Risk Factors for Heart Disease

Coronary heart disease is still the largest single cause of death in Australia.

What is coronary artery disease (Heart disease)?

As the heart pumps oxygenated (with oxygen) blood around the body, it also carries blood to the heart muscle. The heart muscle is called the Myocardium. Coronary arteries are the arteries that supply the heart muscle with oxygenated blood & nutrients. Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is narrowing or blockages in these arteries.

The openings to the coronary arteries are found just outside the aortic valve. There are 3 main arteries and numerous small arteries that supply the heart muscle with oxygenated blood. The 3 main arteries are: Left Anterior Descending Artery, Circumflex artery and The right coronary artery.

Build up of plaque in the coronary arteries is the  main cause of heart attacks. The hardened plaque sometime ruptures and bleeds resulting in formation of a blood clot. These clots can become dislodged (become a embolus) and travels with the flow of blood till they are lodged in an artery that is already narrowed by build up of plaque. This results in a blockage to the blood flow to that part of the heart muscle causing injury to the heart muscle. Due to a lack of oxygen & nutrients to the heart muscle the muscle cells dies. This is commonly known as a ‘heart attack’.

What risk factors can cause heart disease/heart attack?

There are a number of risk factors for heart disease. These can be separated in to two groups. Modifiable risk factors and unmodifiable risk factors.

Modifiable risk factors are the risk factors you can change: They are:
 

• High Blood Pressure
• High Blood Cholesterol
• Atherosclerosis
• Overweight / Obesity
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Stress and Negative emotions

By taking control of your life and reducing your chances of developing these ‘modifiable risk factors’ you can reduce your chances of developing heart disease.

Unmodifiable Risk Factors are the risk factors you can not change: They are: 

• Age
• Gender
• Family History

 
How high blood pressure can affect the function of the heart

High Blood pressure:
Normal blood pressure should be around 120 – 140 (systolic) / 60 – 80 (diastolic) mmHg. Your blood pressure fluctuates according to your emotions, physical activities and due to other external conditions. When you have high blood pressure, your heart has to exert against the resistance in your blood vessels, which can cause thickening of the heart muscle, which can lead to heart failure as well as increase the work load on your heart.

Most people are not aware that they have high blood pressure. High blood pressure may not give any warning signs. You need to have a medical professional check your blood pressure regularly.  High Blood pressure, if not controlled, may lead to serious health problems, such as stroke, heart attacks, heart failure and kidney failure.

What is your blood pressure?  Normal / High / Don’t Know

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How overweight & obesity contribute towards high blood pressure and heart disease 

Overweight/Obesity: 

This is fast becoming a major health concern. Australia is now leading in Obesity in the world! Childhood obesity is also on the rise. This is quite alarming! We need to guide ‘our children’ to a better health… a better future for the country!

Carrying excess weight puts additional strain on your heart muscle, which increases the work load on the heart. Heart has to pump blood throughout your whole body, including all the excess areas in your body. Overtime this causes damage to the heart, its muscle, arteries and the valves. When the heart has to work harder to pump blood around the body, this causes the heart muscle to thicken or harden. Like when you lift weights, the muscle in the arms gets thicker & firmer. When this happens in your heart it causes ineffective pumping of blood.

Overweight and obesity is a combination of unhealthy eating habits, lack of exercise, lack of motivation, lack enthusiasm, lack of self confidence & self esteem, emotional trauma or issues during early years of life and may even be due to ‘not liking your self’., which is poor self image.
We believe that as a result of emotional trauma / issues during childhood, your energy system may not be fully opened and balanced. This is a major cause of extreme weight gain as well as extreme weight lose.

Overweight & obesity can contribute towards other illnesses and risk factors like Type 2 Diabetes, Stroke, heart disease, gall bladder disease, and hip & knee problems, sleeping disorders like sleep apnea.

WE HELP YOU IDENTIFY THE REAL REASON FOR YOUR WEIGHT GAIN, and release these for you to achieve your ideal body image!

Diets and exercise alone will only help you to lose weight for that period of time. To keep the weight you have lost and to manage your ideal weight, we need to find & treat the cause of your weight gain!

Maintaining a healthy weight is a lifetime commitment!

If you are serious about 'breaking through your emotional issues' to get your body back in shap - call us on 02 9602 3000

As yourself - How long do I want to carry extra weight around for?

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How stress and negative emotions can contribute towards heart attacks?

Stress:
When you get stressed your body releases stress hormones which affect your blood vessels. By constricting your blood vessels in the body as well as in the heart, these chemicals increase your heart rate and your blood pressure. When you are constantly in a stressful situation like increased work load, unhappy marriage or work environment, your chances of having a heart attack increases.

Stress is good. You need to learn to use stress to your advantage. Sometimes, stress is your message to do something different!

Stress alone can cause many illnesses and diseases. It is important that you learn methods to suit you to manage your stress. What works for you may not work for someone else. We recommend relaxation techniques, meditation or starting a hobby or play a sport.

Use stressful situations ~ learn from it and move to something bigger & better!

Negative emotions:
Fear, Anger, resentment, blame, jealousy, aggression can lead to many ill fated situations. We see & hear about these events everyday.

Negative emotions, not only causes a stress response inside your body by increasing your heart rate & blood pressure, it also causes blockages in your energy flow in the body. Unbalanced energy or blockages in the free flow of energy, will lead to many diseases and illnesses.

Negative emotions are what is holding us from reaching our dreams. FEAR is one of the main culprits that disempowers people. We all have fears. It is how you deal with your fears that will allow you to move forward in life.

What are your fears?

Recognise what it is that is holding you from progressing in life. Once you recognize and release these negative emotions, you will unleash your hidden talents and reach your dream life.

All the answers you want for your questions are within you. You may have to go WITHIN to find out what is holding you back and what you can do to ‘progress in life’. Life is a journey, not a destination. Let’s enjoy the journey together!

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High Cholesterol:
Our bodies make cholesterol. We need cholesterol to maintain essential functions in the body. It is when we have extra cholesterol from diets high in cholesterol, and fatty acids, that we develop plaque build up which leads to Heart attacks, stroke and other vascular problems.

There is good Cholesterol (HDL) & bad cholesterol (LDL). Ideally we need to have our good cholesterol high and bad cholesterol low. When we have too much bad cholesterol, it eats up all the good cholesterol which leads to disease and illness. Include foods that are rich in monounsaturated fats that will increase your good cholesterol. eg: Oliy fish at least 3 times/ week. Olive oil, nuts rich on Omega 3 – Walnuts.

You should aim to keep your total cholesterol under 4.5mmol/L (even though normal cholesterol is up to 5.5mmol/L

What is your Cholesterol Level?  Normal / High / Don’t know 

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Atherosclerosis:
This is the most commonly known cause of Coronary Artery Disease. Atherosclerosis means plaque or hardening of the arteries. This process of plaque build up is caused by fatty substances, cholesterol, cellular waste products and calcium deposits against the lining of the arteries.
 
Atherosclerosis can begin as early as adolescence, and is usually found in most major arteries. As people grow older their arteries becomes harder and less elastic. Autopsies of healthy young men showed evidence of the artery disease.

Presence of plaque may not show any signs, until narrowing of the artery causes some blockage resulting in a heart attack, or stroke. Plaque can grow large enough to significantly reduce the blood flow through these arteries. When this process takes place in the arteries that supply the heart muscle (your coronary arteries) the blood supply to the heart muscle is compromised and due to lack of oxygen and nutrients, this causes damage to the heart muscle, which is what we call a "Heart Attack". 
 

Atherosclerosis is a slow complex process which progresses towards old age, yet some people can have rapid progression even in their thirties.

Tobacco smoke greatly worsens atherosclerosis and speeds its growth in the coronary arteries, the aorta and the arteries in the legs. 
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Diabetes
Type 2 Diabetes:  This is a lifestyle disease. Type 2 diabetes, is becoming a major health concern, through out the world. If you increase your weight, you increase your chances of this most nasty condition. This disease comes with many complications and eventually results in an untimely death.
 
Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body doesn’t make enough Insulin or cannot use Insulin properly, due to extra body fat %.
 
Type 2 diabetes leads to stroke, heart disease, eye problems including blindness, vascular & kidney problems.

Ask your self, DO I WANT TO SACRIFICE MY LIFE TO DIABETES?

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Cigarette Smoking: 
Smoking is an act governed by your subconscious mind. Anything that you DO repetitively, your subconscious mind says ‘I’ll take care of it’. That is why people find it very difficult to quit smoking. To stop this nasty habit you need to use WILL POWER or reprogram your subconscious mind to something that is healthy.

Cigarette smoking can cause your bad cholesterol levels to elevate, increasing your risks in developing heart disease and having a sudden heart attack. Cigarette smoking can also contribute towards strokes, lung conditions and vascular problems.

80% of people walk out of our clinic as Non Smoker. 

 
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Age / Gender / Family History
Simply getting old is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Risk of stroke and Coronary Artery Disease doubles every decade after age 40. Reducing risk factor and minimizing the damage to your heart can begin as early as the twenties. Your risks increases as you get older and as you increase your risk factors.  

There is a widespread misconception that heart disease is a man's disease. Heart disease is fast becoming a major health issue for women as well. There are greater risks of death from heart attacks for women with heart disease than men, as women tend to present with different symptoms to that of men. 
 

Family history of heart disease has been widely accepted as one of the major unmodifiable risk factor for Coronary Artery Disease. However by adopting positive life style changes you can reduce your risks of having heart disease, as development of cardiovascular disease involves many different factors, not just your family history. 

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Lifestyle changes can regress Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)?
It is widely recognised that lifestyle modifications can regress coronary artery disease. It is important to identify your risk factors and make lifestyle changes to reduce your risks in coronary artery disease. The more risk factors you have,the higher your chances of having a heart attack.

It is imperative that people identify their personal risk factors and take positive steps towards lifestyle changes to reduce their chances of developing CAD. People who already have heart disease and people who have risk factors can benefit from lifestyle modification strategies and health & lifestyle programs to reduce your chances of having a sudden heart attack. 

There are a number of factors that contribute towards heart disease. To reduce your chances of heart attack, it is important that you seek advice and guidance from an experienced health professional. Careful monitoring and maintaining good health may prevent an untimely death.

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