glucose uptake by the body, thus improving the blood sugar control. <h2>CHOLESTEROL – Check it from 20’s</h2> 10% increase in cholesterol can lead to a 20-30% increase in the risk of heart disease*. The numbers for people with high cholesterol are alarmingly high – with nearly every third person suffering from it, thereby increasing the risks of heart attack. <img src="http://www.drmorepennow.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/cholesterol-artwork.jpg" alt="cholesterol control, healthy cholesterol, high cholesterol, controlling high cholesterol" /> The right diet, regular physical activity and the US FDA approved ECP Treatment can kick start your healthy lifestyle and bring down your risk factors. We provide you with ECP treatment in Delhi, which will enhance your blood circulation, improve organ function, increase your energy and will help in reduction of your medications. Experience the results at Dr. Morepen NOW’s Hauz Khas Centre.